acantor

I constantly disable and re-enable scripts in the Macro Express Explorer. For example, in the screen below, the top four scripts are enabled, and the last one is disabled. The first four scripts are active, and the last one is inactive.

I disable and enable often enough that I realized, at some point, that a hotkey would be the most efficient way to do this. But there is no built-in hotkey. So I used Macro Express to produce my own. I chose Alt + B because B appears in both words, "Disable" and "Enable." But choose whatever hotkey you want!

Here are some of the many non-hotkey ways to disable and enable a script:

- Choose a command from the "Macro" menu

- Right-click the script and choose a command from the context menu

- Open a script's "Properties" and check/uncheck a box

- Open the script, navigate to the "Miscellaneous" tab, and check/uncheck a box.

While experimenting with different methods, I realized some methods work better than others. Some methods work a lot better! Although I think I finally settled on a reliable solution -- which I'll share -- I'm curious how others might crack this puzzle.

The reason I'm posing this challenge is because a reliable solution can probably be generalized when automating other tasks in Macro Express Explorer.

My script probably can't be inserted into your script.

A good starting point is to simplify.

My script is a basic countdown. Run my script. Observe what it does, and figure out how to works.

Then modify my code, one step at a time. Or modify your code based on my code. Feel free to borrow!

Here's a script that does something similar:

Variable Set Integer %Counter% to 5
Text Box Display: Testing
Repeat Until %Counter% Equals "0"
  Text Box Update: Testing
  Delay: 1 seconds
  Variable Modify Integer: %Counter% = %Counter% - 1
End Repeat
Text Box Close: Testing

<VARIABLE SET INTEGER Option="\x00" Destination="%Counter%" Value="5"/>
<TEXT BOX DISPLAY Title="Testing" Content="{\\rtf1\\ansi\\ansicpg1252\\deff0\\deflang1033{\\fonttbl{\\f0\\fnil\\fcharset0 Tahoma;}{\\f1\\fnil Tahoma;}}\r\n\\viewkind4\\uc1\\pard\\lang4105\\f0\\fs40 %Counter%\\lang1033\\f1\\fs14 \r\n\\par }\r\n" Left="Center" Top="Center" Width="278" Height="200" Monitor="0" OnTop="TRUE" Keep_Focus="TRUE" Mode="\x01" Delay="0"/>
<REPEAT UNTIL Variable="%Counter%" Condition="\x00" Value="0"/>
<TEXT BOX UPDATE Header="Testing" Content="{\\rtf1\\ansi\\ansicpg1252\\deff0\\deflang1033{\\fonttbl{\\f0\\fnil\\fcharset0 Tahoma;}{\\f1\\fnil Tahoma;}}\r\n\\viewkind4\\uc1\\pard\\lang4105\\f0\\fs40 %Counter%\\lang1033\\f1\\fs14 \r\n\\par }\r\n"/>
<DELAY Flags="\x01" Time="1"/>
<VARIABLE MODIFY INTEGER Option="\x01" Destination="%Counter%" Value1="%Counter%" Value2="1"/>
<END REPEAT/>
<TEXT BOX CLOSE Header="Testing"/>
	

Thank you for posting your question! It's been an interesting challenge to figure out a reliable way to perform the task.

I continued to experiment, and found that navigating to the Search field, and from there to the Address field, yielded better results. The reason, I believe, is that Ctrl + L (and Alt + D) cause the Address field to open like a drop-down list; and the time it takes for the list to unfurl led to timing problems. But your mileage may vary!

As far as I can tell, Ctrl + L (and Alt + D) work in Firefox, Edge, Chrome, Internet Explorer, and maybe even the long-discontinued Netscape. I first learned about Alt + D during the 1990s!

Ctrl + L and Alt + D appear to be identical: two different hotkeys that do exactly the same thing.

The failure is intermittent in Firefox. Pressing the hotkey ALMOST always selects the entire address. But if the address ends in the forward slash, either the entire address is selected, or the final character is selected. 🤔

Adding Ctrl + A to the script was kludgy, but seemed like the easiest way to workaround the inconsistency. There may be other ways to ensure the entire address gets selected, but I haven't tried:

1. Navigate to the browser's search field, and then navigate to the Address field.

Ctrl + E

Shift + Tab

Shift + Tab

2. Navigate to the browser's Address field, deselect the address, and reselect it:

Alt + D

Home

Shift + End

or

Alt + D

End

Shift + Home

This has been an interesting exercise. The script fails occasionally (at least in Firefox). The reason: when navigating to the address line via Ctrl + L, sometimes the entire URL is selected, and sometimes only the trailing forward slash in the URL is selected. So I added a step to select the entire address line by simulating Ctrl + A, the hotkey to select all.

