Macro Express Sometimes doesn't work

[patgenn123]

Hello all,

 

I have a problem at times with ME Pro and it is frustrating.

 

I use the popup macro and use the default view so it looks like a context menu with various submacros to choose from. At times it works, at times it doesn't. At times it's super fast and others it takes a few seconds to pop up. I have memory monitors and CPU monitors watching the system as these macros are triggered. Everything looks fine while I click a choice from the default view. It just seems that ME wants to do it's little things when it wants to with no rhyme or reason.

 

Has anyone else noticed this?

 

Pat

[Cory]

No, sorry. All I can tell you is that in my experience they are very quick and reliable. Even on older machines. Perhaps you have another macro with the same activation? That's about the only think I know will mess with them.

[patgenn123]

Cory,

 

Actually, the macros are quite brand new and I don't use any hotkeys to trigger them. There are no conflicts.

 

Just baffling.

 

Pat

[acantor]

I use pop up menus, and like Cory, find that they appear almost instantly, even on older PCs with many background processes.

 

How do you trigger your pop-ups? Maybe the problem you are experiencing relates to the activation method. What happens if you change the activation from, say, hotkeys to ShortKeys to Window Title to Mouse Event?

 

Have you created (from scratch) and tested simpler versions of the pop-ups? E.g., fewer menu items, default icons, and so on.

[patgenn123]

I use pop up menus, and like Cory, find that they appear almost instantly, even on older PCs with many background processes.

 

How do you trigger your pop-ups? Maybe the problem you are experiencing relates to the activation method. What happens if you change the activation from, say, hotkeys to ShortKeys to Window Title to Mouse Event?

 

Have you created (from scratch) and tested simpler versions of the pop-ups? E.g., fewer menu items, default icons, and so on.

[patgenn123]

Alan,

 

I place the pop-up menu on the desktop and then drag it to the quick launch toolbar. However, this is not the only place that gives me problems. It sometimes doesn't work in the system tray either.

 

Maybe I need to get more memory. 1.5 gig doesn't go a long way anymore.

 

Pat

[acantor]

Alan,

 

I place the pop-up menu on the desktop and then drag it to the quick launch toolbar. However, this is not the only place that gives me problems. It sometimes doesn't work in the system tray either.

 

Maybe I need to get more memory. 1.5 gig doesn't go a long way anymore.

 

Pat

 

Just for fun, try assigning it to a hotkey, and see what happens. F10, F11 and F12 are usually safe choices, in the sense that hotkeys assigned to these keys may override commands, but not ones you are likely to use.

 

Also: How does it work if you activate the macro while it is on the desktop, before you move it to the quick launch area?

[patgenn123]

Regarding the desktop idea and hotkey idea, a majority of the time it works and sometimes it does not.

I have to kill Macro Express Pro and start over again because I notice in Task Manager a whole bunch of MeProc.exe accumulating after the first time it does not trigger. I keep on clicking the desktop button and hotkey and I see a whole bunch of MeProc's just accumulating.

 

Weird.

 

Pat

[Cory]

I place the pop-up menu on the desktop and then drag it to the quick launch toolbar.

Huh? How do you place a popup menu on the desktop or in the quick launch? I think perhaps your and my idea of what a popup menu is are different.

[patgenn123]

Cory,

 

Right click on the Pop-Up Menu and click "Place on Desktop". Move that shortcut to the Quick Launch Bar. I use "none" as a macro trigger, but, of course, you can use hot-keys etc. I just click on the icon(whether it's on the desktop or has been dragged to the Quick Launch) and 85% of the time, it works. Sometimes, it does not. When it is not working, MeProc.exe start accumulating in Task Manager(everytime I try to click it) until I kill MEPro altogether. Then it starts fresh again and it works. Again, it works most of the time, but sometimes not.

 

Pat

[terrypin]

Huh? How do you place a popup menu on the desktop or in the quick launch? I think perhaps your and my idea of what a popup menu is are different.

 

As well as placing it on the desktop or Quick Launch list you can also place it in the System Tray. Open it in Script Editor > Miscellaneous and check the option

Place an icon in the System Tray.

 

--

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[patgenn123]

Thanks Terry.

 

I am well aware of that option. I just like to place the option in many places on my desktop or Quick Launch or an Internet Explorer toolbar and it gives me the oppotunity to choose which one I would like to use.

 

I have been experimenting with this and it does seem like there are fewer "stalls" in the system tray, but the program should work better no matter where you place it not just sometimes in some places, but all the time in all the places.

 

I am wondering if the problem is that there might be other programs running that has the "lock" in them. I do not use the running man to tell me because it's wildly inconsistent and my mind drifts over there to the system tray sometimes trying to delete the running man when it gets stuck.

 

I shouldn't have to try to guess which one is running. That would mean I would have to go through over 300 macros to find it. We should have the option in ME Pro where we can run a macro no matter what is running- kind of like a stealth override of over every thing else.

 

I am not super familiar with ME Pro to tell me that that it does that all by itself because of how weird it acts. It's not 100% up to par yet and it seems like there are oodles of bugs still in it.

 

I just can't stand the fact that it doesn't work and all these MeProc.exe build up in the Task Manager everytime I click on the shortcut on my desktop or Quick Launch Task bar or an Internet Explorer toolbar as a shortcut. Macro Express Pro has to be terminated and restarted again just to clear all processes.

 

Pat

[Cory]

Right click on the Pop-Up Menu and click "Place on Desktop".

Oh, so you have a shortcut on the desktop, not the actual popup menu. I think this was suggested before but you might try an alternate form of activation.

 

BTW a cool activation you might try can be found in the MEP options. You can configure your tray icon so that when you click it a macro launches. I do this for many of my clients so they have a quick draw 'menu' macro.