margaret

Something just came up in MEPro forum that I was not aware of. If you double-click a sub-menu item, you can choose an accelerator key. That is not made clear in the Help. Most people will see that hotkeys have been made automatically as underlined characters and that's it. There are more options. There may be a bug however, the accelerator key works but does not display in the sub-menu.

Well, nothing happens in ME3 when I double-click a menu item in the Macro Explorer. Any way of clicking it during editing does nothing. I put in a bug report on this last week. Thanks.

Once you have browsed to the folder, double-click on either macexp.exe or macedit.exe. The icons should then appear.

That worked. I've never double-clicked on an EXE file from within a running instance of that same EXE file before! Normally I wouldn't attempt that. Thanks.

Browse to the Macro Express 3 folder/macexp.exe or macedit.exe . I think 0 is the same icon in both.

I don't see any icons when I browse to that folder (after clicking on the Change Icon button). Attaching a screenshot of what I do see.

I tried assigning different icons to my macros, but now I want to return to the default icon. How do I do that? I can't find the default icon in the "Icons" folder.

You were running out of letters but as you note there are a few left at the end. It doesn't help having the last few with similar text but that is no excuse. As a test, have you tried changing the macro names like adding X or Y somewhere in the last two? I seem to remember these may be used by others so you may not want to go that route. Looks like a bug to me.

I haven't tried changing the names because that wouldn't be a very good solution. I have three sets of these macros for use with different applications, an instructions web page, a table of keyboard shortcuts, and three sets of practice sheets that I'd have to change, in addition to changing the names of the macros themselves, changing the names wherever they are referenced in other macros, changing the popup menus I made, and changing the names where they are referenced in a macro that runs through all the macros to test them! I'll put in a bug report.

Although I may jab and jest at some of the bugs, this is one that I rate as unforgivable. I have no idea how these programs could have gone through beta testing without anyone noticing, particularly since it used to be fine in ME3. Within minutes of loading MEPro for the first time, I was swearing liberally every time I wanted to change Macro File.

Well, obviously, they should have had you doing beta testing!

Welcome to the club. This first manifested with MEPro (why couldn't the code for ME3 have been used?). ME3 used to truncate the path so that the full mex filename was visible. The latest ME3 has gone the way of MEPro so you get to see a few letters of the filename. I've put in a bug report for MEPro. You and everyone else could ditto for ME3.

I don't even get to see any letters of the filename. I'll put in a bug report, thank you.

If you have 3 macros starting with "G", then the hotkey should move along the words as you know. I tried with five macros starting "Windows". No problem, w, i, n, d, o. If you don't want to post the perps for our perusal, make sure that unique letters are really available. If no one else has a solution, report it as a bug.

"should" -- but doesn't always. I have thirteen macros. For the first ten, the hot keys are assigned as you describe. Then three of them have a capital G in the name. All of them get the hot key G. Now, of course I know you can just press G again and then press Enter when you get to the item you want, but that kinda defeats the purpose of having the hotkey in the first place. And it's not necessary in that other letters are available. It's as if the hotkey-assigning routine gets stuck at G somehow. These are the names and I put a & in front of the hot key plus putting it on the right side. I'm sending you a screenshot of the menu.

&CinJustSTOP C

C&inLeaveNewCopy I

Ci&nMainOnly N

Cin&MainPLURAL M

CinIn&vertName V

CinInv&ertCompoundName E

Cin&PasteMAINAddSub P

CinP&asteSUBAddMain A

CinI&TALICIZEAddAuthor T

Cin&QUOTESAddAuthor Q

Cin&GetPageNumber u, b, and r are available

CinInvertName&GetNewPageNo r, w, and o are available

CinInvertCompoundName&GetNewPageNo r, o, and u are available

I just upgraded from 3.7d to 3.8 recently. I'm noticing that now the Reopen menu item on the File menu shows the entire pathname, so I can't actually see the macro names, which renders that menu item useless. I haven't been able to find anywhere that I could change this. The program looks for files in the appropriate directories, so it doesn't seem to have to do with that setting. Since Macro Express appears to default to My Documents unless you tell it otherwise, the entire pathname doesn't seem like a good idea in that the path to My Documents is always something like "C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\My Documents", so the file name will often if not always end up invisible. I used to use the Reopen menu a lot and it's very helpful when you are dealing with a lot of files with similar names. Am I missing somewhere that the path can be set as an option so that the entire pathname won't show up?

