Downloading the Core Sets
Background
Scope
Documentation and Support
Other Macros
Sharing Macros
Macro Express Beyond Voyager
Technical Services Macro Express Task Force
Using Macro Express with Voyager: A Basic Introduction
Useful How-To's in Macro Express
Useful Tips and Tricks in Macro Express
Downloading the Core Sets:
Prerequisites
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You need to speak with your supervisor before downloading the set, as each unit will be handling deployment and any needed customization of the macros differently.
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You must have Macro Express installed on your computer. Click here for information on licensing and installation.
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The "mexuser.ini" file must be installed on the C drive of your computer, within the C:\Program Files\Macro Express folder. To download your own copy of the .ini file, RIGHT click on this link and then select "Save Target [or file] As."
The contents of the file you downloaded will read as follows:
[info]
Netid=yourNetid
resolution=1024
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Using Notepad, edit the mexuser.ini file you downloaded, as follows:
Change the value of the resolution, if necessary. First determine the resolution on your monitor by minimizing all your programs, right click on the Desktop and select Properties, then click on the Settings tab. Your resolution is listed in the Screen Area. The macros can accommodate two settings, either 1024x768 or 800x600. From "Screen Area," if you see "800x600" then change your setting in the .ini file to "resolution=800". If you see "1024x768" then leave the .ini file at "resolution=1024".
You can type in your netID or alias where it says "Netid=". This is the ID that will appear when you run the 948 or logon macros. You can edit this setting later by calling up the ,,net macro.
So, for example, if your net ID is "sg26" and your display resolution is '1024", your edited mexuser.ini file would look like this:
[info]
Netid=sg26
Resolution=1024
To download your own copy of the cataloging or acquisitions core macro set file, RIGHT click on this link and then select "Save Target [or file] As." Be sure to save the file in the folder where you keep other macro files.
To learn how to use the macros, see documentation for Acquisitions and Cataloging macros [to save the Excel file to your hard drive, right click on this link, then select "Save Target As"]; descriptions of cataloging macros are on one sheet, while acquisitions macros are on the other.
You have different options for installing the new set of macros, i.e., replacing the current set entirely or merging sets.
Decision tree:
A. Do you already use macros for cataloging?
If no, download new set and follow the instructions for configuration.
If yes, go to question B.
B. Have you customized the macros in the CTSGeneralV4 set?
If you have not customized any macros, then you should be able to copy the new CULGeneralV1 set into your \Program Files\Macro Express folder. (See the installation instructions above.)
If you have customized some existing macros, then you will first want to identify the ones that have been customized. We recommend that you then compare the activation keys of the macros you use with the contents of the new CULGeneralV1 set to avoid conflicts. You can always deactivate a macro in the new set if it conflicts with your existing macro that you want to import. You will need to import your macros into the new file to enjoy the benefits of the new set.
For general information on how to import the macros into the Macro Express program on your computer, see the Import section of Using Macro Express with Voyager: a basic introduction.
Background:
In fall of 2000, CTS staff created a set of macros for use by technical services staff throughout the CUL system. That set was revised and distributed on an ongoing basis, through the latest release "CTSGeneral4Rev." After the Voyager upgrade to 2001.1.1 in January of 2003, TSEG recommended that a task force assemble to reevaluate the existing macros and create a new set. During the spring of 2003, Technical Services Macro Express Task Force (TSMETF) members reviewed and tested all existing macros and created two new core sets: one for cataloging, and one for acquisitions. Each set has a corresponding document explaining macro functions which can be printed or used online.
Scope:
The new core macro sets are intended for use by all technical services staff in the CUL system. Generally, only those macros which likely have more widespread application have been included. Some macros which may appear more unit-specific have been included to provide examples of how macros can be used and how they are constructed. Any macro may be adapted for use through the Macro Express Editor. For more on how to revise and create macros, see Macro Express Documentation: Table of Contents.
Documentation and Support:
The TSMETF members have created two documents to help you understand the core macro sets. The documents include a description of the macro function, an indication of keystrokes needed to execute the macros, and any appropriate starting point. Both documents can be printed from an Excel spreadsheet by clicking here [to save the Excel file to your hard drive, right click on this link, then select "Save Target As"]. The spreadsheet was formatted so that you can print it out on 8.5 x 11 paper and refer to the hard copy. If you prefer to use an electronic copy, you can save it to your local drive and resort columns in Excel or make annotations as you wish.
