stevecasper

Hey Terry, What a fantastic idea... I had never considered putting a Macro Run command inside a Repeat Loop before. I generally do the Macro Run and put the repeats inside the macro I'm running, but this is a different perspective that could have immense benefits (such as when I want to call the same macro from another source that doesn't need to be repeated...). I'm not sure I have any macros that would benefit from that right now, but it's definitely something I'm going to consider. And this is why I hang out in the forum.

Hi Pat, I personally have never written anything to the registry, so I don't know how it works (and I'm kind of scared to try), so if you're comfortable with it, then by all means ignore my response. If I use a multiple choice menu, and want to have my selection remembered for the next time it runs, I generally just save the variable with the Save All Variables command, and Restore All Variables before we get to that prompt. For example: Variable Restore All Variables If Variable %T1% = "" Variable Set String %T1% "Mon" End If Multiple Choice Menu: This Test Is For Pat Text Box Display: Your Selection: Variable Save All Variables <VARSR:05><IFVAR2:1:01:1:><TVAR2:01:01:Mon><ENDIF><MENU2:1:T:01:CenterCenter:This Test Is For PatPlease select an optionMon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun><TBOX4:T:1:CenterCenter000278000200:000:Your Selection:%T1%><VARSR:01> If you are using a check-box menu, and want to set the default to multiple selections, say Monday and Tuesday, you just string the selections together in the Set String command like this: Variable Set String %T1%"MonTue" You can string them in any order, and it will work fine. Of course, when you restart ME, this will reset %T1% back to nothing, and you will have to be careful with any other macros that may use the Variable you're saving. You can still use it, you just can't save the variable in question in a different macro or you'll lose this saved information... and if you end up with something that isn't on the list, you'll end up with no selection at all in your multiple choice. Now, if you want the macro to remember the selection from day to day or relaunch to relaunch of ME, it gets a tad more complicated (though not too bad). This is where I would save my selections to a text file buried somewhere on my hard drive, and then use a process file command to recall previous selections. I think this was one of Cory's suggestions. Same macro, recalling from run-to-run: Variable Set String %T2% "C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\MultiChoicePathForPat.txt" If File Exists "%T2%" Text File Begin Process: "%T2%" Text File End Process End If Multiple Choice Menu: This Test Is For Pat Variable Modify String: Save %T1% to Text File Text Box Display: Your Selection: <TVAR2:02:01:C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\MultiChoicePathForPat.txt><IFOTH:01:2:%T2%><BTFBEG:001:000001:000000:%T2%><BTFEND><ENDIF><MENU2:1:F:01:CenterCenter:This Test Is For PatPlease select an optionMon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun><TMVAR2:17:01:00:000:000:%T2%F><TBOX4:T:1:CenterCenter000278000200:000:Your Selection:%T1%> The only problem is this: If you are tracking what work has been done throughout the week, for example, and when you finish one task you are running the macro to check that it has been done, and you need it to reset at the beginning of the week each week, you're going to need to write a bit more code to make that happen. Here is what I would do, based on my limited understanding of what you're trying to do and on what I have done with some of my macros: // First, Set Variables With Paths to the Saved Text Files Variable Set String %T2% "C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\MultiChoicePathForPat.txt" Variable Set String %T3% "C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\NewWeek.txt" // Set Today's Day of Week to a Variable // If Today is Monday (or beginning of work-week) the Following Code Will // Determine Whether or Not the Multiple Choice Member Resets Date: Save Day of Week 1 (Mon) into %T5% If Variable %T5% = "Mon" If File Exists "%T2%" If File Exists "%T3%" Text File Begin Process: "%T3%" Text File End Process // The Following Prompt Gives the User the Option to Clear the Multiple Choice Menu or Not // This Prompt Will Only Come Up the First Time the Macro Runs on Monday If Variable %T4% <> "Yes" If Message: "Test Prompt to Reset Check Boxes" Delete File or Files: "%T2%" End If End If End If Variable Set String %T4% "Yes" Variable Modify String: Save %T4% to Text File End If End If // If Today Is NOT Monday, the Following Code Will Ensure That On // Monday (or beginning of week) the Multiple Choice Menu Will Get Reset If Variable %T5% <> "Mon" Delete File or Files: "%T3%" End If // And Here Is the Functional Macro If File Exists "%T2%" Text File Begin Process: "%T2%" Text File End Process End If Multiple Choice Menu: This Test Is For Pat Variable Modify String: Save %T1% to Text File <REM2:First, Set Variables With Paths to the Saved Text Files><TVAR2:02:01:C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\MultiChoicePathForPat.txt><TVAR2:03:01:C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\NewWeek.txt><REM2:Set Today's Day of Week to a Variable><REM2:If Today is Monday (or beginning of work-week) the Following Code Will><REM2:Determine Whether or Not the Multiple Choice Member Resets><Day of Week 1{NP000}{P000}05><IFVAR2:1:05:1:Mon><IFOTH:01:2:%T2%><IFOTH:01:2:%T3%><BTFBEG:004:000001:000000:%T3%><BTFEND><REM2:The Following Prompt Gives the User the Option to Clear the Multiple Choice Menu or Not><REM2:This Prompt Will Only Come Up the First Time the Macro Runs on Monday><IFVAR2:1:04:2:Yes><IFMESS3:00000:1:1:Test Prompt to Reset Check BoxesIs it a new week? Should I reset the check boxes to empty?Center:Center><DOFILE:08:NN:%T2%>><ENDIF><ENDIF><ENDIF><TVAR2:04:01:Yes><TMVAR2:17:04:00:000:000:%T3%F><ENDIF><ENDIF><REM2:If Today Is NOT Monday, the Following Code Will Ensure That On ><REM2:Monday (or beginning of week) the Multiple Choice Menu Will Get Reset><IFVAR2:1:05:2:Mon><DOFILE:08:NN:%T3%>><ENDIF><REM2:><REM2:And Here Is the Functional Macro><IFOTH:01:2:%T2%><BTFBEG:001:000001:000000:%T2%><BTFEND><ENDIF><MENU2:1:F:01:CenterCenter:This Test Is For PatPlease select an optionMon Tue Wed Thu Fri><TMVAR2:17:01:00:000:000:%T2%F>

