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VMACRO.REF ---------- Macro Reference for the VDE Editor: version 1.85 (21 Jan 1998) (c)1987-98, E. Meyer =============================== CONTENTS ================================== 9. CREATING MACROS: A. Keystrokes and notation B. Defining macros C. Recording macros D. Assigning macros to keys E. Macro programming F. Examples of useful macros G. Adding features: Mail Merge 10. MACRO REFERENCE, alphabetically by topic: Autoexec macro, Chaining and calling, Counter variable, Define or record macro, Error handling, Function keys, Function key labels, Key definition files, Labels and jumps, Pause or user input, Prompt automation, Sorting, Tests and loops, Toggle control, Value adjustment. See also: VDE.DOC - QUICK START, SYNTAX, TECHNICAL INFORMATION, etc. VDE.REF - comprehensive COMMAND REFERENCE VINST.REF - use of the VINST installation utility ========================== 9. CREATING MACROS ============================= A. KEYSTROKES AND NOTATION Essentially, a macro is a sequence of keystrokes representing text and/or VDE commands, which can then be repeated automatically or stored to a key for future use in order to make frequently performed tasks easier. While this may sound quite straightforward, it's obviously necessary to get such a key sequence EXACTLY correct for the macro to perform as intended; therefore, the representations of macros in this manual present many possibilities for confusion. First, some basics: the characters "[]" are often used to signify the pressing of a single key, like "[Esc]" -- but they aren't used when that key is exhibited as part of a macro or multi-key command, like "Esc&F2". Also, don't be confused by the fact that a single bracket can also appear as part of certain macro commands, like "Esc~^M]". The character "^" is normally used to indicate control-key combinations, as in "^M" for Ctrl-M; but there are special cases when the character "^" itself needs to be typed, as in "Esc&^F2" or "^K^". A space will often be used here to separate groups of keystrokes to make a macro easier to read and understand -- but these spaces ARE NOT part of the macro, and should not be typed in when trying to define it. Any spaces that actually ARE part of the macro and SHOULD be typed in are represented by the underline character "_", which is not itself part of any macro here. Finally, there are occasional differences between the keystrokes you would actually type in order to perform a task, and those that must be typed in order to enter this sequence at the macro definition prompt. At all VDE string prompts, certain keys control the entering of the string itself; for the macro definition command ^M, this is a somewhat shorter list than for other PROMPTS, but it still includes: [Enter], ^[Enter] -- macro definition complete [<],[>],[BkSp],[Del] -- correct/edit characters entered ^R -- (as 1st key) replay the last macro entered ^P -- enter codes like these in macro This means that to include any of these keys AS PART OF THE MACRO ITSELF requires the ^P prefix first (except for [>] and [Del] when the cursor is at the end of the input line). If you forget this prefix, of course, the key will instead perform its function indicated above. Throughout this manual, macros are presented as they actually function, since this is easier to understand; that is, they DO NOT include any extra ^P prefixes required for code entry. If you're trying to enter a macro at the definition prompt, you must remember to use caution with the above control keys! (See also ^P NESTING, below.) It is also important to bear in mind that starting with VDE 1.8, the following keys are no longer equivalent for most purposes: [Enter] and ^M (CR) [BkSp] and ^H [Esc] and ^[ ^[Enter] and ^J (LF) [Tab] and ^I The one case where these keys remain interchangeable is in their use after ^P to embed an ASCII control-code (like ^H, ASCII 08) in the text. Otherwise, they are related but distinct: [BkSp] is a COMMAND that deletes a character from the text or a prompt input line, while ^H (BS) is a CHARACTER that can be part of the text (where it will cause a backspace when printing); ^H can also be an entirely unrelated COMMAND itself. [BkSp] will require a ^P prefix to enter into a macro, ^H will not; and so on. (Any macros from VDE versions prior to 1.8 will need to be redefined with these differences in mind.) EXAMPLE: Consider the following macro, whose purpose is explained more fully below under EXAMPLES OF USEFUL MACROS: ^QS ^X Esc=_] Esc=^M] ^S_^D Esc![ Following the explanations above, be sure you understand why in the middle of defining this macro you must use ^M, not [Enter], and verify that it will involve 17 separate keystrokes, namely: Macro: Ctrl-Q S Ctrl-X Esc = Space ] Esc = Ctrl-M ] Ctrl-S Space Ctrl-D Esc ! [ and then, of course, a final [Enter] to terminate the definition. If you do this correctly, you'll see on screen something like this (the underlined letters will be highlighted as control-codes, and the "e" symbol indicating the [Esc] key is actually an epsilon): Macro: QSXe= ]e=M]S De![ - -- - - - -- ---------------------------- B. DEFINING MACROS ----------------------------- To DEFINE a Macro, press ^M. Macros execute EXACTLY as though you had typed the given keys yourself; this means that every keystroke, including answers to prompts, [Enter]s, and so on, must be properly included, so plan ahead carefully, with pen and paper if necessary. Any PC keys can be entered at this prompt; a few, like arrow keys, will display with a recognizable symbol, but most (PgUp, etc) will simply show as a highlighted asterisk "*". (VINST is capable of displaying the full keynames, if you create or display macros with it instead.) Even MenuBar selections (except {User:...