I've made a popup menu in the Windows standard style. Hot keys have been automatically created in each macro name on the menu, which is very cool except that one particular letter (G) which occurs in three macro names is the hot key for all three macros. This isn't necessary as there are enough other letters in the names to go around (only 13 macros on the menu anyway). Is there anything I can to do get unique hot keys for the ones that now all have "G" for the hot key?

Thanks.

What makes no sense to me is the Category order. Although I don't use them, they are always in alphanumeric order. I added a bunch of Categories to test. Every time I restarted ME it opened with the last-used. Ditto for reboots. I cannot get them out of alphanumeric order. If you are concerned with order, make sure no other Categories are lower in alphabetical order than your System and X Categories. I'm sure that's what you do. There are a number of applications starting lower than "S" eg Word, so you may have to add a prefix like zSystem or (Zystem!).

 

Other than that there is no way to hide categories. The only way to hide other sets of macros is to put in separate Macro Files as I do, but that doesn't work if they have to be available to run.

 

Have you given any thought to dispensing with ME Explorer being the main interface - have it open minimized. Why not make pop-up or floating menus for the users? I haven't used them myself - I use ME Explorer with no Categories so I don't have your issues. You can also make a Multi-Choice Menu system listing all the tasks and each task runs a macro. You don't have to see ME Explorer at all. If you have four applications, hotkey say Ctrl+W brings up the menu for Word, on which you can select the macro to run. Pop-us may be neater.

Well, my files definitely do NOT open with the last-used category selected. I just took a screenshot of when the System macros appear over mine and a screenshot of how it looks normally. The thing is, the users have to see the Macro Explorer when they first installl the software, because otherwise they cannot load my macro file. They are not in my location -- we are all freelancers -- so I can't install it for them. I tell them to run ME minimized after installation, but I don't see how to avoid their ever seeing the Macro Explorer. But really it's more of an annoyance for me -- suddenly the system macros show up over my macros, in alphabetical order. It's as if normally I would see

AppMacro1

AppMacro2

AppMacro3

AppMacro4

AppMacro5

AppMacro6

Suddenly I see

AppMacro1

AppMacro2

Menu of Macro for Topmost Window

Resume / Pause

[etc.]

then other AppMacros that begin with letters after the last letter of the System macros

I think I'll write to tech support about this as I don't want to post my screenshots publicly.

Oh, I see the source of the confusion! Sorry. All of the macros are "mine" in that I've written them, but each user needs all of the macros. I put the default macros that come with ME into a category called "System." I put the "subroutines" (macros with no activation, which are only called by the macros that the user knows about) into a category whose name begins with "X" so it'll go to the bottom of the list. The macros the user uses are in a category with a name indicating the application that they work with.

There's no corruption; the files are fine and have been tested many times. It's just that sometimes the appearance of the list of macros in the Macro Explorer changes unpredictably, with the "System" macros appearing in the lower part of the list only. Then I have to click on "System" and back on the application category in order to see only the application macros. I'll see if I can take a screenshot next time this happens.

I'm confused too! In para 1 you are talking about user macros. In para 2 you are talking about "my" macros. I assumed they were different things:

Each user had a set of macros and that's all they needed.

"My" macros referred to your maintenance macros and did not need to be anywhere but on your PC.

 

...plus four "subroutines" that are called by other macros (reduces errors as if there's a problem, I just fix the subroutine one time and don't have to fix all the macros), plus the default "System" macros....

 

What are these "other" macros? Part of the user's normal set; part of your maintenance setup that is on every PC, or just on your PC? If those subroutines have to be on every user PC, then they will be accessible by everyone. You could put those subroutines in another Macro File (and load that file when needed) but if they have to run with the normal macros that won't work.

 

.......except that I have four sets of macro files, for accomplishing the same tasks working with four different programs, so the user gets the file appropriate for the program that he/she is using.....

 

With my idea you would make it Bill Word.exe, Bill Excel.exe, etc one for each program. I don't use Categories, every task has its own category by Macro File: Web Page Design, Text Processing, Catalogs etc.

 

It sounds like you have the System macros in a Category of their own rather than having them in the main macro listings. For users can't you put them in a separate Category and arrange the Category names so that the normal macros are the default (like you prefixed with 'X'). If they are getting in the way, put them in with one of the other Categories. Considering the hotkeys, they are unlikely to be activated by accident!

 

I've no idea why your selected Category is changing. When I test my setup, it always opens with the last Macro File and the last Category used. That is the default as far as I know and would be fine in most circumstances including yours. Other than that, someone else will have to chip in on Category use.

 

....While I'm editing and going back and forth with different macros, sometimes the System macros appear, covering up some of my macros.....