My first thought is that there is a macro built with "Window Title" set as it's activation, and the title it's looking for is either text or type or both... I don't know why that would call the scripting editor to the front, unless the macro running is supposed to activate a window with words in the title bar that match some/all of the words in the title bar of the macro you're trying to edit. My next thought is that it's something similar to what I described, but fundamentally different. I would suggest watching the ME logo in your task bar and see if the running man appears when you open a Text Type window. If the macro running it is short, you still may not notice the change, it will go so quickly, but if you do see him, you'll know you have your culprit. Now to figure out which macro you wrote that would do such a thing... If you are certain that this is not the problem, then I'll just bow out because I wouldn't know where else to begin. --- EDIT Scratch that... I just tried to get my Scripting Editor to pull in front of the Text Type window and was unable to do it. My ME refuses to let the TT edit box slip behind the Editor. I bet the ME guys would like to know what version of ME you're running, on what system, etc. This definitely sounds like an annoying nuisance. Good luck!

Yikes! I'm glad I could help you avoid that mess!

You can use Modify Variable String to Save or Append to a text file (Save to create a new file, Append to add to an existing one). If you're appending a list, you will want to make sure the last item appended per line has "Add Trailing CR/LF" checked. I mention this because you said you are looking for the opposite of an ASCII File Begin Process, where each item from the delimited file will be assigned to different variable by increments, so if you want the opposite, I imagine you may want to have multiple variables added per line. Example: Text file: "My Sons Sports.txt" John, Baseball Jim, Basketball Terry, Football ASCII File Process will assign John to %T1% (for example), Baseball to %T2%, then on its next pass, Jim gets %T1% and Basketball gets %T2%, etc. The opposite, adding my nephews to the list, I'll use Modify String Variables to append to the text file, setting %T1% as "Corbin", %T2% as Soccer, then appending %T1% to the file, followed by %T2%, and when I append %T2% I will Add Trailing CR/LF so that when I do the next %T1% (Garrett), it will be on the line below Corbin, rather than on the same line and following Soccer. Also, you'll want to append necessary separators to each variable that you're adding (such as a comma and space, as in my example below - this may not be necessary if you are appending to a Comma Delimited Text File AKA a .csv). Here's my example: Variable Set String %T1% from Prompt Variable Modify String: Append ", " to %T1% Variable Set String %T2% from Prompt Variable Modify String: Append %T1% to Text File Variable Modify String: Append %T2% to Text File <TVAR2:01:02:FWho?FFCenter:Center><TMVAR2:07:01:00:000:000:, ><TVAR2:02:02:FWhich Sport?FFCenter:Center><TMVAR2:20:01:00:000:000:C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\My Sons Sports For rberq.txtF><TMVAR2:20:02:00:000:000:C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\My Sons Sports For rberq.txtT>