The script definitely needs at least one delay!

Variable Restore: Restore Integer Variables
Variable Set Integer %NumberOfTabs%: Prompt
 
Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL>1 // Go to first tab
 
// Gather URLs from the Address Line
Variable Set Integer %Count% to 1
Repeat Start (Repeat %NumberOfTabs% times)
  Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL>l // Go to the Address Line
  Delay: 50 milliseconds
  Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL>a // Select the URL (failsafe in case the URL isn't selected)
  Clipboard Copy
  Variable Set String %URLAddress[%Count%]% from the clipboard contents
  Variable Modify Integer %Count%: Increment
  Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL><TAB> // Go to next tab
End Repeat
 
// Display the results
Variable Set Integer %Count% to 1
Repeat Start (Repeat %NumberOfTabs% times)
  Text Box Display: Results: %Count%
  Variable Modify Integer %Count%: Increment
End Repeat
 
Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL>1 // Return to the first tab
Variable Save: Save Integer Variables

<VARIABLE RESTORE Option="\x02"/>
<VARIABLE SET INTEGER Option="\x01" Destination="%NumberOfTabs%" Prompt="How many tabs?" Mask="FALSE" OnTop="TRUE" Left="Center" Top="Center" Monitor="0"/>
<COMMENT/>
<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<CONTROL>1" _COMMENT="Go to first tab"/>
<COMMENT/>
<COMMENT Value="Gather URLs from the Address Line"/>
<VARIABLE SET INTEGER Option="\x00" Destination="%Count%" Value="1"/>
<REPEAT START Start="1" Step="1" Count="%NumberOfTabs%" Save="FALSE"/>
<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<CONTROL>l" _COMMENT="Go to the Address Line"/>
<DELAY Flags="\x02" Time="50"/>
<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<CONTROL>a" _COMMENT="Select the URL (failsafe in case the URL isn't selected)"/>
<CLIPBOARD COPY/>
<VARIABLE SET STRING Option="\x02" Destination="%URLAddress[%Count%]%" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE"/>
<VARIABLE MODIFY INTEGER Option="\x07" Destination="%Count%"/>
<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<CONTROL><TAB>" _COMMENT="Go to next tab"/>
<END REPEAT/>
<COMMENT/>
<COMMENT Value="Display the results"/>
<VARIABLE SET INTEGER Option="\x00" Destination="%Count%" Value="1"/>
<REPEAT START Start="1" Step="1" Count="%NumberOfTabs%" Save="FALSE"/>
<TEXT BOX DISPLAY Title="Results: %Count%" Content="{\\rtf1\\ansi\\ansicpg1252\\deff0\\deflang1033{\\fonttbl{\\f0\\fnil Tahoma;}}\r\n\\viewkind4\\uc1\\pard\\f0\\fs40 %URLAddress[%Count%]%\\fs20 \r\n\\par }\r\n" Left="821" Top="Center" Width="714" Height="200" Monitor="0" OnTop="TRUE" Keep_Focus="TRUE" Mode="\x00" Delay="0"/>
<VARIABLE MODIFY INTEGER Option="\x07" Destination="%Count%"/>
<END REPEAT/>
<COMMENT/>
<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<CONTROL>1" _COMMENT="Return to the first tab"/>
<VARIABLE SAVE Option="\x02"/>

33 minutes ago, rberq said:

Edit: Oops!  I see acantor has already replied. 

We've confirmed that using an array is a good way to tackle this puzzle!

A small refinement:

Add this as the first line of the script:

Variable Restore: Restore Integer Variables

And make this the last line of the script:

Variable Save: Save Integer Variables

This change causes the value of %NumberOfTabs% to be preserved between runs. When running the script repeatedly, the script will make the last value the default. You won't need to type the same value each time. Could be handy if you're always checking the same number of tabs.

(The value won't survive a reboot.)

You can use an array to capture the URLs. I defined a text variable %URLAddress[%Count%]% with space for up to 100 URLs.

