Displaying Activity

[Les Hazlett]

There must be a better way than I have found to show that a macro is active. I am using a floating text box. It does the job, but just sits there - boring. Wish I had an hourglass or clockface with moving hands or something interesting.

 

Ideas, please.

 

Les

[floyd]

Here is something that I do when I have a lengthy Repeat Loop.

Variable Set Integer %N10% to 0
Variable Set String %T11% ""
Text Box Display: .
Repeat Start (Repeat 100 times)
 Variable Modify String: Append "|" to %T11%
 If Variable %N10% = 0
   // Launch the "single space" text box and close the "double space" text box
   Text Box Display:  
   Text Box Close:   
   Variable Set Integer %N10% to 1
 Else
   // Launch the "double space" text box and close the "single space" text box
   Text Box Display:   
   Text Box Close:  
   Variable Set Integer %N10% to 0
 End If
 
 // Here is where you would
 // place the code that runs
 // inside the repeat loop
 
Repeat End

// Close all 3 text boxes
Text Box Close:   
Text Box Close:  
Text Box Close: .

I have attached the above playable. It uses 3 separate text boxes to display a progress bar across the window. The first one has a "period" for its title, the second a single space, and the third a double space.

 

Macro Express allows for as many text boxes on the screen as your memory will accept. The next one can be placed before closing the prior one as you can see within the loop. You want to alternate between two text boxes so that you do not eat memory by launching one right after another. Macro Express considers each launch of a text box as a new window, even if it has the same title.

 

So why the "period" text box outside the loop? To always have two on the screen at any one time, which prevents the taskbar from looking like it is working hard. Run the macro without the "period" text box and you will see what I mean.

SampleProgressBar.zip

[jmb4370]

Great little routine!

[mcZenner]

if I have CHANGING or Updating status information to display as the macro runs

... I open a notepad file window and use that for the messages

 

here's an example that lists the files in a directory

 

 

Activate or Launch: "status.txt" OR "status.txt"

Text Type: <CONTROL>a<BACKSPACE>

Text Type: start

Window Reposition: Top Left - status.txt - Notepad

Window Resize: status.txt - Notepad - (Width: 500, Height: 200)

Variable Set Integer %N1% to 0

Variable Set String %T1% from Folder Name

Repeat with Folder

Activate Window: "status.txt - Notepad"

Text Type: <CONTROL>a<BACKSPACE>

Text Type: %T2%

Variable Modify Integer: Inc (%N1%)

Repeat End

Activate Window: "status.txt - Notepad"

Text Type: <CONTROL>a<BACKSPACE>

Text Type: finished counter = %N1%

 

 

 

<LAUNCHYES3:0:0112status.txt<LAUNCH:c:\status.txt><TEXTTYPE:<CONTROL>a<BACKSPACE>><TEXTTYPE:start><WPOS2TL:"status.txt - Notepad"><WSIZE:00500,00200status.txt - Notepad><IVAR2:01:01:0><TVAR2:01:10:enter folder><REP3:07:000001:000001:0002:0:01:%T1%><ACTIVATE2:status.txt - Notepad><TEXTTYPE:<CONTROL>a<BACKSPACE>><TEXTTYPE:%T2%><NMVAR:08:01:0:0000001:0:0000000><ENDREP><ACTIVATE2:status.txt - Notepad><TEXTTYPE:<CONTROL>a<BACKSPACE>><TEXTTYPE:finished

counter = %N1%><DELAY:5><WCLS:status.txt - Notepad><TEXTTYPE:n<ENTER>>

[johnboy691]

There is a very simple way to see if a macro is active. On the Task Bar at the bottom right there is the "what I call" blue M with a red circle around it showing ME is open. When a macro is "running" the blue M with a red circle around it turns into what I call "the little running man". This is how I teach my crew to see if the macro is running. No need for scripting, etc if that's all you want to know.