This sounds a lot like a problem I've been having with Controls. Why would the control change, though, when nothing about the program has? Sometimes it's just a new day. It's tremendously irritating, but if it's not a ME problem, then it's a computer problem, in which case, it's a common computer issue. I've had these problems happen on IE 6.x controls, Access database controls, and a few others. I have had it happen on computers running XP Professional and Vista 32. We'll see if it happens on a Vista 64 soon enough. Other than the work-around presented by having a string of "If/Thens", is there any other way that anybody can think of to prevent or anticipate this problem? Just for reference, this is the code that brought me into the forum today. The top one with 004:20 works today, the bottom one with 004:19 worked for me the other day but no longer - if I manually change the 19 to 20, it works again, so I'm certain that is the offending bit of code... Can anybody with more practical programming knowledge explain to me what that particular bit of information is, so that I can understand what the difference is, and what may be causing the change?: <GETCONTROL2P:01:MSACCESS.EXE:OMainMicrosoft Access - JacksonYP09 : Database (Access 2000 file format) - [Listings]004:20MDIClient1OForm22OGrid2OKttbx> <GETCONTROL2P:01:MSACCESS.EXE:OMainMicrosoft Access - JacksonYP09 : Database (Access 2000 file format) - [Listings]004:19MDIClient1OForm22OGrid2OKttbx>

Area = (Length)(Width) Fortunately, Macro Express gives us the tools to find both Height (Length) and Width of either your screen or the window of your choosing in the Variable Set Integer command. Then with a basic multiplication function found in the Modify Integer command, you can calculate the total pixel area of either your screen or your window. // To Collect total pixel area on the screen do the following: Variable Set Integer %N1% from Screen Width Variable Set Integer %N2% from Screen Height Variable Modify Integer: %N3% = %N1% * %N2% Text Box Display: Total Pixel area... // To Collect total pixel area on any give window do this: Variable Set Integer %N1% from Width of Window Variable Set Integer %N2% from Height of Window Variable Modify Integer: %N3% = %N1% * %N2% Text Box Display: Total Pixel area... <REM2:To Collect total pixel area on the screen do the following:><IVAR2:01:14:><IVAR2:02:15:><NMVAR:03:03:1:0000001:1:0000002><TBOX4:T:1:CenterCenter000278000200:000:Total Pixel area......of screen %N1% Pixels Wide %N2% Pixels High %N3% = Total Area><REM2:To Collect total pixel area on any give window do this:><IVAR2:01:09:><IVAR2:02:10:><NMVAR:03:03:1:0000001:1:0000002><TBOX4:T:1:CenterCenter000278000200:000:Total Pixel area......of window %N1% Pixels Wide %N2% Pixels High %N3% = Total Area>

This is good. I checked it out and the error message I get when I try to edit the text file through the Load Macro Text File command seems familiar enough to be the error I used to get when I was just the little guy trying to learn from other people's macros. I think hiding and making files read only should be enough for my little project. Anybody who understands immediately what the problem is and knows how to get around it is probably smart enough not to. Anybody who is determined enough to figure it out the hard way is also likely to be. I'll just make sure I also back up all the .txt files on my C drive any time I update the group macros, just in case. Thanks for all the help and explanations. This is going to be fantastic!

