Using Taskbar To Triggeer A Macro

[jmazor]

Help! I think I have a good idea, but I can't figure out how to do it!

 

We are all familiar with toolbars that can be located in the Windows Taskbar at the bottom of the screen. They save tons of time because they are always available and will start a program and pass a parameter automatically, no muss, no fuss. For example:

 

* The "Address" toolbar where you can type in a URL, press enter, and IE will open then go to that site.

 

* Similarly, "Dave's Quick Search Deskbar" which has a little fill-in box that sits in the Taskbar, into which you can type some search terms, press enter, and it will open IE, start Google, and do a Google search.

 

I'd like to do the same thing with MacroExpress. I'd like to set up a MacroExpress toolbar that has a little window like the Address toolbar and maybe a little menu. The user would type in the term or parameter, press enter, and ME would then start a macro that would use the parameter.

 

For example, the macro might be set to open my contact manager and use the parameter to look up all contacts whose names contain the parameter.

 

A variation might do the same thing, but first pop-up a menu of macros with radio buttons or something, so that the user could tell ME which macro to run and use the typed-in parameter.

 

Can anyone think of a way to do this?

 

Thanks,

 

Jeffrey R. Mazor

J. R. Mazor & Associates, P.A.

Presidential Circle Building

4000 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 265-s

Hollywood, FL 33021

Phone: 954-962-3500

Fax: 954-962-3560

Email: JMazor@Mazor.com

[iceman]

Here's an idea:

Use a shortcut to run a macro that enables a Floating Menu macro.

 

1. Create a Floating Menu macro (e.g. MyFavorites).

a. Add all or some of your favorite macros (e.g. OpenContacts) to the Menu.

b. Go to Properties tab.

c. Type Nickname.

d. Select Nickname and Scope.

e. Save macro.

f. Close macro.

2. Close Floating Menu, which will disable the macro.

3. Create a new macro (e.g. EnableMyFavorites).

4. Add Macro Enable: MyFavorites to Script.

5. Add any additional parameters before the prior that you want to pass to your existing favorite macros (e.g. Set T99 to Username).

6. Create a shortcut in one of your existing toolbars (e.g. Quick Launch, Desktop) that will run the specific macro in your mex file using the command prompt parameters. (You could also set variables this way as well. (e.g. /VT2:Now is the time))

 

(You could also add a shortcut for each of your favorite macros, which is what I do.)

 

I've attached a sample mex and shortcut in a zip. Be sure to change the path in the shortcut properties.

 

Hope this helps.

 

iceman

Favs.zip

[lemming]

Help! I think I have a good idea, but I can't figure out how to do it!

 

We are all familiar with toolbars that can be located in the Windows Taskbar at the bottom of the screen. They save tons of time because they are always available and will start a program and pass a parameter automatically, no muss, no fuss. For example:

...

Even if you could create a toolbar in Macex, there are current limitations which would make it unusable. Mainly the "run only one macro at a time" limitation.

 

That means your toolbar macro has to be the only macro running, and no other macros/hotkeys would work!

 

The alternative is a pop-up menu, as you mentioned.