%URLAddress[1]%

%URLAddress[2]%

%URLAddress[3]%

etc.

If the script occasionally skips a URL, you may need to insert strategic delays.

Variable Set Integer %NumberOfTabs%: Prompt
 
Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL>1 // Go to first tab
 
Variable Set Integer %Count% to 1
Repeat Start (Repeat %NumberOfTabs% times)
  Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL>l // Select the URL
  Clipboard Copy
  Variable Set String %URLAddress[%Count%]% from the clipboard contents
  Variable Modify Integer %Count%: Increment
  Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL><TAB> // Go to next tab
End Repeat
 
// Display the results
Variable Set Integer %Count% to 1
Repeat Start (Repeat %NumberOfTabs% times)
  Text Box Display: Results: %Count%
  Variable Modify Integer %Count%: Increment
End Repeat
 
Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL>1 // Return to the first tab

<VARIABLE SET INTEGER Option="\x01" Destination="%NumberOfTabs%" Prompt="How many tabs?" Mask="FALSE" OnTop="TRUE" Left="Center" Top="Center" Monitor="0"/>
<COMMENT/>
<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<CONTROL>1" _COMMENT="Go to first tab"/>
<COMMENT/>
<VARIABLE SET INTEGER Option="\x00" Destination="%Count%" Value="1"/>
<REPEAT START Start="1" Step="1" Count="%NumberOfTabs%" Save="FALSE"/>
<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<CONTROL>l" _COMMENT="Select the URL"/>
<CLIPBOARD COPY/>
<VARIABLE SET STRING Option="\x02" Destination="%URLAddress[%Count%]%" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE"/>
<VARIABLE MODIFY INTEGER Option="\x07" Destination="%Count%"/>
<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<CONTROL><TAB>" _COMMENT="Go to next tab"/>
<END REPEAT/>
<COMMENT/>
<COMMENT Value="Display the results"/>
<VARIABLE SET INTEGER Option="\x00" Destination="%Count%" Value="1"/>
<REPEAT START Start="1" Step="1" Count="%NumberOfTabs%" Save="FALSE"/>
<TEXT BOX DISPLAY Title="Results: %Count%" Content="{\\rtf1\\ansi\\ansicpg1252\\deff0\\deflang1033{\\fonttbl{\\f0\\fnil Tahoma;}}\r\n\\viewkind4\\uc1\\pard\\f0\\fs40 %URLAddress[%Count%]%\\fs20 \r\n\\par }\r\n" Left="821" Top="Center" Width="714" Height="200" Monitor="0" OnTop="TRUE" Keep_Focus="TRUE" Mode="\x00" Delay="0"/>
<VARIABLE MODIFY INTEGER Option="\x07" Destination="%Count%"/>
<END REPEAT/>
<COMMENT/>
<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<CONTROL>1" _COMMENT="Return to the first tab"/>

Let's say you have a macro called "Test" that consists of three instructions:

Macro Run: Test1
Macro Run: Test2
Macro Run: Test3

When you trigger "Test," Test1 will run. Then Test2. And finally, Test3.

However, if Test1, Test2, or Test3 contains this instruction:

Macro Stop

Then Test will stop at the point the instruction is encountered.  For example, here are three macros:

Test1:

Text Box Display: This is Test1

---------------

Test2:

Text Box Display: This is Test2
Macro Stop

---------------

Test3:

Text Box Display: This is Test3

If you run Test, you'll see the first Text Box, the second Text Box, but not the third.

This thread includes a description of another way to navigate to a location on a web page. Like Cory's method, knowing how to get around a web page via the keyboard is extremely helpful.

3 hours ago, Frank said:

I know I can set X and Y variables BUT is there an easier way to do this?

I would like to MOVE MOUSE, Click CTRL + SPACE, and then store as variable but i don't see that option...

I don't think there's an easier way. When you are manually setting up the macro, you should be able to use Ctrl + space to automate the process of setting the coordinates.

Quote

 

Similiar to the above question, same macro plays a few sound files throughout the macro.

Is there a way to SET A VARIABLE as a sound file so that I can list the sound file once, at the beginning and refer to the varaible later in the macro ...  to play

Variable Set String %SoundFile1% to "c:\tmp\Sounds\Beep.wav"
Sound File: %SoundFile1%

Rberq's example may be the most elegant way, using Macro Express, to "hunt" for a pixel colour. But because pixel checking is handled mathematically, the approach can be challenging to debug if the script fails.

