jmb4370

Try running the macro using the debug command (F9), and show the variables values. Add some test lines to copy the clipboard contents to a variable, so they can be viewed in the debug window. I have found that sometimes there might be an extra leading or trailing space that gets copied to the clipboard. (Might need trim commands, etc)

It seems that every time I try to print a notepad file, I have to use the mouse to navigate to File->Print. When I try to use the Ctrl-P key, it doesn't seem to work. I've tried Ctrl Down-Text Type "P"-Ctrl UP; and even had all in the text type command as <Ctrl-DN>P<Ctrl-UP>. Is it just the way the notepad.exe file works, or is an additional delay or something else needed? Michael

The modified wav files work great with the multiple choice as Kevin had suggested, but I did add an IF File Exists condition before using the silence.wav and the ding_5.wav just to be safe in case those files don't exist on the machine in use. Michael

Kevin and all; I used Roxio's Sound Editor to modify the standard ding.wav files. It was easy to create a silent file, and then a file with a 5 second blank, followed by a double ding, and then another five second blank, followed by a double ding. When I finished and got a one minute file, the original ding.wav file size of 79 KB had grown to 10,171 KB. A file with a 5 second blank and then one double ding had a file size of 1133 KB, while a five second blank followed by 5 repeats of double ding was 5482 KB. I compressed the five repeat, the silent file, and the 1 repeat here as an attachment. Michael Silence.zip

I'm trying to have a multiple choice menu that has some normal choices, but if the user doesn't respond within 5 seconds or so, a beep sounds. I've tried setting a variable flag to "YES" within each menu choice, and having an endless loop after all the choices test for the "YES" flag, but that doesn't seem to work. I've also tried having all the menu choices in the ELSE portion of the endless loop; also no good. With the code as below, macro action stops with the display of the multiple choice menu until a choice is made, regardless of the time. Any suggestions would be most appreciated, as this doesn't seem that it should as difficult as it is to implement! Michael Variable Set String %T46% = "NO" //Initialize flag // Variable Set String %T38% = "A" //Default value// Multiple Choice Menu: Test //%T38% variable// If Variable %T38% = "A" ...Variable Set String %T46% = "YES" ... [other actions here] EndIf If Variable %T38% = "B" ...Variable Set String %T46% = "YES" ... [other actions here] EndIf Repeat Until %T1% <> %T1% ...If Variable %T46% = "YES" ......Break ...Else ......Delay 5 seconds ......Sound Wav File: chord.wav ......Delay 250 miliseconds ......Sound Wav File: chord.wav ...End If Repeat End

Paul, How did you add that note taking facility to some databases, and allow fonts, colors, etc. Is it available to view? Michael

Joe & Paul It would also be neat if formatting would be allowed inside of prompt and display boxes, ie to allow fonts, color, tabs, left, right, center justification, bold, italics, and underline of the text, and also to allow manual sizing changes to prompt boxes (as is allowed for display boxes). Another thing is to be able to freeze the screen image, or be able to put up a blank curtain up while the macro is progressing behind the curtain. A display box could show in front of the curtain while things are progressing behind the scene, and then when the correct window is active, the curtain/display box would disappear, and things could continue! It would make it appear that everything was written specifically as original programming. Michael

Hi there, Very nice tip! I am keeing that one in my file. Thanks! Michael

I can read the registry value of the default printer in the registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\Device The list of installed printer doesn't seem to appear anywhere as data values, but as the keys themselves in: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Devices or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PrinterPorts It seems that the best I can do is to export the Devices or PrinterPorts branch to a text file and then parse that file to retrieve the shortened names to be used in the Default Printer command (through a multiple choice dynamically built menu) Any other suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks, Michael

Hi Paul; That sounds like a pretty smart idea. That would allow the macro to be used as a default parameters setup screen, where the existing values can be read from the respective individual keys, and if the user wants to change any values, they can be changed and then written to the registry. Individual key values would mean less post processing to get the new value into a needed variable. Can't wait to see it! Michael

Thanks Paul; I was really hoping for a more elegant solution, but I didn't think it was really possible. Michael

Is there any way to get multiple user inputs in one box (to fill different variables) without having to have separate prompt boxes and then close each one in order to get the next user input? I can see that a diaplay box could show the previously entered input, but that still needs to be cleared before the next prompt for input is displayed. Michael

