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3.1 Playing a
macro
To play a macro click on Tools/Macro/Play, or press Alt-F10. A
dialog
box similar
to the File Open dialog will appear, listing the macros in your
default macro
directory or folder. Just as in the File Open dialog, you can
click on the
macro to play or type it in the "name" box; usually typing the
name is faster.
If the macro name you typed is not in the default directory,
WordPerfect will
try to find it in the supplemental directory. If the macro name
you typed is
not in either directory, you will get an error message that the
file could not
be found.
3.2 Save before
playing a macro
It is a good precaution to save your document before you play a
macro, if the macro does
anything more
than just inserting text. Macros will do exactly what we program
them to do
(like the Sorcerer's Apprentice). Unfortunately we sometimes
discover after
the fact that that was not what we really wanted to do!
Do not depend
on "undo" because if the macro uses a loop, or repetition, or
chaining, you
would have to go back many levels to restore your document. Get
into the
habit of saving a document before you play a macro, until you are
sure it
works as intended; that way you can recover from any mistake.
3.3 Cursor
position
If you did not include any necessary step(s) to position the
cursor when you recorded a macro, you will have to position the
cursor manually when you play it, if the macro depends on the
cursor being in a particular position in the document. This is a
source of problems because you cannot depend on the user knowing
or remembering to position the cursor before playing the macro.
And it is a source of irritation because this is a step that
should be automated, along with the rest of the macro commands.
The previous instruction on cursor
position bears repeating: keep in mind any cursor-position
requirements when you record your macro, and include the
appropriate cursor-positioning commands as the first commands in
your macro.
3.4 Terminating the
macro
To stop the play of a macro, press the Escape key. This has the
effect of "canceling" the macro at that point. Or click on
Tools/Macro, and uncheck Play on the menu. The macro will end at
that point, and an informational dialog box will be displayed to
the effect that macro execution has been cancelled by the user.
Short, "one-shot" macros usually run too quickly for you to be
able to
cancel them before they end by themselves. But you will need the
Escape key to terminate
macros that are paused, and especially if you have accidentally
programmed an endless loop into
the macro.
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