Ok, I've toyed with this and it seems to be working so far. Through trial and error I discovered that the Text File being loaded actually has to be a text file (you'd think that would have been obvious), so I've used the Direct Editor script, saved it as a .txt and placed it on the department's Group drive. I was wondering, though, if there is any way to write-protect a .txt file or the folder it is in to prevent mischievous snoops from digging it up and messing around with it? Or is there another mystical way to do this, so that if they wanted to look at it to learn they could, but just not mess it up?

My mother-in-law is programming-illiterate in every sense of the word, however she works from home doing data entry. Occasionally, she needs to enter the same ridiculously tediously long names into her Access file so she was keeping them in a notepad and doing copy-paste work to avoid having to type names like Susquahennah-Los Pequeninhos Drive over and over sporadically throughout the day. I introduced her to Macro Express and simple shortkey routines. She bought the program. Unfortunately, she can't program and the obscenely long names aren't always the same from week-to-week. I can't come running over to her house every time she gets a new annoying name, so I built a macro for her that takes her systematically through all the steps of creating a new macro. At first it was a simple step-by-step Text Box Display instruction format, but it didn't take me long to see how much easier it would be for her if I just had a prompt requesting the name she wanted to save and the shortkey shortcut she would be using for it. Then I built the macro to Activate the ME Editor, Create a new macro, code the new text, and set the shortkey. It's really just a matter of patiently trying to figure out how many tabs to get from one field to another, making sure the timing is right (putting delays where necessary), and basically just knowing what it is you would do manually to create the macro, then teaching a macro how to do it.

That's probably it. I was at work when I was having that problem, now that I'm home I'm not able to duplicate it. We use Citrix at work for some stuff, so maybe it was misbehaving.

I'm not very familiar with scripts (I just started toying with them about 2 days ago), so this may not help you at all. However, with Macro Express, I have macros that do something similar to what you described, and when it gets to the end of a list after tabbing through, I am able to get it to stop by using a comparison. Example, %T1% collects "DATA001", then it collects "DATA002", etc. Well if there are 5 pieces of data, let's say, it will eventually collect DATA005, then the next run will collect DATA005 again, which is what we want to avoid, so to prevent that I do the following. Variable Set String %T1% "" Variable Set String %T2% "" Repeat Until %T1% <> %T1% // ->Change this Remark to whatever command you will use to collect Data001 etc. and then set that data to %T1% <- If Variable %T1% = variable %T2% Break End If Variable Set String %T2% "%T1%" // -> Add any additional code here (such as <TAB> or <ARROWD> or whatever) <- Repeat End Of course, this doesn't have to be Repeats, it could be Text File Process, etc. Again, I don't know very much about scripts at all, so I'm not sure if this helps, but if it does, I'm glad to have been of service!

FOLLOW UP Ok, I did have an unexpected problem, and by unexpected I mean that it isn't even what you had described. When I set to Window Title as the Activation, the macro ran, and it ran right. When running with the Repeats, it ran exactly as it should have; but when I ran it without the repeats, it ran once, finished, and I thought that was fine, exactly what I expected... but when I changed the window to any other window, the Activation Window (Macro Express Forums) pulled itself back to the front and the macro ran again. This would only happen once. The next time I tried leaving the window, I was able to without getting yanked back. If I manually returned to the ME Forums page, the macro would run, and pull me back again when I left the page... again, just once. Very strange behavior. However, based on the problems you've described I observe the following possibilities: You're expecting a macro to run over and over without repeats when set to Window Title as Activation, and when that window remains on top. There is a bug specific to your version or your computer that isn't affecting me (ME vers. 3.7d) The windows you are selecting have a type-o somewhere (not likely if you're selecting from the Browse button) Or Something else entirely that I didn't think of. If it's the first one, I'm pretty sure ME is designed specifically not to run the macro more than once per visit to the particular window in question. It would get VERY bothersome if you just needed the macro to run once when a window came to the front, but kept going over and over and over. Especially since it's pretty simple to build a repeat cycle into a macro to keep it going as long as the window is on top. And yet, I wonder if an option in the Activation menu to auto-repeat as long as the window is on top would be a good option for a future build of ME. Something to suggest, anyway.