}) can be used in macros, with the ^[Esc] command (see MENUBARS). Since the macro prompt accepts [Esc] without a ^P-prefix, it can't be used to abandon the definition; you can only do so by pressing ^[Break], or [Enter] followed by [Esc] at the next prompt. You can end a macro definition by pressing ^[Enter], to bypass the options below: VDE will simply repeat your macro (visibly) until you press [Esc] to stop it. Otherwise, if you press [Enter], VDE will ask whether you want to Use it immediately or store it (on storing, see ASSIGNING MACROS TO KEYS). If you're going to use it now, you need to decide whether you want the macro to repeat (and if so, how many times), and whether you want to watch it happen. VDE asks "Make Quiet, No-repeat, Both?" Reply "Q" for Quiet (fast) operation, or press [Enter] for visible (slower) execution. (The "N/B" options are intended for storing to keys, but can also be typed here to skip the next question.) VDE asks "Repeat count?" Type the number of times to execute (0-254), or just [Enter] for 1; or "*" to repeat indefinitely. When a macro is executing, the "!" flag appears in the header; normally, you can also see its effects as it proceeds. You can cancel it at any time by pressing [Esc]. If you chose to speed up macro execution by specifying "Q"uiet mode, only the header will be updated as the macro runs. (Don't do this if the macro uses any commands that require user input -- the necessary prompt would not display, and the macro would just appear to have stalled.) By default, macros will stop automatically if an error condition occurs, in which case the error message will display briefly; or if the cursor attempts to move past the top or end of the file, in which case no error displays. (See also ERROR HANDLING.) Thus some macros will halt on their own when they reach the end of a file; others may have to be terminated manually, by pressing [Esc]. Once defined, a macro can be recovered by typing ^R to replay it at the ^M prompt, so that you can choose to Use it again, or store it if you did not previously do so. (You can also edit it first, if desired.) ^F, when entered as part of an input string, normally inserts the name of the current file (see PROMPTS). In a macro definition, it remains an ^F, expanded to the current filename only when the macro actually executes. This can be useful to refer to the current file when running compilers and file utilities. Thus, if you define the macro AltR compile_^F_/g_/r1 [Enter] [Esc] the ^F embedded in the string will be expanded, so that the DOS command executed by AltR when the macro is invoked will actually be something like compile C:\PGM\MYPROG.C /g /r1. Note: if the file is untitled, ^F causes an error that halts the macro. Similarly, ^[, which inserts text from a block at a prompt, remains ^[ in a macro definition, inserting the block text only when the macro actually executes. This useful feature makes it possible for a macro to search for further occurrences of whatever text is at the cursor, etc. EXAMPLES OF ^P NESTING. Note that in some situations, the use of ^P as a prefix for control keys at the macro definition prompt becomes nested. Suppose you want to define a macro containing the word "counterrevolutionary" with "counter" italicized. The keystrokes you'd use yourself are: ^P^Ycounter^P^Yrevolutionary but to get these into a macro definition, you must type ^P TWICE to enter each ^P; ^P^Y by itself will enter only the ^Y into the macro, which would delete a line! So you'll type: Macro: ...^PP^Ycounter^PP^Yrevolutionary... Or, suppose you want to find the next occurrence of "Item" at the beginning of a line. The actual keystrokes needed are: ^QF^MItem^[Enter] (Note the use of ^[Enter] instead of [Enter] to avoid the Options prompt.) But to enter this as part of a macro definition, you'll have to type: Macro: ...