How do Harmony remotes handle unique buttons?

My cable remote has an "on-demand" button. How does the Harmony remote handle something like this?

B.B., Plano

For those who aren't familiar with the Harmony brand, it is a family of universal remote controls from Logitech.

Every universal remote comes with a list of codes to enter to allow the remote to talk to different brands of TV or DVR.

Even the remotes that come with cable or satellite boxes have the ability to control most TVs.

The Harmony remotes have a really deep database of codes to enter, so before I talk about teaching the remote how to learn new tricks, I'll say that if you have a cable box there is almost a 100 percent chance there is a code to enter for it.

If there is a code for the cable box it means all the buttons and controls will be available after you program the right code.

If the code for your cable box does not have a button for every command and button on your old remote you can "teach" the Harmony remote any button or command.

You do this by putting the Harmony remote into a learning mode and then pointing the old remote at the new remote and pressing the button you want the new remote to learn.

Harmony remotes are configured through a computer, so your Mac or PC will be used in the process.

You'll be taken through the steps by the Harmony software and you'll know right away if the code was successfully received by the new remote.

Harmony is not the only brand that can learn. Philips sells a popular line of remotes called Pronto, and Sony has a line of learning remotes as well.

Jim Rossman is technical manager for Macintosh support for A.H. Belo Corporation.