ClockMan95 was originally released in 1995 as a successor to our popular automation application for Windows 3.1, Clock Manager. It grew in functionality over time, and it's still a useful basic automation tool.
AutoIntern is our next-generation automation tool. It has many improvements over ClockMan95 that weren't possible by simply upgrading it. We took a "clean sheet of paper" and redesigned AutoIntern from the ground up to meet today's needs. This table outlines the important features in the two products.
| Feature | AutoIntern | ClockMan95 |
| Compatible with Win95, Win98, & WinNT | No | Yes |
| Compatible with Win2000 | Yes | Yes |
| Compatible with XP & Win2003 | Yes | No |
| Runs as an NT service | Yes | No |
| Remote administration | Yes | No |
| Includes embedded WIL scripting language | Yes | Yes (much older version of WIL) |
| Includes Automation Assistants (event wizards) | Yes | Yes |
| Rules-based event scheduling | Yes | Yes |
| Schedule events more than once per day | Yes | No |
| Trigger events on non-time criteria | Yes | No |
| Exceptions to the scheduling rule | Yes | No |
| Keystroke recorder | Yes | No |
| Specify directory when launching a program | Yes | No |
| Script has access to event definitions | Yes | Yes |
| Logging | Yes | Yes (rudimentary) |
| InfoBar | Yes | Yes |
| Print events | Yes | No |
| User customizable Interface | Yes | No |
| Export event to XML file | Yes | No |
| File conversion | Yes | No |
| Multiple files open at same time | Yes | No |
| Search events | Yes | No |
| Industrial strength | Yes | No |
Compatible with Windows 95, 98, NT & 2000
Both AutoIntern and ClockMan95 are 32-bit, multithreaded C++ applications created especially for the Windows32 environment. For light-duty, Windows95 desktops, ClockMan95 may be a better choice because it does not require IE4 or DCOM to be installed. It can easily run on the original Windows95 version that shipped in August 1995. [top]
Compatible with Windows XP & 2003
Only AutoIntern has been fully tested on Windows XP and 2003. [Top]
Only AutoIntern can run as a service under NT/Win2000. AutoIntern can schedule events to occur even when no user is logged in. [Top]
Only AutoIntern lets an administrator manage schedules on other users' PCs. [Top]
Includes embedded WIL scripting language
Both products have the embedded WIL language, though ClockMan95 uses the older WIL version 3.0.2 from early 2000. Also, AutoIntern's WIL extensions are more powerful - a scheduled event can modify more of its characteristics. [Top]
Includes Automation Assistants (WIL scripting wizards)
Both products have Automation Assistants to enable users to create custom, turn-key scripts by answering a few simple questions. [Top]
Although both products have rules-based scheduling, AutoIntern's scheduling options are vastly more powerful. [Top]
Allow schedule multiple times per day
Only AutoIntern lets you schedule events to occur more than once per day (down to each minute). Only AutoIntern lets you schedule an event to occur when another file or Registry entry gets added, deleted, or changed [Top]
Trigger events on non-time criteria
Only AutoIntern lets you schedule events to occur when another file or Registry entry gets added, deleted, or changed. Only AutoIntern can launch an event when Windows starts up or shuts down. [Top]
Only AutoIntern lets you specify a rule for when an event should not occur in addition to when it should occur. This allows for unparalleled flexibility in an easy to use format!
Only AutoIntern lets you record the actual keystrokes to send to a program that gets launched by an event. The keystroke recorder is perfect for simple "follow this example" type of events that lend themselves to straightforward automation by sending keystrokes to an application. [Top]
Only AutoIntern lets you specify a program's working directory when it gets launched by an event. This feature is rarely needed, but when it does it can be frustrating if the scheduler can't specify it. There is a workaround in the ClockMan95 knowledgebase that is 100% reliable. AutoIntern has this functionality built in. [Top]
Both products have access to the native datafile with custom WIL commands that can create, edit or delete events automatically. [Top]
Both products log the outcomes of events when they occur. AutoIntern's logging features are more robust and are easier to review, allowing you to isolate log entries for specific events. [Top]
Both products have the InfoBar. The InfoBar can be customized to a greater degree in AutoIntern. [Top]
Only AutoIntern lets you print out a list of the scheduled events. It has a nice format with options. [Top]
Only AutoIntern lets you sort, resize, and move around the columns in the main view. [Top]
Only AutoIntern allows you to export a selected event and e-mail it or post it to a web server. Then, other users can import it and run it on their machines. AutoIntern even lets you export events that have WIL scripts attached! [top]
AutoIntern can import datafiles created by ClockMan95. ClockMan95 cannot import other datafiles. [Top]
Multiple files open at same time
AutoIntern has a standard MDI user interface (similar to the one in Excel or Word) where you can have many datafiles open at the same time. [Top]
AutoIntern has a straightforward "Edit | Find" option that will search all events. Finding events is easy. ClockMan95 does not have this functionality. [Top]
AutoIntern has been tested with over 1,000 events open and active and it performs great. ClockMan95 has a built-in limitation of 200 events. Although you can have more than 1 copy of ClockMan95 open at the same time pointing to different datafiles, AutoIntern is more powerful and simple. In addition it is much easier to manage a larger number of scheduled events. [Top]