^QF^MItem^P^[Enter]... Failure to nest ^P prefixes properly is one of the most common causes of unexpected macro behavior. TECHNICAL NOTE: Ordinarily macros are completely self-contained, and NEVER request input from the keyboard while executing (unless the input pause commands Esc? or Esc: are used). Confirmation prompts like "Abandon changes (Y/N)?", which may or may not pop up in normal usage of commands affecting disk files, NEVER occur when a macro is running, so you should never try to include a confirming "Y". But there is one exception: using AltR to run another program (or DOS shell) from a macro is tricky. Any input requested by the program or shell must be typed by you -- it cannot be included in the macro. VDE resumes control only when the program or shell terminates; if the macro continues, its next keystroke must be the [Esc] required to return to editing. --------------------------- C. RECORDING MACROS ----------------------------- As an alternative to composing macros and using the ^M command to define them, you can simply record a macro as you go about a task. The main advantages are that you can see the effects as you go, and none of the additional ^P keystrokes sometimes necessary for entering commands at the macro definition prompt will be needed. (On the other hand, a recorded macro must be a simple series of keystrokes; it cannot contain programming commands like jumps and tests.) Just press ^M^M (that is, ^M again at the Macro prompt) to activate recording; type away; and press ^M again to conclude. You will then be asked whether to use or store the macro you have created, just as if you had entered the macro at the prompt. (You can even recall it with ^R the next time you use the ^M command.) While recording, a quote mark (") will be visible in the upper right (prefix) area of the header. If you make a mistake, use ^M again to stop recording, press [Esc] at the prompt to quit, and start over. If anything you do while recording results in an error condition, recording will be canceled, and the quote will disappear from the header. NOTES: Because Function key commands (and also the {User:} MenuBar) use the same internal processes as macros, they cannot be used while macro recording is in progress. Any other keystrokes can be recorded, including all other MenuBar selections. Although they may not always be usefully precise, even mouse movements can be recorded as part of a macro, because they are simulated internally as sequences of arrow keys. ----------------------- D. ASSIGNING MACROS TO KEYS ------------------------- Macros can be assigned to function keys, and then recalled and used with one keystroke. Each PC function key can be used alone or with Shift (often indicated by VDE as "!"), Ctrl ("^"), or Alt ("@"), to produce 48 different macro keys. VDE comes with [F1] set as "Help" (^J) and [F10] as "Menu" (^Esc), but this can be changed. If you find function keys difficult to remember, you can also assign a mnemonic letter or digit (alias) to invoke a definition with the [Esc] key; thus, if your Address is on ^[F3], you could also call it up with EscA. The ^M command (see MACRO DEFINITION) gives the option of storing the macro definition to any function key, so that the macro can later be executed simply by pressing that key. Instead of selecting "U"se, press the desired key, from [F1] to @[F12]. Then: VDE asks "Make Quiet, No-repeat, Both:". Reply "Q" for a key that executes in Quiet (fast) mode; "N" for a key that runs once, without asking for a repeat count; or "B" for both of these. Just press [Enter] for neither -- a key that executes just like the "Use" option, visibly, asking for a repeat count first. VDE asks "Esc key:". If desired, you can choose a letter or digit to press after [Esc] as an alternate way of invoking this macro. VDE asks "Label?". You may enter a label, up to 7 characters, for the label line (see FUNCTION KEY LABELS). Don't choose "Q"uiet (or "B"oth) for a key that will request input from you. About 2000 bytes of storage are available for all 48 keys, and a 125- byte limit applies [in VDE; VINST can accept 253] to any one key. You can delete an existing key definition by entering a null definition (^M, [Enter]) and storing it to the key. Keys defined while editing in VDE last only during the current editing session. [To add a function key permanently to VDE.EXE, use VINST: either enter it again in VINST, or write it to a file and read the file into VINST -- see DEFAULT FUNCTION KEYS and DATA FILES.] --------------------------- E. MACRO PROGRAMMING ---------------------------- "Macro programming" refers to a group of VDE commands that operate only within a macro definition, and give you conditional control over the execution of a macro. Thus, instead of simply running straight through a sequence of keystrokes, a macro can be constructed very much like a computer program, with conditional or unconditional jumps from one part of the macro to another, giving great flexibility and power. Here is a brief introduction to the range of macro programming commands. Jumps require "labels" to identify a location to jump to: a macro label consists of [Esc] followed by a letter A-Z or digit 0-9. If you typed this from the keyboard, it would be interpreted as an attempt to invoke a function key definition by an alias (see FUNCTION KEYS) -- but a macro can't do this, so EscA simply marks a location in the macro. Esc! is the unconditional jump instruction. Followed by A-Z or 0-9, it causes execution of the macro to transfer to the command following that label, instead of simply continuing as usual to the next command. So, for example, Esc!1 jumps to the label Esc1. Thus the macro: This_is_ Esc!1 not_ Esc1 a_silly_macro. would produce the text "This is a silly macro." In contrast, the macro: This_is_ Esc1 not_ Esc!1 a_silly_macro. would produce "This is not not not not not not not