Big problem! Macro sometimes keeps running over and over.

[HeyJim]

I've been using ME for a long, long time. Just recently I remember thinking that this is the best investment in software I have ever made and ME is constantly being used more and more as I write new macros. And then a couple of weeks later weird stuff starts happening.

 

It may be connected to opening active windows. I wrote a very short macro just to open one particular window. It worked fine for a month or two and then suddenly one day recently it opened the correct window but then it returned to my original window, then back to the target window, then back to the original window, etc. I had to restart the computer three times before whatever was going on stopped. I disabled that macro! Thought that was all behind me now.

 

Today when I used ME to open an active window (different program this time) but then I switched manually to another window shortly thereafter and then ME immediately returns me to that active window accessed by the macro and would not stop doing that. Every time I went to another window I would automatically return as if the macro was running non-stop. Somehow it even spilled over into Outlook so that when I tried to type a message in a new email it kept kicking me out and the cursor disappeared.

 

I seemed to have stopped the nonsense by shutting down MacroExpress but I hate to think about running without ME. Anyone have any clue as to what is going on? I'm going to now add in clearing hooks at the end of every macro to see if that helps but I'm not too optimistic about that being the solution.

 

I also just noticed that ME windows are not even opening correctly now. I tried to change the schedule on one macro, clicked schedule and there was only a brief flicker of the screen. After doing this a few times I tried an ALT+TAB and discovered the window there.

 

I've been running Windows 7 for the last year on this machine with no trouble until that described above.

[paul]

Have you installed any new software recently?

Do you have any other (recent) problems with your computer?

Have you rebooted?

Have you installed a new version of Macro Express recently?

 

Could you show us the code of the offending macro(s)?

 

Eventually, you may have to uninstall and reinstall Macro Express.

[HeyJim]

No new software installed. No computer problems. Had to reboot three times before I could stop it during the one incident. No new installation of ME. The offending macro was simply one command: Activate window.

 

As it turns out, I had one macro that activated the wrong window maybe 50% of the time so under PROPERTIES I also checked WINDOW TITLE and added the window title there. Crucial mistake.

 

Stan, support, looked through my .mex macro file and quickly suggested that the above, also checking WINDOW TITLE, was my problem. That appears to have been the case as - so far - everything now seems to be fine.

 

Thanks, Stan from support.

 

Again: this is one of the most valuable pieces of software I have ever purchased and I've been working with computers since before the WorldWideWeb and the advent of graphics! (Yeah, I'm really that old.)