In addition to these documents, you may consult the Macro Express Documentation created by CUL staff. You may also consult the Macro Express web site. For information about acquiring and installing Macro Express, read the "Macro Express Software" page maintained by Desktop Services.
The Acquisitions and Cataloging spreadsheets are each sorted by the "functional" description field. The Macro Express file, itself, is sorted by the "Activation Key(s)". If you need to edit a macro in the Macro Express file, it will be easiest to locate the macro in question by its activation key rather than its nickname, which may be so abbreviated in this file that it will not be easily matched to the functional description in the spreadsheet.
Should you have questions or need support with Macro Express, contact your supervisor. Individual units may decide to set up Macro Express working groups in future.
Other Macros
Some may be interested in reviewing two macro files that were created in 2001 for use with Voyager. The diacritics file is general purpose. The Slavic language macro set is to speed processing of Slavic materials; you may want to use this one as a model for how to create a macro set for other languages.
Files:
diacriticsV2.MEX
russianV1.MEX
Sharing Macros:
TSMETF and other Macro Express users encourage staff members to share macros and macro ideas in future. It may be that your good idea could save others keystrokes and lead to greater efficiency. Macros can be copied and modified to serve different purposes, so, in a sense, no macro is "too specific" to share with others.
In order to share a macro, please follow suggested guidelines:
Macro Express Beyond Voyager:
Macro Express is a program that can be used with other programs and between programs. For example, you can copy and paste text from Voyager into an Excel Spreadsheet. Once familiar with the product, you can explore using Macro Express to reduce keystrokes and save yourself time with many tasks outside of or related to Voyager. The best way to learn more about Macro Express beyond your own experimentation is to find out more from someone in your department who uses it.
Technical Services Macro Express Task Force:
The Task Force was formed in February 2003 and completed its work in July. The members were as follows:
Gary Branch, CTS
Adam Chandler, CTS
Sarah Chandler, Catherwood (chair)
Paul Heckathorn, CTS
Pat Jones, Law
Grace Lin, CTS
Jim Spear, Mann
Using Macro Express With Voyager: A Basic Introduction
Working with the Editor Screen | Creating in Capture Mode | Creating in Direct Mode | Editing Macros | Importing Macros
Which Macro is for You?
You can create a macro in several different ways. The first thing to ask is: how complex is the macro? Macro Express can handle a nearly infinite combination of commands, depending on how you set up your macro. You can program it to open, close, minimize and maximize windows, type in and enter your login name and password, activate a particular window, etc.
Depending on the complexity of the macro you need to create and your comfort level with using the software, you will either want to capture keystrokes and commands or enter them directly. If you are comfortable with HTML coding, you may want to use the enter direct mode. If you would rather have Macro Express write the code for you, capture mode may work best. In terms of efficiency, direct mode works well for either simple text strings (for example, inserting "|z non-circulating" or inserting a 504 field), or for complex macros which involve the creation of popup window prompts, pauses, etc. Keep in mind that editing capture mode can be trickier than editing direct mode. If you experience trouble with a macro you created in capture mode, it may prove easier and more efficient to simply delete the macro and recreate it, rather than attempting to edit it.
Working with the Macro Express Editor Screen
Once you open Macro Express, you will see the Editor Screen, which contains a spreadsheet listing all macros in your main ".mex" file (See the Useful How-To's section on .mex files and how to rename them). This screen will serve as your home base for macro Express operations: creating, editing, importing, reassigning keystroke activation, etc. You have the choice of working with either icon buttons (displayed across the top of your screen) or lettered buttons. The default on your machine should be icon buttons. To change this setting to lettered buttons, simply go to the pull down menu "Options," click on "Appearance" and click on "lettered buttons." As you see, now you have buttons with words on them running down the right hand side of your screen, rather than icon buttons running along the top of your screen.
Creating Macros in Capture Mode
First things First: Setting your Defaults for Capture Mode
Before you create your first macro in capture mode, you must set the defaults. You should only need to do this once. From the Options menu, choose Capture. The options to set here include the following:
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Scope: Set as Global. This means any macros you make will be available to all programs, not just the one you created the macro in. You can set a macro to be program specific later on.
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Capture Keystrokes: Make sure this is checked. Since you will be using keystrokes to access menus, etc. in Voyager, this is essential.
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Capture Double for Menus: From the Macro Express help file: "Use of the key does not always work properly for activating menu commands. (Example: "f" for activating the file menu command). To ensure that a menu command will always work, a double is used. (Example: "f") Selecting this option will capture a double whenever the ALT key is pressed. You would want to use this option if you are going to be capturing keystroke commands that activate window menus."
