Macros

Macros can be used to record and replay utterances. You can create one or many uniquely named macros while the application is running. When you are performing repetitive typing or clicking tasks, macros can make the process much faster and easier.

Macro Commands

You can use the following macro commands from the "basic" mode:

Once a macro is defined, you can execute the macro simply by saying its single word name. Macros also have an optional numeric utterance argument which is used for multiple executions of a macro.

For example, if you have recorded the macro "mapper", you can say "mapper" to execute the macro once or "mapper ten" to execute the macro ten times.

Counters

In some cases, you need to type a large amount of content that contains increasing numbers or letters. The "basic" mode contains commands that are useful in this scenario.

You can use the "set number counter" and "increment counter" commands for increasing numbers within a macro. For example, if you say the following utterances:

The following will be typed:

You can use the optional utterance argument for "increment counter" to pad the left side of a number with zeros. For the utterances above, if you said "increment counter three", instead of just "increment counter", the typed content would be:

You can also use the "set letter counter" and "increment counter" commands for increasing letters within a macro: "a,b,c,..." or "A,B,C,...".

For more details of these commands, say "open help basic".

Avoid Compound Utterances

Unlike normal commands, the macro commands above are not designed to be used as part of compound utterances. We recommend that you use them as the only phrase within an utterance.

If you do use them within a compound utterance, words that you say after a macro command will be ignored.

Recording Mouse Actions

You can use mouse commands while recording a macro. However, you should avoid the "show" and "show links" commands, because they may not behave in exactly the same way for each macro execution (the numbered labels may vary). The "mouse position" and "mouse grid" commands can work well for a macro as long as the user interface you are clicking does not move the click targets.

Macros Take Precedence Over Commands

Once recorded, macros operate similar to commands. However, if the name of an active macro conflicts with the name of an active command, the macro will be executed and the command will be ignored. This also means that you can create temporary macros that override what a command normally does.

Recursion Is Not Supported

While recording or executing a macro, you cannot execute any macros.

Using Sleep

When you are recording interactions with an application, you may need to use the "macro sleep" command in order to get the desired behavior. For example, you may need to add delays while web pages load.

Utterance History

The user interface utterance history displays macros in the same way that commands are displayed. The utterances recorded by the macro are not displayed during macro execution. This includes any errors that may have occurred while you were recording the macro.

Mode Activation and Deactivation

A macro simply records the utterance transcripts, and replays them. When you record a macro, you may depend on certain modes being active. You must ensure that these modes are active while executing the macro.