Automating a Data Extraction Process

[Ofnuts]

@Ofnuts, I thought the fact that I am constantly jumping between applications would mean that I wouldn't be able to use a specific application's programming interface? Tell me if I'm wrong - I am fully aware that I have no knowledge of such things!

The fact that you are jumping across applications only means that you have never considered that there could be ways to do it without a mouse. How it can be done programmatically is however still subject to study and for this one would need to know what each application really does (where are the docs...) and what you are putting in/getting from them. Ideally the whole process can be re-engineered to run without involving the graphical interfaces. Using the window-scraping technique you describe should only be a fall-back plan.

I'll pay $80 to someone who can produce a template for me :)

Reminds me of the proverbial sign in mechanics shops:

Car repairs: $40/hour
Car repairs while you watch: $60/hour
Car repairs while you help: $80/hour

Without seeing your software, if I were a freelancer I would contract for two weeks (and hoping to pull it off in three days of course, but there can be unforeseen problems). Add to this that you have to learn programming, which means 1) learning a language such as Python and 2) acquiring a vast computer culture so that you don't drown under the rain of little problems inherent to this kind of project (file access, text encoding, data representations...).

PS: why photos and not proper screenshots ([prtsc] key)