 

That sounds the strange (corrupt?) and I'm not sure how they cover up "some"; surely it's all or nothing? Otherwise same comment as previous para.

I'll leave the subject of Categories to others. I don't use them and maybe you don't have to either. Why not give each user their own Macro File eg Bill.mex, Lucy.mex loaded with their macros, no Categories? That way each user only has access to their macros and ME always opens at their setup. You would have your system Macro Files to yourself and transfer changes to user Macro Files as needed.

 

Some thought would be needed as to how to do that with minimum effort. Depends on number of users and frequency of updating. If they are always the same for everyone, you update a master copy say master.mex . You write a macro to save master.mex as an mex file per user's name, Bill.mex, Lucy.mex. Each update of the master you run the copy macro and then simply replace each user's file.

 

In doing that you could also arrange each person's macros in their own Categories if it was a good idea to do so. Otherwise, just one list of unassigned macros.

I don't quite follow your idea. Each macro file has the "main" macros (the ones the user needs to know about), plus four "subroutines" that are called by other macros (reduces errors as if there's a problem, I just fix the subroutine one time and don't have to fix all the macros), plus the default "System" macros. The user doesn't need to know about the subroutines or the system macros. If I have no categories, then the user sees everything every time. Right? There are no differences between one user's file and another's -- except that I have four sets of macro files, for accomplishing the same tasks working with four different programs, so the user gets the file appropriate for the program that he/she is using. Why can't there be a default category instead of defaulting to all categories?

What most drives me crazy with this program is that it always opens with all the categories visible and it won't always stay in the category I choose.

1. Is there any way to make it always open with only the category you want visible? It could be confusing for the people I'm writing the macros for, since they don't need to know anything about System or my "subroutines".

2. I have my main macros in one category named after the program they work with. Then I have macros that are only called by other macros in another category (category name starting with X so it will sort to the bottom of the list -- this is what I refer to as my subroutines). Then of course there's System. While I'm editing and going back and forth with different macros, sometimes the System macros appear, covering up some of my macros. Then I have to click on System, then back on the main category in order to see only my main macros.

Thanks.

I'm assuming that plain Ctrl+key does not work. Sometimes the down and up help. Sometimes separate steps help. There's no fixed rule, it depends on the PC behaviour. Trying to do too much at once can lead to problems.

 

You start off with the simple Ctrl+key. If that does not work, split the Ctrl into Up and Down. If that does not work split Text Type into logical parts. If that does not work add time delays between them.

No, they both work fine. I started a long time ago always to use down and up, based on someone's recommendation here, or maybe it's recommended in the book. So I stick with that, but I just was working on macros today and found that in a few older ones, I had used the Keyboard-three steps method, whereas in most of them I had used the TextType-oneline method. Just wondered if there should be any performance difference. I don't *think*( I've noticed any performance difference, but then again I'm not timing the macros and comparing the time. I don't do more than one keyboard shortcut combination per line though. I'm going to make them all the same method now for consistency.

Thanks,

Meg

Should there be any difference *whatsoever* in performance between these two ways pf programming a keyboard shortcut in which you hold down the Control key:

1. Use the Keyboard section to insert the Control keypresses, so you have Control Down and Control Up as separate steps with TextType in between them for the letter key (three separate steps)

2. Use the Text Type section and have Control Down, whatever letter key, and Control Up all on one line

?

Thanks.

I've got a dialog box where the user can input new information, and it becomes information that the receiving program saves and resuses, and that's all fine. What I would like to do is to give the user a dialog box where the initial value is the content of that variable before the edit. In other words, let's say the variable is now 198. If the user wants to change it to 199, as things stand now, he gets a dialog and has to type the entire 199 (set variable from promt). Is it possible to present the 198 as an initial value in the dialog, such that the user can just backspace over the 8 and add the 9?

Does File/Export/Output Macro Information do what you want?

Yes, it does! Wonderful! Thank you!

Is there a way that I could create a text file of all the macros in a given .MEX file, short of copying and pasting out of the Direct Editor for each macro? The idea is to be able to search across different versions of a similar sequence, especially to check the variable names, or to check whether anything was not done the same way in all the files? I have a good search program that can search ASCII text files and HTML, XML, RTF, and PDF formats. Or if I could get a version that would essentially look the way the macro does in the Scripting Explorer, but just be text (that's probably not possible, but thought I'd ask anyway).

Thanks,

Meg

You've got to love those unnecessary time delays.