If you pixel check the position of the mouse cursor, rather than its x, y coordinates, it's easier to spot the problem when the script doesn't work.

This pixel hunting method runs noticeably slower than Rberq's method.

Mouse Move: 800, 240 Relative to Current Window
Repeat Start (Repeat 20 times)
  Get Pixel Color from Beneath the Mouse into %PixelColour%
  Delay: 50 milliseconds
  If Variable %PixelColour% Equals "14120960"
    Mouse Left Click
    Repeat Exit
  End If
  Mouse Move: 0, 50 Relative to Last Position
End Repeat

I've written a few scripts that calculate the starting coordinates, or the x or the y coordinate, based on the size of the window. For example, if I know the target I'm aiming for lies along a horizontal line half way across the window, I might do this:

// Half the width of a window is the x position
Variable Set Integer %Width%: Set to the Current Window's Width
Variable Modify Integer: %x% = %Width% / 2
 
// Start hunt at the top of the window
Variable Set Integer %y% to 0
 
Repeat Start (Repeat 20 times)
  Mouse Move: %x%, %y% Relative to Current Window
  Get Pixel Color from Beneath the Mouse into %PixelColour%
  Delay: 50 milliseconds
  If Variable %PixelColour% Equals "14120960"
    Mouse Left Click
    Repeat Exit
  End If
  Variable Modify Integer: %y% = %y% + 20
End Repeat

Rather than looking for images and clicking on them, I think it will be easier to automate tasks in Teams by sending sequences of keystrokes. 

Many key sequences in Teams are standard; they work in almost all well-behaved applications. Other key sequences in Teams are truly bizarre, and hard to figure out. (For example, the only way to perform one task via keyboard is to press a key combination Microsoft stopped supporting around the time of Windows ME.)

Perhaps Microsoft has documented ways to interact with Teams via keyboard / no mouse. You could start there. My recollection is that the set of keys for performing most tasks in Team include:

F6

Ctrl + 1, Ctrl + 2, etc.

The four arrow keys

Tab and Shift + Tab

spacebar

Enter

Once you figure out the key sequence, you can do things like this in Macro Express. (Note that this is for illustration purposes only. The sequence won't do anything useful in Teams.)

Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <CONTROL>2
Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <TAB><TAB><TAB><TAB>
Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <ARROW DOWN><ARROW DOWN><ARROW DOWN>
Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <ENTER>

I started reading Cory's explanation about local and global variables, and realized my understanding of how variables get passed from one macro to another might be incorrect.

So I created simplified versions of 1Testing and 2Testing that DON'T save and restore the variables:

1Testing

Variable Set Integer %CurrentSecond%: Set to the Current Second
Macro Run: 2Testing

<VARIABLE SET INTEGER Option="\x15" Destination="%CurrentSecond%"/>
<MACRO RUN Use_ID="FALSE" Name="2Testing" ID="-1" Wait="TRUE"/>

2Testing

MessageBox: Status

<MESSAGEBOX Caption="Status" Message="Current second is %CurrentSecond%" Icon="2"/>

To my surprise, the simplified macros work!

Thank you Cory for taking the time to write that description!

Create two macros:

Macro nickname: 1Testing

Activation: A hotkey you can easily remember, e.g., the Insert key, Ctrl+T, or whatever.

Variable Restore: Restore All Variables
Variable Set Integer %CurrentSecond%: Set to the Current Second
Variable Save: Save All Variables
Macro Run: 2Testing

<VARIABLE RESTORE Option="\x00"/>
<VARIABLE SET INTEGER Option="\x15" Destination="%CurrentSecond%"/>
<VARIABLE SAVE Option="\x00"/>
<MACRO RUN Use_ID="FALSE" Name="2Testing" ID="-1" Wait="TRUE"/>

Macro nickname: 2Testing

Activation: None.

Variable Restore: Restore All Variables
MessageBox: Status

<VARIABLE RESTORE Option="\x00"/>
<MESSAGEBOX Caption="Status" Message="Current second is %CurrentSecond%" Icon="2"/>

The first macro generates a value based on the current second. The value is stored in an integer variable called %CurrentSecond%.

The second macro, which is called by the first macro, outputs the value of %CurrentSecond% in a message box.

