Automator Playback - Application not running when expected

I know this thread has been abandoned for a long time, but I'm having the same issue with Watch Me Do's and Excel. I feel like Microsoft just makes broke and buggy as **** software, so maybe that's the problem here.. I guess other people are having the same issue with other programs though.

I see you copied the script, so you must have at least figured out how to convert the Watch Me Do into apple script. Does it work when you convert it? I find it only works if I convert the Watch Me Do into applescript by dragging the actions out. I don't know why it can't work as a Watch Me Do... it actually did work for a short time - it was about 20 minutes or so I had it working, but then it just decided it was poisoned or something and fell over dead.

I'm going to try updating everything. I think I need to update Office as well as Mac OS.

So I had updated the OS, and ALL of my MS Office applications including Excel, but Watch Me Do still won't work with it. Is this an obvious bug in Microsoft's horribly coded and horribly bloated software? Microsoft you stink! Something so incredibly useful could help me so much, and you just go and write buggy code and then break everything on me.

Kirk, have you found a workaround or fix for this?

I am encountering the same problem trying to execute some simple cut and paste operations to a website that only accepts one item at a time. I did the "watch me" routine and the script looks reasonable, but yet it get the error message of:

"Application Excel is not running when it is expected to."

The script is pasted below but is a lot more simple looking in Automator than down below.

I am using the current version of Mac O/S 10.9.4 on a Macbook Pro with Microsoft Excel 14.4.4 (Office 2011 for Mac).

Script pasted from automator:

******************************************************************************** *************************************

-- Bring the window “Skywardexport.xlsx” to the front.

delay 2.387595

set timeoutSeconds to 2.000000

set uiScript to "click window \"Skywardexport.xlsx\" of application process \"Excel\""

my doWithTimeout( uiScript, timeoutSeconds )

-- Click the “Edit” menu.

delay 1.769971

set timeoutSeconds to 2.000000

set uiScript to "click menu bar item \"Edit\" of menu bar 1 of application process \"Excel\""

my doWithTimeout( uiScript, timeoutSeconds )

-- Go To...

delay 2.392007

set timeoutSeconds to 2.000000

set uiScript to "click menu item \"Go To...\" of menu 1 of menu bar item \"Edit\" of menu bar 1 of application process \"Excel\""

my doWithTimeout( uiScript, timeoutSeconds )

-- Type 'b3'

delay 3.053997

set timeoutSeconds to 2.000000

set uiScript to "keystroke \"b3\""

my doWithTimeout( uiScript, timeoutSeconds )

-- Press Return

delay 1.023963

set timeoutSeconds to 2.000000

set uiScript to "keystroke \"

\" "

my doWithTimeout( uiScript, timeoutSeconds )

on doWithTimeout(uiScript, timeoutSeconds)

set endDate to (current date) + timeoutSeconds

repeat

try

run script "tell application \"System Events\"

" & uiScript & "

end tell"

exit repeat

on error errorMessage

if ((current date) > endDate) then

error "Can not " & uiScript

end if

end try

end repeat

end doWithTimeout