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This page contains notes on all the elements of this dialogue:
Note that the selection of all the options, except "Record Mouse" and "Relative To", can be changed after the macro has been recorded by using the Macro Properties dialogue.
The macro name can be any description of up to 39 characters. The name will appear as part of a list in the Recorder Window which you can double click on when you wish to run the macro. You must either enter a name, or a Shortcut Key, before the Start button will work.
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You can create a "hot key" to run the macro by completing this area. Type any key, or pick one from the drop down list, and combine it with any or all of Ctrl, Alt or Shift. The Shortcut Key must not clash with an existing shortcut. This could be:
Note that the drop down list includes keys which don't appear on your keyboard, such as function keys F13-F16. See Tips and Troubleshooting for ideas on using this feature.
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To: There is a choice of "Same Application" or "Any Application". Most of your macros will probably be application specific so you should select Same Application. However, if you macro does something more general, such as type your own name and address, it may be appropriate to select Any Application. If you try to run a macro set up for the same application and its window is not open you will receive an error message.
Speed: Normally you want your keystrokes played as quickly as possible, so select "Fast". If you have a particular reason for playback at "Recorded Speed", if for instance you are setting up a demo for training reasons, then it will be appropriate to select this alternative setting.
Continuous Loop: Checking this box forces recorder to repeat the macro indefinitely. In some cases the macro will run out of things to do and generate an error message. Alternatively you must stop it with [Ctrl-Break].
Enable Shortcut Keys: If you enable shortcut keys you allow one macro to call another. This can be a good way of building complex macros or of setting up a range of similar macros. For instance you might have a set of macros which generate monthly reports. You could then create one for quarterly reports which runs three of the monthly macros.
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The strong advice is to use "Ignore Mouse" and build macros entirely with the keyboard. This is because mouse movement is recorded in terms of pixels traversed on the screen. If you ever replay the macro with a different window size, say maximised instead of windowed, or change your screen resolution, then where you point to or click will not produce the require affect. If you must record the mouse "Clicks + Drags" is more reliable as it only records the position of the mouse when the mouse button is pressed. "Everything" records mouse movements as well as the postion when a button is clicked. They keyboard is always recorded.
The "Relative To:" list only becomes active if the mouse is being recorded. The options are "Window" and "Screen". In both cases this it refers to the top left corner of the selected item. It is easy to see why the size of the window or its position on the screen become vital elements and it can be difficult to recreate the effect intended if mouse recording is used.
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You can type as much as you like in this box. Files which are available from this site will include at least brief references to all the following:
If you make comprehensive notes of this kind it may be easier to prepare them in NOTEPAD or a similar editor or word processor and paste them into the Description box. Doing this allows you to generate separate paragraphs by including carriage returns and to format your notes with tabs (which will be a fixed 8 character intervals). In most cases it should not be necessary to give detailed descriptions of the key strokes used. You can reveal the details of the time every key was struck and released when the macro was recorded by shift-clicking Properties (or using shift-p) on the Macro menu of Recorder.
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