How can I build a selection list of installed printers, so that when the macro runs, the user can select a printer other than the default, run the macro, and then return back to the default printer? I know I could use the mouse and keyboard to get to the Printers and Faxes folder, but I think there must be an easier way, even reading a registry key. Thanks everyone! Michael

After working through all the helpful examples in this forum and in the book MacroExpressExplained, I got my macro to work, but I found a little quirk that I think is worth mentioning. The command that gets run by the Run Macro in Variable command is the Variable Modify String command. I noticed when the command was viewed in the direct editor, the variables are referred to with two digits (01, 02, 03 etc). If my dynamic variable had only a one digit value, the command needed a '0' preceding the variable name, or the entire program of Macro Express would crash! I ended up using a simple IF statement to write the command both with and without the extra '0' for single or double digit values of the replaceable variable, N1 Repeat Until %T1% <> %T1% If Variable %N1% <=9 Variable Set String %T1% "<TMVAR2:09:01:0%N1%:000:000:>" Else If Variable %N1% >=10 Variable Set String %T1% "<TMVAR2:09:01:%N1%:000:000:>" End If End If Run Macro in Variable %T1% ... ... ... End Repeat

Yes, that's correct for this example. The first time through the Repeat loop the variable is T1 and prints the first field that was stuffed from the record filled by the ASCII File Begin/End Process commands. The next time through the Repeat loop, the variable should be T2 to print (and other stuff as necessary) the second field that was generated by the ASCII File Begin command. This Repeat loop will continue until there are no more fields that were filled from the ASCII File Begin Process. A likely test to determine how many fields were filled would be when the next variable has a zero ASCII value, Then the number of fields is this increment minus one. Michael

Great little routine!

Floyd, I'm not sure I understand how you got this section in the command: "<TVAR2:%N1%:12:>". Was it through the direct editor by replacing the 01 in the regular command with the %N1% to specify the dynamically changing variable? I'm using the "ASCII File Begin Process" which will fill up T1, T2, T3, etc from the specified CSV file. Inside a Repeat Loop (before the "ASCII File End Process" command) I want to look up something in another list first using the value stored first in T1, then in T2, then T3, until there are no more items from the first record. So, inside the loop the variable will keep changing, first using T1, then T2, then T3, etc. (Boldface variable T1 in line 3) below) Is this some of the job of the "Run Macro in Variable" command (which I still don't fullly understand)? 1) ASCII File Begin Process 2) Repeat Until %N1% = %N5% 3) Text Type: %T1% 4) Repeat End 5) ACSII File End Process Thanks for your help! Michael

How can I change the name of a variable used in a command dynamically. ie Inside a loop, the first time T1 is used, the next time T2 is used, then on the third repetition T3 is used? Michael

Thanks for your help! I found that control just after I posted by looking through the samples. thanks again! Great software! Michael

If I disable the Repeat Promt Start command, the macro works in the underlying app. It seem that with the Promt enabled, the box comes up over the underlying app, ask for "How many times would you like to repeat?", as expected. After answering the question and pressing Enter, the underlying app window is no longer the primary focus, so the macro doesn't continue in the app. How do I get focus back to the underlying app, adding the specific window title doesn't seem to help. (I'm not sure how to include the macro, so I'll just type it.) -Repeat Prompt Start -Move Mouse Window 416, 494 -Mouse Left Button Double Click -Text Type <Page Down> -Repeat End Thanks! Michael

I figured out to import the samples as playable macros! It probably should make it clearer in the dialog boxes that is how to import them! I still can't fiqure what I'm missing when the macro runs fine in debug mode one step at a time, but not at full speed. I've put delays in, but I don't want to wait indefinately between steps. Any suggestions? Michael

Newbee here; installed latest version 3.5.1.1, and downloaded all the sample macros to learn the protocol. The double clicking on the samples from within explorer will run the sample macro, and it says to view them with the scripting editor to see the inner workings, but when I go to load them into ME, the message thays that they are not a valid macro file. Another item: A simple macro I made works just fine in debug mode one step at a time, but not fully running as when you press F9 key. The issue seems to be the click (or double click) with the mouse curser in an application field. I tried putting delays of all different times and still couldn't get it to work at full speed. The underlying application is a MS Access based application. Any suggestions? Michael