jsampsonyyyyy

Wow! But many thanks for giving so much time to my problem. A very subtle trap. 

Thanks - substituting Ctrl +x does the same thing.

I am trying to write a macro to make the first letter of the last word typed uppercase.

What I have is the script:

<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<CONTROL><ARROW LEFT>" _COMMENT="Cursor to start of last word"/>
<DELAY Flags="\x01" Time="0.2"/>
<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<SHIFT><ARROW RIGHT> " _COMMENT="Select first character"/>
<DELAY Flags="\x01" Time="0.2"/>
<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<CONTROL>x"/>
<DELAY Flags="\x01" Time="0.5"/>
<VARIABLE SET STRING Option="\x02" Destination="%lastWordFirstLetter%" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE"/>
<VARIABLE MODIFY STRING Option="\x0B" Destination="%lastWordFirstLetter%"/>
<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="%lastWordFirstLetter%"/>
<DELAY Flags="\x01" Time="0.2"/>
<TEXT TYPE Action="0" Text="<CONTROL><ARROW RIGHT>" _COMMENT="Cursor to end"/>

It all seems to work as expected except that the clipboard contents pasted in are what was there previously.
 

I have set delay after keystroke down, and delay after keystroke up, to 1000 microseconds. Also under "Use the hardware..." I have set the first box to 1000.

However, the contents of the Windows 10 clipboard are not updated by "clipboard cut". Are my delays still not long enough to allow operation of the clipboard? This is Macro Express Pro 6.

Does MEP have a way of making the mouse slow while a keyboard key is pressed? I see scripts for doing it in Autohotkey, and X-Mouse has a facility for it.

Thanks both - I see that I can change the situation by fiddling with Keyboard Repeat speed etc. so I will experiment. I think there is something funny the way TCC accepts keystrokes.

The recipient software is TCC by JP Software, a command-line shell. I suspect that if keystroke speed within the typing of the variable could be slowed down this might help. I haven't found how to do that. I have also tried the option to use clipboard and paste text but that produces "v" instead of the variable.

If I set "text type" to type a string variable, where the string in the variable has an uppercase first letter, MEP may type the letter in lowercase on one occasion, or in uppercase on another occasion. This is Macro Express Pro v. 6.2.0.1 in Windows 10. To type a symbol on a number key such as "$" it seems to be necessary to have "shift key down" explicitly or the number will be typed, not the symbol. I have delays on both sides of the command to avoid clashes with previous or following commands.

Many thanks. I was not thinking straight.

I have written a test macro which I attach here. The file being worked on is a simple text file of short lines and the intention is to display each line in a message box. However, at "Text File Begin Process" the above-mentioned error message occurs, "Undefined variable or the variable is the wrong type". This is despite "images" being set as a string variable of an array type. If there is an order in which I should set the macro up, what is it? If I need to edit it for debugging, how do I do that, or do I have to rewrite the macro from scratch for every bug? Does the error have something to do with the arrangement of percentage signs on the variable name?

testFileProcess.mex

If I open the Variables tab and "add" the variable there is an error "A variable with this name already exists". But if I run the macro there is an error "Undefined variable or the variable is the wrong type". As the variable exists (?) it must be the wrong type. If it should not be a string variable (for an array of strings) what type should it be? Or does it matter in what order I write the macro? In Basic or Python one can edit code freely before running it. Perhaps this is not so in Macro Express Pro.

How do I define an array variable for use in "Text File Begin Process"? I get an error message "Undefined variable"...etc.

I do not want to give the array any content when defining it as that should be read from the text file.

It would be useful where it is not possible to predict where a button to click on will appear on the screen.

Many thanks. I was not aware of this way of inserting comments. When it is done this way they can be exported. I might go through my macros and add line comments.

I did, but did not know what you meant by a "line comment". How does one make one?

Thanks - I have made a feature request.

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough. In the explorer the File menu has an option "Export" which has an option "Output macro information". This opens a box with "Macro Information to Output" with tick boxes "Activation" etc. On clicking "OK" one can choose a filename and folder wherein to save the information as a text file. However, no comments are saved. There may be a way of making and exporting comments but I do not know of it. The comments I mean are what one might type in the "Notes" tab when making a macro, or what one might type in the "comments" tab in "text type", etc.

Is there a way to export the comments in the macros to a text file? "Export" has "Output macro information" but comments in the macros are not included. One can give a clue what a macro does in the nickname but it would be useful to have the comments visible in one place. One can then see what one has and prune out obsolete macros etc.

Many thanks - these are just what I needed.

In the "Dialogs" section there is a procedure "Text Box Display" which puts up a text box to show console output from a Python program that my macro runs. When my macro ends, a text box comes up with nothing in it except an "OK" box to click on to close it. Is there a command to close the box automatically or not to show it if there is nothing in it?

Just the thing - many thanks for this.

I am wondering if it is possible to delete the beginning of a string if it consists of a certain substring. E.g. if, and only if, the string begins with "Joe " then delete "Joe " leaving the rest of the string intact. I have found "replace" but that would remove "Joe " wherever it was in the string, not necessarily at the beginning.

I have, and had, "##" in the Prefix Keys box. So I reverted back to a previous version of my .mex file to get rid of the problem. I had not realized that I already had a shortkey "pn" that gave text type "pneumo" which starts with "pn". I suspect that playback started with the trigger string so that there was a feedback effect. If so, then the playback of a shortkey macro must not start with its own trigger string or with the trigger string of an existing macro whose "text type" starts with the trigger string. I would have thought the prefix key would prevent feedback in this situation but it is late at night and I am probably not thinking straight.

I created a macro with shortkey pn to give text type "protein". It entered "proteiproteiprotei..." and so on until I stopped it. I cannot find the macro in the list of macros so cannot edit or delete it. I have tried to upload the macro file but it fails. I am usipproteiniproteiniproteing Macro Express Pro 6.1.3.1 - while I was typiproteing this it produced the text you see. The behaviour is differeproteint iprotein differereproteint target programs.

Many thanks. I have found it now.

I see. It is a simulation. Is there a way of getting the console value into %ConsoleValue%?