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Capture Mouse Relative To: Make sure this is checked. Choose the radio button for Window and uncheck Capture Window Size option. Capture Window Size enters the size of the window in which you created the macro and will attempt to resize the window before running the macro. Choosing the Window setting rather than the Screen setting will make the macros more easily shared across different machines.
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Only Capture Mouse Clicks: Make sure this is checked. In this state, the macro will not record the motion of moving your mouse. It will only record where you clicked.
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Capture At: Choose Actual Speed as the default. You can always go in later and edit the delays to increase the running time of the macro.
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Prompt on Capture: Make sure this is checked. This is to let you know that you've pressed the keys that initiate a capture. The prompt also tells you how to terminate the capture.
Two Ways to Assign a Macro to your Workstation:
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Using the pre-defined keystroke to begin a capture.
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Make sure Macro Express is running (either visible as a window or in the system tray).
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Open the program in which you want to record the macro.
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Hit Ctrl + Alt + Shift + X to begin recording (clicking OK or hitting Enter on the prompt box will not get recorded in your macro).
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Perform the actions necessary for what you want to do (try to stick to keyboard equivalents, if possible).
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Hit Ctrl + Alt + Shift + X to end recording.
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Choose the type of macro (default is to HotKey - which are the types of macros we used in NOTIS).
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Choose the key to activate the macro.
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Hit OK.
2. Using the Macro Express menus/icons to start a capture.
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Open the program in which you want to record the macro.
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Open Macro Express. It is very important that the program you want to record a macro in be the last active window before Macro Express.
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Using the menus, go to Macros then Add Macros to begin a new macro. Or use the Add Macros icon.
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Choose the type and key activation for the macro.
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Choose Capture Macro. You will bounce to the last active window (default). Perform the actions necessary for what you want to do and hit Ctrl + Alt + Shift + X to terminate the capture.
Before you start to capture:
Use slow, deliberate motions to capture the desired keystrokes, mouse clicks, etc. Each move you make is being recorded, and if you move too quickly, it may be difficult to adjust the speed later. Under Editing Macros below, you will learn how to increase the speed of the macro to the pace you want. Also, be sure to maximize windows as you capture your macro; Macro Express seems to work best with windows maximized.
CREATING MACROS IN DIRECT MODE
There are two ways of directly entering the macro:
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Using the Scripting Editor.
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Choose Scripting Editor from the buttons on the right after choosing Add Macro and choosing an activation key.
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Highlight a command from the list on the left and choose to Insert (before or after) or Add it.
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When prompted, enter its parameters.
2. Using the Modify Directly Editor.
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Choose Enter Directly from the buttons on the right after choosing Add Macro and choosing an activation key.
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Choose from the buttons at the bottom and specify the parameters.
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Enter text (or syntax) directly into the box.
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Requires knowledge of the syntax Macro Express uses for macros.
EDITING MACROS
There are three ways to edit an existing macro:
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Using the Scripting Editor.
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Double click on the macro you want to edit. This will automatically open up the Scripting Editor. You can also choose Scripting Editor from the Macros menu at the top or the icon from the toolbar after highlighting a macro to edit.
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Highlight a line to edit.
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Click on Modify to edit the line, Up or down to move the line, Delete to remove, etc.
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Choosing Modify will open the possible parameters to change for this line.
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Hit OK when finished.
Example: in the Editor tab, click on Macro Playback speed and then Modify. The default speed is set to 1.00. This is an inverse proportion between the number and the speed (the smaller the number you enter, the faster the speed). For example, if you change the speed from 1.0 to 0.05, your playback speed will be 20 times faster (1 / 0.05 = 20). Try changing the number in this box and then click on OK. Test the change in speed by running your macro again. You can repeat this step as many times as you want and even reset the number back to 1.0 if desired.
2. Using the Direct Editor.
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Highlight the macro you would like to edit.
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Choose Modify Directly from the Macros menu at the top or the icon from the toolbar.
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Modify as necessary and hit OK when finished.
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Requires knowledge of the syntax of Macro Express macros.
3. Recapture the macro.
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Highlight the macro you would like to edit.
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Choose Recapture from the Macros menu at the top or the icon from the toolbar.
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This option will overwrite the pre-existing macro entirely. It may be easier to try options 1 or 2 or just creating the macro from scratch.
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Hit Start Capture to begin capturing.
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Hit Ctrl + Alt + Shift + X to end capturing.