Hi Pat, I built the following very simple macro and tested it thus: In Region - Left: 702, Top: 2; Right: 1016, Bottom: 234 Scope Results I first selected Global Then I selected Window Specific (for the purpose of the test I used "Macro Express Forums as my specific window). The Macro ran, as expected, when I clicked in the defined region. When set to Global, it ran on every window I tested it on; when set to Window Specific, it only ran on the Macro Express Forums window. I then ran a second test with the Repeat modifications shown in the second set of codes down below, with similar results. The second set of code includes the repeat discussed in a previous reply, where the macro runs continuously once started until the window in question is no longer on top (please note, my test makes use of a text box which I have set to remain on top, but NOT keep focus - results may vary with different settings). TEST 1: Text Box Display: Hi, Delay 1 Seconds Text Box Close: Hi, <TBOX4:F:6:CenterCenter000128000085:001:Hi, This is a test.><DELAY:1><TBCLOSE:Hi, > TEST 2: Repeat Until %T1% <> %T1% If Window Title "Macro Express Forums" is on top Text Box Display: Hi, Delay 1 Seconds Text Box Close: Hi, Else Break End If Repeat End <REP3:08:000002:000001:0001:1:01:T1><IFOTH:03:2:Macro Express Forums><TBOX4:F:6:CenterCenter000128000085:001:Hi, This is a test.><DELAY:1><TBCLOSE:Hi, ><ELSE><BREAK><ENDIF><ENDREP> I'll run the test again with Window Title set as the launch, but I expect similar results. If I do experience any unexpected problems, I'll be sure to post a follow-up.

What rberq suggested would look something like this (with whatever modifications you might need specifically for your situation): Repeat Until %T1% <> %T1% If Window Title \"Specific Window\" is on top // Macro Code Here Else Break End If Repeat End <REP3:08:000002:000001:0001:1:01:T1><IFOTH:03:2:Specific Window><REM2:Macro Code Here><ELSE><BREAK><ENDIF><ENDREP> If you read this before I edited it, sorry, I completely misunderstood the question the first time.

Sweet! I love learning new stuff... and this looks like there is a lot of stuff to learn . Once I get a grasp of what I'm learning, I'll be sure to let you know if I need the script you mention. Thanks Pat!

Cool, thanks Kevin! This is going to save me a lot of trial and error... not all of it, since I can't seem to build any macros without at least some (aka a lot) of errors, but this should help me skip some of the earliest and most obvious blunders I am generally bound to make. I'll have to play with this a little bit and see if I can't break something