When I press the hotkey to activate the first macro, the script assigns a value to %CurrentSecond%. The value is passed on to the second macro, which displays the value.

To confirm the value is getting passed from the first to the second macro, repeat.

You probably don't need to use the clipboard to output the filename into the field. 

If the cursor is in already in the field, do this:

Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): %FileName%

If the field doesn't have focus, you will have to start by giving it focus. For example, in the "Save As" dialog boxes in many applications, Alt+N is the hotkey to navigate to the "File name" field:

Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): <ALT>n
Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): %FileName%

But you must transfer the value of %FileName% to the clipboard, do this:

Clipboard Start Copy
  Text Type (Simulate Keystrokes): %FileName%
Clipboard End Copy

Actually, Cory, your method works nicely. This is slightly convoluted: the script "flips a coin" and 50% of the time, changes an uppercase letter to a lowercase letter. I didn't try to include numbers or symbols (like hyphen and underscore) into the file name. But if that's what's wanted, I'm sure it can be done. 

Variable Set String %FileName% to ""
 
Repeat Start (Repeat 10 times)
  Variable Set Integer %x% to a random value between 65 and 90 // Pick an ASCII number between A and Z (65 - 90)
  Variable Set Integer %CoinFlip% to a random value between 1 and 2 // Flip a coin. 50% of time, compute the lowercase value
  If Variable %CoinFlip% Equals "1"
    Variable Modify Integer: %x% = %x% + 32
  End If
  Variable Set to ASCII Char %x% to %Char%
  Variable Set String %FileName% to "%FileName%%Char%"
End Repeat
 
Text Box Display: File Name


<VARIABLE SET STRING Option="\x00" Destination="%FileName%" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE"/>
<COMMENT/>
<REPEAT START Start="1" Step="1" Count="10" Save="FALSE"/>
<VARIABLE SET INTEGER Option="\x05" Destination="%x%" Minimum="65" Maximum="90" _COMMENT="Pick an ASCII number between A and Z (65 - 90)"/>
<VARIABLE SET INTEGER Option="\x05" Destination="%CoinFlip%" Minimum="1" Maximum="2" _COMMENT="Flip a coin. 50% of time, compute the lowercase value"/>
<IF VARIABLE Variable="%CoinFlip%" Condition="\x00" Value="1" IgnoreCase="FALSE"/>
<VARIABLE MODIFY INTEGER Option="\x00" Destination="%x%" Value1="%x%" Value2="32"/>
<END IF/>
<VARIABLE SET TO ASCII CHAR Value="%x%" Destination="%Char%"/>
<VARIABLE SET STRING Option="\x00" Destination="%FileName%" Value="%FileName%%Char%" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE"/>
<END REPEAT/>
<COMMENT/>
<TEXT BOX DISPLAY Title="File Name" Content="{\\rtf1\\ansi\\ansicpg1252\\deff0\\deflang1033{\\fonttbl{\\f0\\fnil\\fcharset0 Courier;}{\\f1\\fnil Tahoma;}}\r\n\\viewkind4\\uc1\\pard\\lang4105\\f0\\fs40 %FileName%\\lang1033\\f1\\fs14 \r\n\\par }\r\n" Left="821" Top="432" Width="530" Height="249" Monitor="0" OnTop="TRUE" Keep_Focus="TRUE" Mode="\x00" Delay="0"/>

Here's a way to generate a random ten-character string. The macro randomly picks characters from a list of 65: [A-Z] [a-z] [0-9] and the hyphen [-] and underscore [_].

Variable Set String %FileName% to "" // File name to build
Variable Set Integer %NumberOfCharacters% to 10 // Number of characters for the file name
// A list of every legal character for the file name. I've chosen 65 characters
Variable Set String %LegalCharacters% to "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz01234567890-_"
 
Repeat Start (Repeat %NumberOfCharacters% times)
  Variable Set Integer %RandomValue% to a random value between 1 and 65
  Variable Modify String: Copy part of text in %LegalCharacters% starting at %RandomValue% and 1 characters long to %Character%
  Variable Modify String %FileName%: Append Text (%Character%) // Build file name
End Repeat
 
