Editing macros (again? again!)

[chrisp]

Well here is my small contribution to the macro project..

==============
CMacroStepReplace
==============

Step Layout:
1 Byte : CountByte (bc)
bc Bytes: Find-text (single byte)
2 Byte : Conditions Flags
------ ------
1[0]04 0000 0 Text
1[2]04 0010 2 Text + Word
1[4]04 0100 4 Text + Case
1[5]04 0101 5 Hex + Case
1[6]04 0110 6 Text + Case + Word
1[8]04 1000 8 Text + Reg
1[C]04 1100 C Text + Case + Reg
00 Unix Flavor RegExp
04 Posix Flavor RegExp
1 Byte : CountByte (bc)
bc Bytes: Replace-text (single byte)
1 Byte : Scope (00 Active Document, 01 Selected Text, 02 All Document)
1 Byte : $00

[chrisp]

Online macro analyser, source code free to download,

http://www.overflow.dk/app/tpm/

[Bob Hansen]

Thanks chrisp............

What is the best way to run this?

[chrisp]

Well this is just a scrach version for people to play with, the best/esey way to run it is to upload the file you wish to analyse, and then select it, using the web-interface.

If you what to run it on you own machine you just downloade the zip file, where the macroreader.asp is in. This can run from any machine width iis install.

It should not be a big problem to convert the script so i can run as a command line tool under windows.

But mind this is a version 0.x so it is not very well commentet or optimized in any way. Working on a java version, but the release off that one is at least a cuople of weeks into the future..

[Bob Hansen]

Just uploaded 2 files to test it out. Good work, there is hope for reading macros anyway.

One file, M2minvoices02.tpm, seems to be parsed OK.

The second file, Bumed_ftptoqa.tpm, which is run on a regular basis, seems to have a problem. I have uploaded a few times with same results.

Is there something unique about that macro, or is it a condition your early program is not set to handle yet?

Should we move these discussions into another forum topic?

[chrisp]

The CMacroStepGoto command was one byte unalign, the problem is fixed now. the reader supports the following commands.

CMacroStepChars
CMacroStepCommand
CMacroStepMessage
CMacroStepGoto
CMacroStepReplace
CMacroStepSaveFileEx
CMacroStepSaveFile
CMacroStepFind

But it should be quite esey to add more as we find them

[mo]

Possibly helpful in this project is the "parajoin" set of macros by Gerrit Kiers who has documented his keystrokes.

[Bob Hansen]

Thanks again chrisp........your change fixed it......

[ikjeft01]

i notice many of the links in the posts are now dead...

i'm willing to work on it...

[dak]

i notice many of the links in the posts are now dead...

Just like TextPad!

[Bob Hansen]

Hello ikjeft01.

TextPad is not dead. Releases may be slower than desired, but the basic product is excellent, and used daily.

Thanks for you offer to help with editable macros. I am one of the original group who worked on this project. And although we still cannot edit macros, I use TextPad every day.

As we worked on the project some time ago, it became obvious that we were taking on an activity that we probably could not accomplish. Also raised was the issue of violating copyright by trying to do reverse engineering.

If you think that you can get another team together to tackle this, you are certainly welcome to try. Unfortunately, I will not be able to help this time, but would be glad to answer questions about our earlier efforts.

In the meantime, I have been continuing to use Macro Scheduler for my macros, inside TextPad and outside TextPad, and to also call TextPad's macros. Fully editable, too many features to list here.

Product info available here: http://www.mjtnet.com/macro-scheduler-a ... ftware.htm

And other products are also available that work seamlessly with TextPad.
I am only suggesting the one that I prefer.

[DeSangre]

Hello ikjeft01.
Product info available here: http://www.mjtnet.com/macro-scheduler-a ... ftware.htm

Hi Bob,
although I am sure that Macro Scheduler works great, I have about approx. 100 Textpad macros that wouldn't be importable/usable anyway so, ironically, I'm stuck with Textpad till the end of our days it seems.

What it's really strange to me is why the Helios team is SO secretive about their "Editable macros" policy. I mean, make a different software, call it TextpadMacroEdit and I'll pay willingly for it! Or at least tell us what we can expect, if you are working on it and so on!

There MUST be a way to make both customers and helios happy about it!

In every textpad review I have read the 2 common complaints are Unicode compliance and macro editability and, I think, this is what Helios should focus on.

The non-editable macros are really the single reason why I still haven't bought Textpad, and as I said, I'll willingly buy for 2 programs if I have to, rather than redoing all my macros with Macro Scheduler (Something I may be forced to do with my future projects, though).

[Bob Hansen]

Until available from Helios, you can have the best of both ......

1. With Macro Scheduler you can keep your existing TextPad macros and call them using the same keystrokes/menu choices you have now. You can even create more TextPad macros to be called. So none will be lost.

2. Macro Scheduler also has a great macro recorder that you can use to record the existing TextPad macros if you wanted them available to be edited. Just call the TextPad macro while recording in Macro Scheduler, then you can edit the MS macro file as much as you want.

3. You can copy/edit the MS macros, and make any macro into a SubRoutine that can be called by any other macros and used repeatedly.

[DeSangre]

Until available from Helios, you can have the best of both ......

1. With Macro Scheduler you can keep your existing TextPad macros and call them using the same keystrokes/menu choices you have now. You can even create more TextPad macros to be called. So none will be lost.

2. Macro Scheduler also has a great macro recorder that you can use to record the existing TextPad macros if you wanted them available to be edited. Just call the TextPad macro while recording in Macro Scheduler, then you can edit the MS macro file as much as you want.

3. You can copy/edit the MS macros, and make any macro into a SubRoutine that can be called by any other macros and used repeatedly.

Oh if this works even for reg exp and the like it's GREAT.
I'll give that a try, in the meantime, thanks a lot!

[DeSangre]

2. Macro Scheduler also has a great macro recorder that you can use to record the existing TextPad macros if you wanted them available to be edited. Just call the TextPad macro while recording in Macro Scheduler, then you can edit the MS macro file as much as you want.

This step isn't exactly clear.
I recorded the macro, but I got only this:
//Recorded Events
CapsOff
MouseMove>270,572
Wait>2.66
LDown
Wait>0.02
MouseMove>276,754
Wait>3.3
LUp
Wait>0.06
MouseMove>644,818
Wait>3.01

No mention of the steps executed by the Textpad macro?
I am a bit confused.

EDIT: To make my wish clearer:
My macros are text replacing macros, and each one is full of

replace a with b
replace y with x
and so on. Some of them are BUGGED, some others don't play to completion (don't ask ) and that's why I'd like to edit them to understand what's wrong.

Is Macro Scheduler able to record and "list" every single Textpad macro step in "his" macro? At this point, I am guessing the answer is no... but thanks anyway