IMPORTING A MACRO
You can import a macro either from an e-mail attachment, from a floppy disk, or from a file on your hard drive. The instructions that follow assume that you are importing from an e-mail attachment; however, assuming you know the path name, the steps are virtually the same.
First, be sure you have Macro Express running and have the Editor window open. You will see a spreadsheet of macros.
Go to the Macros menu, click on Import, "open file."
Important: Do not use the "open folder" icon as an alternate way to open your file. Doing so could result in your losing macros you have already created.
Go to your Eudora attachments folder, depending on how your unit sets up files, either:
E:bawin\winba\eudora\attachments
Or
C:bawin\winba\eudora\attachments
If you are unsure where your attachments are located, go to the Start Menu, choose Find and then Files or Folders. Set the Lookin box to read "My Computer" and type "attachments" in the Named box.
Select the file you want, click "open."
Select the macro(s) you want to import.
Click on OK
Now, look in your Macro Editor window, and you should see your old macros, plus the one you added. The new macro will have been inserted in order according to how you last sorted your macros - by activation, nickname or scope.
Useful How-To's in Macro Express
How to map the macro to a different key or key combination for activation. There are three ways:
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Highlight the macro to change. Choose Change Macro Activation from the Macros menu at the top. Choose the new key or key combination.
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Highlight the macro to change. Choose the Change Macro Activation icon. Choose the new key or key combination.
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Double click on the macro to change. Click on the Properties tab. Click on Change Macro Type. Choose the new key or key combination.
How to set a new icon:
How to sort the list of macros:
How to abort a macro in progress:
From the Macro Express Help file: "Please note that macros consisting of a lot of keystrokes can send the keystrokes rather quickly and Windows will buffer up the keystrokes. Once such commands have been buffered up in Windows, aborting a macro will not cancel them. In these cases, it may appear that the abort command did not work when in reality the macro has already finished issuing its commands and Windows is now processing them."
There are two ways to abort:
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Hold down the <Scroll Lock> Key and press <Pause> key.
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Right click on the Macro Express icon in the tasktray. A dialogue box will appear confirming it has been aborted.
How to delete a macro:
Highlight the macro you don't want anymore. There are three ways to delete:
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Press the Delete key on your keyboard.
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Choose the Delete Macro icon from the toolbar or the Remove Macro lettered button from the right toolbar (if you have lettered buttons displaying).
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From the Macros menu, choose Remove Macro.
How to create a back-up file of your macros:
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There are circumstances which could cause you to lose macros you have stored in your main ".mex" file. These circumstances include upgrading to a newer version of Macro Express (depending on how the install was done), inadvertantly replacing the main .mex file, etc.
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Just in case you do accidently replace all of your macros, it is a good idea to keep a backup copy of your most recent macro file. To do this, follow these steps:
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In "My Computer," find the folder where Macro Express is located. It is most likely on the C drive under "programs." Click on the folder.
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First, make sure that your extensions are displaying. (If not, go into View-Options-View and uncheck "hide file extensions").
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Next, sort your files according to "file type" - go to View-Arrange options-File type.
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Look at all of your ".mex" files. Macex.mex is most likely your "default" file, i.e., the one that contains the data for all of your latest macros in the editor.
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Make a copy of "Macex.mex" and remane it to something like "backup.mex" - now you have a little insurance policy.
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Then, you can regularly replace this backup file with the lastest version of "macex.mex" - hopefully this will save you valuable time in the future.
Useful Tips and Tricks in Macro Express
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Stick to keyboard equivalents as much as possible. Be wary of Voyager specific keyboard equivalents when mapping to keys -- i.e., F9 for delimiters, so you don't accidently change the function of one of these "Voyager pre-defined" function keys.
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Use the "Home" key to get to the top of a pull-down list in Voyager. This trick only works for pulldown menus with the little triangle icon, not for those with the little arrow icon.
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When asking for things from the database -- like saving -- calculate a little extra time just in case there is some net congestion and the server response is slow. This may involve using Direct mode to insert a delay, a pause, a change in key or mouse speed, etc.
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If you are capturing, always maximize your window first. The macro works better that way.
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To make the toolbar icons into text buttons, go to the Options menu, choose Appearance and select the radio button for Lettered Buttons.
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If you are creating a macro in capture mode using text strings you will want to go into the Scripting Editor to do some clean up. For example, the text string "Bibliographical References" will display in the Scripting Editor with unnecessary delays between each letter. Deleting these delays and typing the text string on one line will increase the speed and efficiency of the macro.