 

If you are actually getting the text rather than the actual command, it sounds like the <> that surround each command are missing. Remember the commands in the Text Type box are Upper Case? I was going to suggest in the previous email that you check the commands in the Direct Editor but it seemed superfluous. May be worth a check. It may also be why Enter did not work, ENTER instead of <ENTER>. The first letter "E" being typed may have some significance to the application.

 

I have no idea what would cause that unless you typed directly in the Text Type Box and forgot the <>. When you click the actions below the edit area, the <> are automatically entered. If those are hit and the <> are missing, you may need to do a Repair Install. Seems unlikely.

I don't type directly into the Text Type box (unless I'm typing only text, which in these macros is rare). The <> are there, the caps are there. I got around the problem another way. I wanted to select what was in the field and delete it. Wouldn't do it. The text to delete would vary in size. So instead I copied what was in the field, put the length into a variable, and then had the macro press Delete as many times as the text had been long. Now that works, go figure.

Short of remapping the keyboard or jamming keys, the keystroke should be per Text Type (assumed that's what you are doing). Could it have anything to do with what you are trying to type into? Perhaps that does not like "Enter" or it's a multiple choice and the default is not the one you think it is. Does the letter have any significance? PowerDvd and ThumbsPlus for example use simple letters as commands once you are in the program (L=menu, C=adjust color).

 

If you double up on the "Wait for Keystroke" key it should make no difference. Some people may put 2 in to be sure it works. Presumably the macro is not continuing after the keystroke for you. An instance where I would add a time delay between the two key presses to see if there is an interaction.

 

If you are getting lots of keystroke problems you could also suspect the keyboard. Not too likely.

This is the only keystroke problem I'm having (except for a new one that I'll mention next). In the program I'm typing into, at that point in the data entry, "Enter" is how you create a subfield, and it's the only way you can create a subfield, and "Enter" is what I'm sending via Text Type (and it works in other similar macros). I faked it out by putting in what seems like an unnecessary delay, which seems to work so far.

What would make Macro Express type in the text of a sequence like SHIFT DOWN, ARROW DOWN, SHIFT UP instead of performing the actions?

Having a very odd problem. I was making some changes to a macro, and it was acting as if it had pressed Backspace, and meanwhile it was not pressing Enter, which it was supposed to for the first step. Now I think it's somehow interpreting the instruction to press the Enter key as if it were an instruction to press Backspace. I've never seen this before.

On a related note, should I expect that a "wait for keypress" command should NOT work if the immediately following keypress is the same as the one the wait command was waiting for?

Thanks,

Meg

According to the ME Bible, Wait for Text Playback only applies to Text commands. Moderate amount of paste really need a time delay. When I'm moving 400KB of text from a web page it may need several seconds each to be sure of the Copy and the Paste. Otherwise 300mS and down to 10mS should suffice. It may be that copying text off or on to documents that contain other items such as images takes longer. PC setup may significantly affect times.

 

Something else I've found is that it can help to have a very short time delay (10mS?) after the Wait for (Anything) commands. It seems like the Wait for command hasn't quite done with the processor when it gives the OK signal. That could be PC specific.

But it is a Text command -- like Text Type: %10% for example -- with %10% being the modified variable. I can't do an actual paste or I wouldn't be able to modify the string in between the copy and paste. Unless I can essentially put the modified variable into the clipboard? Would that be better? We're never talking about a large amount of text -- let's say under 10 words each time, not whole sentences even, often just one word or a few words. No images at all in the receiving application; there may be images in the file that's being copied from, but those images would never be copied.

I think the Preferences for keystrokes is 300 microseconds, not milliseconds. That's not much time, but I think you can leave it at the default if you set Keystroke Speed in your macros. I have had to set Keystroke Speed AND Mouse Speed in many macros --...

I looked at that dialog again. The default for clipboard commands is expressed in milliseconds but the Text Type delay is microseconds (300 microseconds = .3 milliseconds I guess). OK, that's a lot less time than I was thinking. In most cases in my macros, text is not being typed in. It is being pasted in from a variable -- originally text is copied to the clipboard, then the macro evaluates the string and trims off extra spaces, etc., and in some cases manipulates it further, then from the resulting variable, the text is pasted in. (Or should Wait for Text Playback not apply when it's one paste rather than a number of keystrokes??) In the few cases where the user is typing something in, speed shouldn't be a problem because in those cases the macro has to wait until the user presses Enter before it continues. I might not need all the delays I currently have now that I have this Wait Text Playback. I'll do some more experimenting. It's the time to allow for switching windows that seems to vary the most from one program to another.

Thanks!

Meg