BBS in a Box 4/BBS in a Box - Macintosh - Volume IV (January 1992) (BBS in a Box).iso/Files/Prog/A/Alpha.4.01.cpt/Alpha.4.01.rsrc/STR#_133.txt

Text File | 1991-10-22 | 4.1 KB | 227 lines




Defining and Using Macros

ALPHA supports keyboard macros which record a sequence

of keystrokes to be played back later w/ the function

'executeKeyboardMacro' (this function is also in the

'Utilities' menu) or written into a buffer by selecting

'Dump Function' from the 'Utilities' menu. The dump

function prompts you for a macro name, which must

consist only of letters of the alphabet, digits, and

'_'.



These macro declarations can then be edited, loaded, and

bound to keystrokes. Loading a macro or a binding is

accomplished by hiliting the text and selecting the

"Load Selection" item of the 'Customize' window. If no

text is hilited, the entire window is loaded by the same

command. Macros can be bound to keys in exactly the same

manner as functions (see above).



Macros lines can be as simple as the name of a function

or previously defined function. Macros can set

variables. The functions 'saveVars' and 'restoreVars'

have been provided to let macros leave the environment

in the same state that they found it. The keyword "type"

has been provided to

enter text. One good way to learn to write macros is to

record a macro and dump it to a file. Play w/ it, change

things around, add functions, and reload it. If you want

to keep it, just put it in the 'AlphaBits' file. Several

example macros have been provided in the 'AlphaBits'

file.



Several commands which prompt for input actually compile

the result of the prompt into the macro, as opposed to

again prompting every time the macro is executed. These

commands include the search and replace commands, 'ACMD'

calls, and setting named marks and clipboards. To see

what is compiled in these cases, try creating such a

macro and dumping it to a buffer.



The following are commands that can only be executed

from macros, see the distributed 'AlphaBits' file for

examples of use and syntax.



• acmd "name" - execute named acmd, which must be in the

  resource fork of Alpha

• clipsearch "name" - search for contents of named

  clipboard

• copyclip "name" - copy selected text to named

  clipboard

• cutclip "name" - cut selected text to named clipboard

• define - used to name macro

• deleteclip "name" - delete named clipboard

• deletemark "name" - delete named mark

• deletemenu "name" - remove menu from menubar

• fileSet - used to define file sets

• goto "name" - goto named mark

• insertmenu "name" - insert menu into menubar

• mark "name" - create named mark

• menu - used to instantiate the user menu

• message "<the message>" - puts a message on status

  line.

• loadfile "<complete pathname>" - loads file.

• openfile "<complete pathname>" - opens file.

• prompt "<prompt str>" "<clip for result>" - prompts.

  the user and puts the result in the named clipboard.

• putascii <ascii code> - can be used for 8-bit

  characters. The use of flex currently prevents the use

  of 8-bit characters in any direct form in the

  AlphaBits file.

• replace "name" - replace selection

• replaceFindAgain "name" - replace and find again

• restoreVars - restore all numeric vars to saved

  values, re-entrant

• saveVars - save all numeric vars, re-entrant

• search "name" - search for string, based on current

  flag values

• set - used to set variable contents (mirrors command

  that works outside macros as well

• type "name" - inserts string into current window.

  '\r' means carriage return, '\t' means tab.

• yankclip "name" - yank from named clipboard



In addition, all three forms of bindings and unbindings

can be placed in macros, with the exact same format as

when they are used outside of macros, parenthesis and

all.








Undo and Redo



ALPHA supports unlimited undo and redo. This means that

most changes can be undone, and then redone, at will.

Bear in mind that once you create new modifications, all

changes that you have undone but not redone are lost.

Another point to bear in mind is that saving a buffer to

disk currently flushes the undo buffer.