not not....", continuing indefinitely until you press [Esc] to abort it. (This is an example of what programmers call an "infinite loop" -- occasionally useful, but generally an unfortunate error!) There are also two special predefined "labels": "[" indicates the beginning of the macro, and "]" the end. Thus Esc![ can be used to repeat the macro from the start, and Esc!] can be used to terminate it from any point. Several commands allow the use of a counter variable. Esc() sets the value: for example, Esc(0) initializes it to zero. The Esc+ command simply increments the value; Esc- (minus) is a conditional jump, decrementing the value, then jumping if it's zero to the specified label. (In addition to a label 0-Z, you may use "[" or "]", or "@" to avoid jumping entirely.) Examples: Esc-] decrements the counter, jumping to the end (exiting) if it reaches zero; Esc-@ simply decrements it, with no jump. Thus the macro: This_is_a_ Esc(3) EscL silly_ Esc-X Esc!L EscX macro. will produce the text "This is a silly silly silly macro." Conditional jumps, or tests, are performed by Esc= and Esc~. Followed by a character, then a label, they are conditional jumps: they jump IF the text character at the cursor does (or for "~", does NOT) match the one specified. Examples: Esc~_2 jumps to label 2 if the cursor character is NOT a space; Esc=^M] jumps to the end (terminates) if the cursor character is a CR (^M). Similarly, Esc< and Esc> test the cursor character's ASCII value and act accordingly: thus Esc<A2 jumps to label 2 if the cursor character value is less than ASCII "A" (41 hex), etc. The test commands (Esc=,~,<,>) can also be used in a second way, as self- contained search loops. If instead of a label you use the character ">" or "<", the command will move the cursor right (or for "<", left) as long as the character at the cursor does (or for "~", does NOT) match the one specified. Example: Esc=_> moves right as long as the current character is a space (so it stops on the first NONspace). Of course you could have done the same thing by programming an actual loop, with labels and a test and a right arrow command: Esc1 Esc~_2 ^D Esc!1 Esc2 but Esc=_> is simpler and more convenient. It is possible for one macro to chain (jump) to, or call, another macro. This can permit construction of a single macro longer than the usual maximum size; also, it often simply allows you to organize macros more efficiently and conserve definition space. Esc&, followed by a key identification like "!F1", is used to chain to another key; the macro terminates when that key finishes. Esc&& works similarly, but calls the other key, so that when it finishes, control returns to the original macro at the point following the Esc&& command. ----------------------- F. EXAMPLES OF USEFUL MACROS ------------------------ Remember that macro examples are given as they function, NOT including the occasional ^P prefix you'll need to enter certain keys; and that while keystrokes are often separated by spaces for clarity, the underline symbol "_" is used to represent an actual space that you must type. Many of the macro definitions in this section are included in the macro definition file EXAMPLES.VDF, which can be loaded with AltU. (For details, see DEFAULT FUNCTION KEYS in VINST.REF.) SIMPLE MACRO EXAMPLES 1. At its simplest, a function key is a way to reproduce keystrokes. Thus, if you're writing a document that will refer to "World Wide Widgets Ltd. (N.A.)" dozens of times, it will be easier (and cause fewer typos) if you define this phrase as a macro and assign it to a function key like [F3]. 2. The macro repeat count is an easy way to repeat VDE commands. Suppose you have a horizontal bar installed as graphic character "Y", and you need to enter a line of 70 of them. You could press AltG, then Y, 70 times... or you could define the macro: AltG Y and then Use it with a repeat count of 70. Similarly, to reformat an entire file, go to the top if necessary, then use a macro to repeat the reformat command ^B: just end with ^[Enter] to proceed visibly, or go on to specify Quiet and indefinite repeat ("Q,*") for the fastest operation (it will stop at the end of the file). 3. To view a file by scrolling slowly through it, use the macro: Esc; ^Z or Esc; ^C This pauses, then scrolls down (a line at a time with ^Z, a screen at a time with ^C). Don't make it Quiet, just repeat indefinitely (with ^[Enter] or a count of "*"); it will terminate when ^C reaches the end of the file, or when you press [Esc]. 