Here is a slightly more elaborate way to change your "Lastname, Firstname" to a "Firstname Lastname", also removing any unwanted second parties. If there is a second person, it MUST be separated by an ampersand for this particular macro to eliminate it, though if a different separator were to be used, it is a simple modification of the "Set Integer from Position of Text" command. Why this one is more elaborate is because it does more than just get rid of the comma and switch the names around, it also creates a .csv file that can be opened in your spreadsheet application, and even saved as an .xls... assuming you were ever to want to collect these names in that way. This macro only goes far enough to create the .csv file, but it shouldn't be hard to add one more "Copy File or Files" command to create the .xls. The one drawback about this particular method, or at least as far as I built this macro, is that T1 remains the Lastname, and T2 becomes the Firstname, but that shouldn't be a problem to switch around at the end. This also puts the last name in the first column of the .csv file and the first name in the second column. To fix that, there would need to be code to switch them before they are put into the .csv. Probably the code that Cory gave originally. Anyway, here it is, for anybody who is interested: Variable Set String %T1% "Parker, Fred & Parker, Joan" Variable Set Integer %N1% from Length of Variable %T1% Variable Modify Integer: %N1% = %N1% + 1 Variable Set Integer %N2% from Position of Text in Variable %T1% Variable Modify Integer: %N1% = %N1% - %N2% Variable Modify String: Delete Part of %T1% Replace " " with "" in %T1% If File Exists "testforgogi.csv" Variable Modify String: Append %T1% to Text File Else Variable Modify String: Save %T1% to Text File Copy File or Files: "testforgogi.txt" End If Variable Set Integer %N1% to 1 ASCII File Begin Process: "testforgogi.csv" (Comma Delimited Text ) Variable Modify Integer: Inc (%N1%) ASCII File End Process ASCII File Begin Process: "testforgogi.csv" (Comma Delimited Text ) ASCII File End Process Delete File or Files: "testforgogi.txt" Text Box Display: Results <TVAR2:01:01:Parker, Fred & Parker, Joan><IVAR2:01:12:1><NMVAR:01:01:1:0000001:2:0000001><IVAR2:02:13:1:&><NMVAR:02:01:1:0000001:1:0000002><TMVAR2:11:01:00:N02:N01:><TMVAR2:21:01:01:000:000: ><IFOTH:01:2:C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\testforgogi.csv><TMVAR2:20:01:00:000:000:C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\testforgogi.csvT><ELSE><TMVAR2:17:01:00:000:000:C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\testforgogi.txtT><DOFILE:05:NN:C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\testforgogi.txt>C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\testforgogi.csv><ENDIF><IVAR2:01:01:1><ADFBEG:F10:001:000001:000000:C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\testforgogi.csv><NMVAR:08:01:0:0000001:0:0000000><ADFEND><ADFBEG:F10:001:N00001:000001:C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\testforgogi.csv><ADFEND><DOFILE:08:NN:C:\Users\Steven\Documents\Macros\Macro Test Files\testforgogi.txt>><TBOX4:T:1:CenterCenter000278000200:000:ResultsFirst name: "%T2%" Last name: "%T1%">

Can you give an idea how you do that? I mean, I can write a text document and save it as HTML, but if I launch it, it just opens a normal browser window with the text inside. How do you lose the borders, toolbar, etc.?

Ahhh, thanks Terry, Right now, if I have a bunch of photos pulled up in their original state in my photo editor, I have a macro that I run that resizes them to fit more sensibly in emails or for uploading to my blog, then it changes the name (adding a "smaller - " to distinguish it from the original), and saves it in a different folder (keeping my "smallers" separate from the originals), closes that picture and then moves on to the next photo. So, if I am understanding correctly, I could use this macro and change the guts of ContextMacro to essentially do what I was doing with the previous macro, but just one pic at a time. Or, obviously, I could expand the macro to do a variety of tasks. It's essentially a really useful way to capture a path and add it to %T1% Ok, the gears are turning now. Very helpful suggestions, thanks again!

Thanks rberq! This is great info. I'll have to look into .bat files (the majority of my programming experience is with ME, HTML, and some BASIC a very long time ago - I know, I'm Jurassic). Nobody at my current place of employment has any desire to write macros. Everybody has the Editor on their system, but the only time the editor has ever been opened is when I've gone over to import macros, so overwriting isn't likely to be an issue. I do wonder, however, about that. At my last job, everybody was able to write their own macros, but we also had department wide macros that were updated automatically whenever we restarted ME. My macros were part of my macro file, and yet so were the department-wide macros. Mine never got wiped out with an update. Did I misunderstand what you said, or is there another way to have system-wide macros work alongside personalized macros? It's been a couple of years since I left that job, but I seem to remember that their macros were not coded macros... I think they were "Macro Run" commands (I didn't really know anything about Macro Run back then - my macs were usually pretty basic window manipulations and Text Types), or something else from the Macro Control category (I do remember the icon). It may have been the Load Macro Text file... in fact I think it was the Load Macro Text file command. This command is one that I have never used, or played with, so I'm going to start right away, to see what it does. I'll get out my trusty ME Explained and see if I can grasp its uses. If you, or anybody else reading the thread, knows how this command could be used to accomplish what I've described above (assuming it's different from the .bat solution), I'd be happy to hear about it. Thanks!

rberq, At a company where I used to work, we had a set-up very similar to this and it worked fantastically. Unfortunately, I was just one of the peons who had ME on my drive, and wasn't one of the official macro creators (though we all were encouraged to write macros and share the ones we found most useful with our co-workers). Now, however, I work somewhere else and just under a year ago they finally got their act together and got us Macro Express. I am the only person in the department (possibly the company) who has any familiarity with ME, and so I set to work building macros like crazy to make my job less annoyingly redundant. I want to set up a system much like the one we had at my previous employer, such as the one you described above, but I was never in the loop on how to do that, and would love some clarification about just how I would go about making a "copy-file prior to ME startup". As it is, very few of my co-workers use more than about 5 macros, whereas I'm using upwards of 40 or 50 (many of which are called from other macros) to keep my day cruising along without too much boredom-induced trauma. Any pointers would be super!

