Macro repeats for ever - fails to appear iprotein list

[jsampsonyyyyy]

I created a macro with shortkey pn to give text type "protein". It entered "proteiproteiprotei..." and so on until I stopped it. I cannot find the macro in the list of macros so cannot edit or delete it. I have tried to upload the macro file but it fails. I am usipproteiniproteiniproteing Macro Express Pro 6.1.3.1 - while I was typiproteing this it produced the text you see. The behaviour is differeproteint iprotein differereproteint target programs.

[Cory]

Make sure you open your "Macro Express Pro - Explorer" and expand the categories and check in each category for macros. You can also check the last run time column to see which it is if it was misnamed. Send a screenshot of this window if you can't find your macro.

[terrypin]

As well as following Cory's suggestions you could also sort the MX Pro Explorer list on the Modified column, showing the most recent at the top.

 

BTW, I assume you included a prefix or suffix with 'pn' to activate your shortkey macro, (set with Options | Preferences | Activations | Shortkeys) as 'pn' alone obviously risks starting the macro whenever you (or a macro) types words like 'pneumonia', etc.

 

[Samrae]

I recommend you begin by clicking Options, Preferences, Activations and then the ShortKeys tab. Enter something like ".." in the Prefix keys box. Once you do that your shortkey macro will not automatically type out.

 

If the macro is one you recently changed you can click on the "Modified" header. This will bring the most recently modified macro to the top (or bottom) of the list. If I recall correctly, I usually have to click in the Modified header twice to move the most recently modified macro to the top.

 

If the issue is with your shortkey activation settings then you may want to try the "Use suffix keys" option. There is extensive documentation on how the shortkey macro activation works here: https://www.macros.com/skplayback.htm

 

 

[terrypin]

@Samrae

 

Snap!

[Samrae]

Your answer came in just before as I submitted mine. Are we thinking alike now? 😃

[terrypin]

You know how the phrase goes: 'Great minds...' 😉

 

[jsampsonyyyyy]

I have, and had, "##" in the Prefix Keys box. So I reverted back to a previous version of my .mex file to get rid of the problem. I had not realized that I already had a shortkey "pn" that gave text type "pneumo" which starts with "pn". I suspect that playback started with the trigger string so that there was a feedback effect. If so, then the playback of a shortkey macro must not start with its own trigger string or with the trigger string of an existing macro whose "text type" starts with the trigger string. I would have thought the prefix key would prevent feedback in this situation but it is late at night and I am probably not thinking straight.

[acantor]

When I began experimenting with ShortKeys, I went back and forth between suffix and prefix activation before I decided that prefix was the better option for me. But suffix activation might be better for you.

 

I use the comma as a prefix because there is typically a space after a comma. So not much chance of accidental deployment by typing the comma followed by one or more characters. Using comma as a prefix, ,D inserts the date, ,PH inserts my phone number, and ,M minimizes the window.

 

I set up prefix Shortkey macros for a left-handed computer user who only has one hand, and I used Q as the prefix because it is easier to reach than the comma. Most English words that start with Q are followed by a U, so I did not use U as the first letter in the Shortkey. Using Q as a prefix, QD inserts the date, QPH inserts a phone number, QM minimizes the window, etc.