4. This macro, with repeat count "*", would take all phrases in square brackets "[]" found in a file, and make a list of them in a second file being edited concurrently: ^QR ^QF[^[Enter] ^G ^KB ^QF]^[Enter] ^G ^KK AltC AltN AltP [Enter] AltB SIMPLE FUNCTION KEY EXAMPLES 1. This macro, which could be stored as No-repeat on a function key, re- loads the current file, eliminating any changes made since it was last saved: ^KL ^F [Enter] 2. A function key defined as ^QR ^N AltD ^OF would place the current date at the top right of a letter. Many VDE users set up a function key to produce a personalized letterhead: for example, the macro ^N John_Doe ^OC ^N 123_Main_St ^OC ^N City,_State ^OC will insert that three-line address, neatly centered. You can add print effects (bold, italic) to suit your taste. For a solid line separating this from the body of the letter, try adding onto the end: ^N ^PS ^OF ^E ^PS ^X 3. Function keys can be used to create powerful new commands, for example: ^D ^A ^KB ^F ^KK marks the current word as a block. And, similarly, ^QS ^KB ^X ^KK marks the current line as a block. MACRO PROGRAMMING EXAMPLES 1. This macro moves to the start of the current paragraph, by continuing to move back through the file until it finds a line that doesn't end with a space (soft CR): ^QS ^S^S Esc=_[ ^D^D Like the rest of the examples in this section, it might best be stored Quiet, No-Repeat to a function key. 2. Moving to the start of the current sentence is a bit more complicated, but here is a macro program to do it, with some commentary: Esc~.1 ^S ;move left if already on period Esc1 Esc~.< ;move left to previous period ^D Esc=_2 Esc=^M2 ;accept if followed by space or return, ^S^S Esc!1 ; otherwise ignore and continue left Esc2 ^D Esc=_2 Esc=^M2 ;move right over any space/returns ; to start of sentence 3. If you want to produce a "pure ASCII" file for software that can't accept control codes (other than CR,LF) or IBM graphics, here is a macro that will filter these out before you save to disk (use file modes /A,U,N): Esc*f ^QR ;formatting off, go to top of file EscB Esc>~X ;delete anything above "~" (graphics) Esc=^MN ;accept CRLF Esc<_X ;but delete anything below " " (ctrls) EscN ^D Esc!B ;(accept) EscX ^G Esc!B ;(delete) The macro will terminate when it attempts to move beyond the end of the file. 4. Here is a macro that will eliminate unwanted blank lines from a file; every sequence of up to 10 blank lines will be reduced to just one, by repeated use of find/replace: Esc$$ Esc(10) Esc1 ^QA ^M^M^M [Enter] ^M^M [Enter] GN [Enter] Esc-] Esc!1 5. This macro moves the cursor to the center of the current line, using the counter variable to figure the line length, then move back only halfway: ^QS Esc(0) ;start at left, zero counter Esc1 Esc+ ^D ;loop: move right, increment counter Esc~^M1 ; (until you come to the CRLF) Esc2 Esc-] Esc-] ^S ;loop: move left, decrementing count TWICE Esc!2 ; (macro ends when it goes to zero) 6. This macro counts and reports how many times the word at the cursor occurs in the file: Esc1 ^S Esc>@< ;move left to beginning of word Esc='1 Esc=-1 ; (across letters or apostrophe/dash) ^D^KB Esc<A] ;mark start, quit if not letter Esc2 ^D Esc>@> ;move right to end of word Esc='2 Esc=-2 ^KK ; and mark it as block Note that you can stop here, and you have a macro that simply marks the word at the cursor as a block. But we continue: Esc(0) ;zero counter ^QF^[ [Enter]GCW[Enter] ;find string (error if not found at all) Esc$E Esc3 Esc+ ^L Esc!3 ;count and find each occurrence EscE ^QB^KH Esc(H) ;return to word, unmark, and report count ^[ brings the marked word into the ^QF prompt; Esc(H) shows the count in the header when finished (don't run this Quiet, or you won't see it). 7. Many programming languages use nested sets of parentheses, for example "{}" in C. This macro, when the cursor is placed on an open bracket "{", will move ahead to find the closed bracket "}" that matches it: Esc~{] Esc(0) ;must be on bracket now; zero counter Esc1 Esc~{2 Esc+ Esc!3 ;increment for every "{" encountered Esc2 Esc~}3 Esc-] ;decrement for every "}", quit when zero Esc3 ^D Esc!1 ;keep moving along 8. Here is a macro program using the Esc@ function (see SORTING below) in a very simple algorithm to arrange the lines of a file in alphabetical order by their first characters: ^QC^QS^E ;start on last line of file Esc1 Esc$E ^QS^E^KB ;main loop: set error jump for cleanup, ^QS^X^KK Esc$3 ; mark previous line Esc2 Esc@3 ^QS^X Esc!2 ;sort loop: find its place Esc3 ^KV ^QP Esc!1 ;put it there, return to its position EscE ^KH ;done, remove markers This is reasonably fast when stored Quiet to a function key. Different approaches could have been taken here; this macro works by building its sorted list from the bottom of the file up (to run faster if the file is already partially ordered). The Esc@ test is applied repeatedly to find where each new line goes; ^QP returns to the top of the sorted section, to continue. Esc$3 ensures that if the ^X hits the end of the text, the macro won't terminate but the line will just be put there. Esc$E ensures that when the ^E hits the top of the text, the macro cleans up and exits gracefully. You can use block zoom (^KZ) to sort only a portion of a file, or experiment with variations on this macro to sort in reverse order; on fields other than column 1; with multiline records; etc. ---------------------- G. ADDING FEATURES: MAIL MERGE ----------------------- Many extra features commonly included in larger word processing packages aren't built into VDE. But as the above examples have shown, macro programming and function keys actually allow you to develop your own custom editor commands, using the existing ones as building blocks. This means that with macros you can often add features you need yourself, and moreover design them to work