Export comments

[jsampsonyyyyy]

Is there a way to export the comments in the macros to a text file? "Export" has "Output macro information" but comments in the macros are not included. One can give a clue what a macro does in the nickname but it would be useful to have the comments visible in one place. One can then see what one has and prune out obsolete macros etc.

[acantor]

When I export macros that include comments, the comments are exactly where they were after I import them.

 

When I export macro information to a text file, the comments are there.

[Cory]

I think the OP is speaking of the comments tab in the command. A line comment will export, but one in the command from the "Comment" tab, does not. I don't think there is any intentional method in MEP to get these. 

Variable Set String %test% to "Test" // Command comment
// Line comment

Name: test
Icon: (Default)
Scope: Global
<VARIABLE SET STRING Option="\x00" Destination="%test%" Value="Test" NoEmbeddedVars="FALSE"/>
<COMMENT Value="Line comment"/>

 

[jsampsonyyyyy]

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough. In the explorer the File menu has an option "Export" which has an option "Output macro information". This opens a box with "Macro Information to Output" with tick boxes "Activation" etc. On clicking "OK" one can choose a filename and folder wherein to save the information as a text file. However, no comments are saved. There may be a way of making and exporting comments but I do not know of it. The comments I mean are what one might type in the "Notes" tab when making a macro, or what one might type in the "comments" tab in "text type", etc.

[acantor]

13 minutes ago, jsampsonyyyyy said:

The comments I mean are what one might type in the "Notes" tab when making a macro, or what one might type in the "comments" tab in "text type", etc.

 

I don't think that there is a way to export the contents of the "Notes" tab. Consider submitting a feature request to the folks at Insight Software.

 

But comments that I embed in scripts are exported.

 

I know two different ways of embedding comments in scripts: the comment appears on a line by itself, and the comment appears at the end of the instruction:

 

// Comment Type 1
Variable Set String %Clip% from the clipboard contents // Comment Type 2
	

After importing scripts that I've exported this way, the comments are present.

 

I believe there is a third way to embed comments in Macro Express scripts, but I don't remember how to do it, so can't try!

[jsampsonyyyyy]

Thanks - I have made a feature request.

[Cory]

It's like you didn't read my post. Hmff

🙂

[jsampsonyyyyy]

I did, but did not know what you meant by a "line comment". How does one make one?

[Cory]

I gave you an example 🙂 In the macro there are two ways to comment. In the macro command or by inserting a comment inline. It's not a command, but you insert and see them like a command. In my example "Line comment" is the comment. It's the second line in the macro. You can read about them in the help file on the page titled "Comment". I use them extensively but given some samples I've seen I think some macro writers might not be aware of it. Sometimes my commend will be a string of "=" to use as a visual divider even. 

In the future if you want comments to be exported, you might be able to put them there instead of in the macro command. But I do think I'd like to see MEP have an option to export them as well. 

[jsampsonyyyyy]

Many thanks. I was not aware of this way of inserting comments. When it is done this way they can be exported. I might go through my macros and add line comments.

[Cory]

You're welcome. I find them useful for annotation but also for visually organizing my code.