Ok, this is cool, and I got it set up first try. Just one question... and it's probably a noob question at that. What is the practical use for this? Just an idea (so I can get the gears turning in my head) of how it could benefit me and the work I do with macros. Thanks!

Awesome, thanks Pepperpod. If I'm not the only one with this problem, then there may actually be something that Insight can fix (assuming Kevin and Stan don't have a fix for us). I'll just stick with the commands that work for now. It's not a huge issue, as long as I use 'Default' and run 'Wait for Web Page' as a separate command. Frankly, I switched back to IE from Opera and Firefox since Opera won't work with a lot of sites I use, and I wanted to be able to use ME with my browser. I am glad I'm not just running a broken system over here!

I wanted to think it had something to do with IE, and maybe it does on some level, but I've just tested it out using the following browsers (with versions) set as my default with the following code: IE: 7.0.6001.1800 Firefox: 3.0.3 Opera: 9.61 Google Chrome: 0.2.149.30 Web Site: http://uvlink.uvu.edu/cp/home/loginf [Default Browser] Wait for Web Page: "http://uvlink.uvu.edu/cp/home/loginf" With the exception of Opera, in which I launched http://www.google.com since UVLink doesn't like Opera. And: I only used the Wait for Web Page command when launching IE. All browsers launched the page in question without any problems. If an instance of the browser was already open, the new URL launched in a separate tab within that instance. This includes IE, which is strange because last night IE wasn't launching at all when set as the default browser. However, as soon as I set the macro command to launch IE (specifically, rather than through the Default Browser option), the macro started launching two instances of IE, one that never fully loads, and just hangs in the background preventing the Wait for Webpage command from completing (this is only true of the check box in the Web Site Command; when using the separate Wait for Web Page command, the second window is still hanging in the background, but the macro recognizes the one that loads and the macro completes). Furthermore, if I have an instance of IE running, the macro launches a new IE window, opens the URL I'm looking for in a new tab of the original IE browser, and then continues to hang, if the check box is selected. If not, it opens the hanging window, launches in a new tab in the original browser, and then stops running once the web page has loaded (when using the separate "wait for" command). I've tested this using a shortkey, a hotkey and using the play button on the macro script window with identical results each time. I don't know if this is technically a bug in the Web Site command, or if it is just a miscommunication with this version of IE, but it is kind of frustrating if the latest version of ME can't communicate effectively with the only browser that it is supposedly compatible with. I run similar macros from my work computer which is still on IE 6, and never have any problems... so this is likely due to something in IE 7, but I can't even begin to guess where that problem is, or what adjustments I might need to make to IE in order to fix it. I'm not planning to roll back my IE or even my ME just for this one problem, since there are workable - yet annoying - work-around solutions. I did a search for similar issues and found one last night, but after Kevin asked the poster for his ME version, the poster never responded. That was back in April. I'll try to find it again and post a link in an Edit to this message. -EDIT 1- I just tried it out on my wife's computer without any difficulty whatsoever. She's running the same ME version as me, and virtually the same IE, though her IE version is: 7.0.5730.11 I can't imagine there being that much difference between the two versions. Her computer is running WinXP SP3. I'm running Vista Ultimate 32 SP1. Maybe it's a Vista issue? -EDIT 2- Ok, well I can't figure out how to link to the post I referred to above, so I'll just give the information about it, and if somebody with more brains and know-how wants to look it up, that would be great. Posted by: Billy.Quick Date Posted: April 14, 2008 Post Title: Possible Bug Report ? His exact post is: After which Kevin requested his ME version. No further reply.