exactly the way you want! To demonstrate that this isn't really difficult at all, consider "Mail Merge": the automatic production of multiple copies of the same document, with occasional insertions at certain points taken from a data list. The classic example is a form letter to be sent to dozens, or hundreds, of recipients on a mailing list. Suppose we compose the text of our letter -- except that in place of a name (since they'll vary) we'll just type a variable name, say "@@N", instead, and in place of an address, the variable "@@A". So the file might begin: 29 February 1993 @@N @@A Dear @@N, We are pleased to announce the opening of... And in another file we have our mailing list, possibly typed by hand, more likely generated by a database program. Various formats are possible; let's suppose that each "entry" is a name and address, of varying numbers of lines, terminated by an empty line. So the file might begin: C.J. Aubergine <- first line of file 221-A Slumgullion Road Hoagie, IL 63213 <- blank line after each entry Margarita Empanada P.O. Box 3172 Sopapilla, CA 91306 Karl Hasenpfeffer Schlagsahnestr. 11 D-1380 Rotkohl GERMANY You'd like to have a key like [F12] programmed so that you could just press it in order to print off a whole series of letters, one for each entry in the list, with the appropriate information in the header and salutation. You can probably see how you'd go about the job yourself manually, though it would be incredibly tedious: find each "@@" variable in the letter file, switch to the data list, mark and cut the name (for @@N) or address (for @@N), paste it into the letter file in place of the variable name, print the letter when done, then start all over again with the second name... Thus, one approach to creating a mail-merge macro would be to switch on macro recording while creating the first letter to print yourself -- ending your recorded key sequence by reloading the original letter with the variable names and advancing to the second entry in the list, ready to continue. Then you could store the resulting macro to a key, and execute it repeatedly. Alternatively, you could plan everything out ahead of time and design a macro program containing appropriate labels and jumps to execute the entire process automatically. The following macro will work properly with files as described above; just install it (No-repeat) on a function key. Brief comments have been added for explanation. Before using the macro as presented here, you must be editing the letter file (which must have been saved to disk), with the address list loaded as a second file, and the cursor must be at the top of both files. If you want to test it out without wasting paper, use a spooler utility to redirect your printer output to a disk file, or substitute Esc; or Esc? for the ^KP[Enter] command so you can view each version of the letter on screen as it's finished. It's rather striking how much can be accomplished with such a modest macro. Esc$3 ^QF@@^[Enter] ;Find next variable, skip to print if none Esc$$ ^D^D Esc=A1 Esc~N[ ;Was it @@A or @@N? (skip if neither) AltN ^KB^QD^KK AltC ;Request was for Name, ^QS AltN Esc!2 ; so mark and cut first line of entry Esc1 ; (always leaving cursor at start of entry) AltN ^X^KB^QF^M^M^[Enter] ^KK ;Request was for Address, AltC ^QB^E AltN ; so mark and cut the rest of the entry Esc2 ^A^G^G^G ;Back to the letter: delete variable name, AltP Esc![ ; paste in the data, and go on to next Esc3 ^KP[Enter] ;Letter is ready, so print it ^KL^F[Enter] ; and reload original copy with @@ variables AltN ^QF^M^M^[Enter] ^D^D ;Position to next entry in list Esc<_] ;Quit if no more entries, AltN Esc![ ; otherwise do it all over again You will find this macro program available for use in the EXAMPLES.VDF file (see DEFAULT FUNCTION KEYS in VINST.REF). This example has been kept very simple, to illustrate the basic approach; as an exercise, you might try modifying it to put only the first name in the letter salutation, or to use database lists in comma-delimited format, and so on. You can tailor your own mail-merge feature to suit your requirements. ========================== 10. MACRO REFERENCE ============================ AUTOEXEC MACRO - VINST can designate one function key definition you create as "autoexec", meaning that this macro will execute automatically whenever you first enter VDE. This feature can be used in a variety of ways, for example: (1) You can use an autoexec macro to change defaults not available as VINST options. (If you load multiple files, remember that some settings like margins are specific to each file, so only the first file will be affected.) (2) You can turn VDE into a text modification engine by setting up a key definition (.VDF) file containing an autoexec macro program that alters the text in some way and then exits. (Any .VDF file specified with a ";" on the command line is loaded before the autoexec process.) See also SYNTAX, FUNCTION KEYS, DATA FILES. (Note: if an autoexec macro exists, you cannot use a utility that stuffs input into the DOS keyboard buffer before running VDE.) CHAINING AND CALLING (Esc&,&&) - Esc&, followed by a key identification like "!F1", is used to "chain" (or jump) to another function key. Use "!,^,@" for Shift, Ctrl, Alt; and after the "F", a single digit "1"-"9", or "A"- "C" for 10-12. ("0" is also accepted for F10.) Examples: Esc&F2 chains to F2; Esc&^FB chains to Ctrl-F11. Esc&& works similarly but "calls" the other key, returning when it finishes. Calls may be nested at most 4 deep. COUNTER VARIABLE (Esc(),+,-) - Esc(n) sets the counter value to "n". Esc+ simply increments the value; Esc- (minus) is a conditional jump, decre- menting the counter, then jumping if it's zero to a specified label. (Besides a label 0-Z, you can use "[" or "]" for the start or end, or "@" to decrement without jumping at all.) The counter can effectively run "negative", though it's actually an unsigned integer: if you decrement it from 0, it becomes 65535 then 65534 (for -1, -2); if you increment it from 65535, it becomes 0. It is not reset after a macro runs, and can be passed to another macro later. Two special commands can also be used with the counter value: Esc(T) - write counter value into Text at cursor position Esc(H) - display counter value briefly in Header DEFINE OR RECORD MACRO (^M,^M^M) - To define a macro, press ^M. You will be asked for the macro definition; for full instructions, see DEFINING MACROS. You can end with ^[Enter] to repeat the macro immediately, or [Enter] to proceed to choose whether to Use the macro or to store it to an F-key, and how. Even if you didn't store your last macro when you originally defined it, you can still edit, re-use or store it subsequently by using ^R (replay) at the ^M prompt. As an alternative to composing macros and using the ^M command to type them in, you can simply record a macro as you go about a task. Press ^M TWICE (that is, a second time at the Macro prompt) to activate recording; type away; then press ^M again to conclude. While recording, a quote mark (") will be visible in the upper right (prefix) area of the header. If you make an error while recording, use ^M to stop recording, press [Esc] at the resulting prompt to quit, and start over. ERROR HANDLING (Esc$) - Esc$ can specify a label where macro execution should continue if an error occurs (normally, execution would terminate). Thus, after the command Esc$E, any command resulting in an error (like "Not Found") will cause a jump to label E, ignoring the error. You can also use the special characters "[","]" to jump to the beginning or end of the macro, or "@" to simply ignore errors, not jumping anywhere, or "$" to return to the normal default of halting on any error. FUNCTION KEYS ([F1]...[F12], EscA-Z,0-9) - Macros can be assigned to function keys, either alone or with Shift, Ctrl, or Alt (!,^,@) for a total of 48 function keys. These keys can be labeled for easy remembering (see FUNCTION KEY LABELS), or you can assign a letter or digit to invoke a definition with the [Esc] key; thus, if your Address is on ^[F3], you could also call it up with (say) EscA. For detailed instructions, see ASSIGNING MACROS TO KEYS. (Note: users of VDE prior to version 1.7 will recall EscA-Z as a separately definable set of macro keys; they now function simply as mnemonic aliases for function keys.) FUNCTION KEY LABELS (^OU) - To help you remember the purpose of your function key definitions, the ^OU command toggles the display of a label line at the bottom of the screen. When a key is defined, its number appears on the label line, followed by the label (if any) entered when the key was stored. The label display is sensitive to keyboard shift status; if you press and hold Shift, Ctrl, or Alt for a moment, the labels will change to show those for the shifted function keys. On 80-column screens, 10 labels are visible; in 40-column mode, 5. Labels for the [F11-12] keys only appear on screens of 96 or more columns. KEY DEFINITION FILES (AltU) - These files save function key definitions and labels, and should be given a file type of ".VDF". You can load such a file, along with your text file(s) to edit, from the command line (see SYNTAX). You can also load or save .VDF files with the AltU command while editing (see DATA FILES). [VINST can also create .VDF files or install them in your copy of VDE, and handle individual .VDK files; see DEFAULT FUNCTION KEYS.] LABELS AND JUMPS (Esc0..Z,Esc!) - Esc0..Z, when placed in a macro, function simply as local "labels" 0..Z. They have no effect, but can be "jumped" to by other commands. Esc! followed by 0..9,A..Z is a "jump" instruction, causing macro execution to resume with the command following that label: for example, Esc!2 jumps to label 2 (Esc2). As special cases, Esc![ jumps to the beginning of the macro, and Esc!] jumps to the end (exits). Note that labels can also be referenced by the test commands, which perform conditional jumps (see TESTS AND LOOPS). PAUSE OR USER INPUT (Esc;,Esc?,Esc:) - Esc; gives a brief pause before macro execution continues, so the user can see what's happening on screen. Use two or more to get a longer pause. Esc? accepts text or commands from the keyboard during macro execution. The header's "!" flag turns into "?" when user input is expected. Anything except macro and function key