Text Box Display: Ten character file name


<VARIABLE SET STRING Option="\x00" Destination="%FileName%" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE" _COMMENT="File name to build"/>
<VARIABLE SET INTEGER Option="\x00" Destination="%NumberOfCharacters%" Value="10" _COMMENT="Number of characters for the file name"/>
<COMMENT Value="A list of every legal character for the file name. I've chosen 65 characters"/>
<VARIABLE SET STRING Option="\x00" Destination="%LegalCharacters%" Value="ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz01234567890-_" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE"/>
<COMMENT/>
<REPEAT START Start="1" Step="1" Count="%NumberOfCharacters%" Save="FALSE"/>
<VARIABLE SET INTEGER Option="\x05" Destination="%RandomValue%" Minimum="1" Maximum="65"/>
<VARIABLE MODIFY STRING Option="\x09" Destination="%Character%" Variable="%LegalCharacters%" Start="%RandomValue%" Count="1" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE"/>
<VARIABLE MODIFY STRING Option="\x06" Destination="%FileName%" Value="%Character%" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE" _COMMENT="Build file name"/>
<END REPEAT/>
<COMMENT/>
<TEXT BOX DISPLAY Title="Ten character file name" Content="{\\rtf1\\ansi\\ansicpg1252\\deff0\\deflang1033{\\fonttbl{\\f0\\fnil\\fcharset0 Courier;}}\r\n\\viewkind4\\uc1\\pard\\lang4105\\f0\\fs40 \r\n\\par %FileName%\\lang1033 \r\n\\par }\r\n" Left="821" Top="432" Width="341" Height="266" Monitor="0" OnTop="TRUE" Keep_Focus="TRUE" Mode="\x00" Delay="0"/>

Instead of modifying an existing macro, try creating a new one, with WhatsApp.exe as the scope (and nothing else). For testing purposes, I suggest disabling all macros that involve WhatsApp.

If you can't get it to work, try changing the scope to window specific. You may need to choose a partial match.

Still no luck? Try making the macro Global.

Still nothing? It might not be do-able with Macro Express.

Quote

Once the Text Type is open I would like to be able to manually open the Variables (Button) then close that window and be able to open the Misc Keys (button) then close that window and have the macro wait till the Text Type window closes.

Not sure this is the best way to handle this. A macro that runs in the background waiting for something to happen is, in my experience, prone to failure because it interferes with, or prevents, other macros from running.

Perhaps this needs to be a sequence of two (or more) scripts instead of one.

What's good about your macro is that you've automated the opening of the Text Type dialog, and that's not easy! Kudos!

Tonight I typed this into ChatGPT:

Quote

 

In the world of coding and tech,

There's one skill that's in high demand,

It's the art of macro writing,

And it's not hard to understand.

 

Macros automate tasks galore,

Making our lives so much easier,

They're like an assistant we adore,

A code-based, digital warrior.

 

With a few clicks, they do the work,

That would take hours upon hours,

From data analysis to paperwork,

They have immense time-saving powers.

 

From Excel spreadsheets to Word docs,

Macros can handle them all,

No more manual, mundane tasks,

Our productivity can stand tall.

 

So if you want to be a coding star,

And make life better for yourself and others,

Learn the art of macro writing,

And automate tasks like no other.

 

Then I asked ChatGPT to regenerate the response. The new poem might be a smidge better! Or is it just the same doggerel in a slightly different form??

Quote

 

When writing macros, do take heed

And plan out what it is you need

With code that's clean and well-defined

Your macros will be easy to find

 

Take the time to test and debug

To ensure your macros don't get bogged

Down by errors and messy code

For that can make your head explode

 

But when your macros run just right

You'll see the benefits take flight

Tasks that once took hours or more

Will be done with just a few clicks, for sure

 

So don't be afraid to dive right in

And let your macro writing begin

With practice, patience, and a steady hand

You'll soon be a macro writing grand!

 

 

When I'm using applications that automatically convert a URL that is typed into a hypertext link, a macro that inserts the same URL also is converted to a hypertext link.

I tried triggering a hotkey macro in the Windows 10 task manager, and nothing happened.

It looks like certain system windows block Macro Express, although not all system windows. At least in Windows 10.

For example, I can trigger a Macro Express script when this window has focus:

Drag the red and blue Macro Express icon from the notification area to the System Tray. Then you will always know when Macro Express is running.

On my system, the running green man appears on the left edge of the System Tray. Notice the Macro Express icon three icons to the right.