commands may be used. [Esc] terminates input, returning control to the macro. ^[Break] aborts. Esc: makes the following command take its input from the keyboard. The macro resumes when that command is completed. Examples: Esc:^QF allows you to type in the string to find; Esc:Esc! actually lets you type the label to jump to. PROMPT AUTOMATION (^F,^[,^R) - It's worth pointing out the usefulness of several of the control codes that operate at command prompts (see PROMPTS) for automating operation in macros. ^F allows you to reference the current filename in VDE file commands, or even DOS commands run from AltR. ^[ provides the current block text as prompt input, allowing the use of commands like find/replace on whatever is there. ^R replays whatever the previous input to this type of command (file, search, macro, etc) was. SORTING (Esc@) - Esc@ is a essentially version of Esc< for entire strings, rather than individual characters: it performs a string comparison (with conditional jump) between text in a marked block and text at the cursor. As with Esc<, the comparison goes by ASCII values, essentially alphabetically; it proceeds character by character until a difference is found. If the block string has a value less than or equal to the cursor string, which is to say that it could belong "at" (@) the cursor location, the jump is performed (possibly to code that will put it there); if greater, not (and one might move on down the list). NOTES: Esc@ scans up to 24 characters, is case-insensitive, and treats accented letters in the ASCII 80-A5 range as their ordinary letter equivalents. Rather than having one specific sorting command built into VDE, the Esc@ comparison can be used to implement any sorting method you require. For example, the macro program described under EXAMPLES above does the most common task, arranging the lines of a file alphabetically by their initial characters. Many other variations can be imagined: reverse sort, sort on other fields, sort records of several lines, algorithms that might be faster in certain situations, etc. TESTS AND LOOPS (Esc=,~,<,>) - Esc= and Esc~ perform tests on the character at the current cursor position. They can be used in two ways: (1) Followed by a character, then a label (0-Z,[,]), they are conditional jumps: they jump to the label IF the cursor character does (or for "~", does NOT) match the one specified. (2) Followed by a character, then ">" or "<", they are search loops. They will continue to move the cursor right or left as long as the cursor character does (or for "~", does NOT) match. Similarly, Esc< and Esc> test the cursor character's ASCII value and act according to whether it's less, or greater, than the specified value. (See ASCII table in VINST.REF) (Note: place and block markers, since they aren't text characters at all, will fail any test. If you need to check for their presence, you can use Esc<^@ [that's 00 hex, entered as ^P@] since no actual character could be <0 and fail this test.) TOGGLE CONTROL (Esc*) - "Toggle" commands can create difficulties when used in macro and function keys: ^V, for example, toggles insert mode. But when you plan a function key, you don't necessarily know how Insert will be set when the key is used! So if you use ^V in the macro, you don't know whether you just turned it off or on; you might be overstriking or inserting, and can't tell. The Esc* command provides a solution, by letting a macro specify an exact state for each toggle. Esc* must be followed by a LETTER to identify a toggle, UPPERcase to turn it ON or LOWERcase to turn it OFF. (A few options have a third state, as well.) For example, Esc*i will set INSERT OFF, regardless of its previous state. The toggles are: Autoindent (^OA) 'a'=off 'A'=on Column block (^KN,I) 'c'=off 'C'=on 'O'=replace Doublespace (^OS) 'd'=off 'D'=on auto Format (^OM) 'f'=off 'F'=on Hyphenation (^OH) 'h'=off 'H'=on Insert (^V) 'i'=off 'I'=on 'W'=word Justification (^OJ) 'j'=off 'J'=on 'R'=remove * Load excluded files 'l'=off 'L'=on * Match hard CRs exactly 'm'=off 'M'=on Proportional (^OK) 'p'=off 'P'=on * Single line reformat 's'=off 'S'=on * Trim spaces from nondocs 't'=off 'T'=on * Unload speller from memory 'u,U' Variable tabs (^OV) 'v'=off 'V'=on margin release (^OX) 'x'=off 'X'=on hard reformat (^OY) 'y'=off 'Y'=on The cases marked "*" actually don't correspond to standard user commands; instead, they give access to some more of VDE's internal settings and defaults. (Usage is described in the appropriate section of VDE.REF) VALUE ADJUSTMENT (Esc/) - It can be very useful for a macro to adjust a value without having to know what it previously was: to indent both margins 10 columns, for example, whatever they were. The Esc/ command makes this possible: it must be followed by a LETTER to identify the value, a NUMBER from 1 to 99, and finally a "+" or "-" sign. The adjustments are: Left margin (^OL) 'L' Right margin (^OR) 'R' Page length (^OP) 'P' Example: Esc/L10+ increases the left margin by 10 columns. Like the Esc* toggles, these commands are primarily intended for, but not limited to, use in macros. =============================[end VMACRO.REF]================================