In Creo Parametric, a mapkey is a keyboard macro that maps frequently used command sequences to certain keyboard keys or sets of keys. The mapkeys are saved in the configuration file mapkey, with each macro beginning on a new line. You can define a unique key or combination of keys which, when pressed, executes the mapkey macro (for example, F8). You can create a mapkey for virtually any task you perform frequently within Creo Parametric.

By adding custom mapkeys to your toolbar or menu bar, you can use mapkeys with a single mouse click or menu command and thus automate your workflow. If you are a newer user, you can borrow mapkeys from coworkers and eliminate having to remember cryptic abbreviations.

To create a mapkey, you can use the configuration file option mapkey, or, on the Creo Parametric menu bar, click File > Options > Environment > Mapkeys Settings, then in the Mapkeys dialog box, you click New and record your mapkey in the Record Mapkey dialog box.

Use the Mapkeys dialog box to:

The system records your mapkey as you step through the sequence of keystrokes or command executions to define it. After you define the mapkey, Creo Parametric creates a corresponding icon and places it in the Creo Parametric Options dialog box under the Mapkeys category. To open the Creo Parametric Options dialog box, click File > Options. On the Customize Ribbon tabbed page, select the Mapkeys category. You can then drag the visible mapkey icon onto the Creo Parametric main toolbar. You can also create a label for the new mapkey. If you choose to add the newly created mapkey icon to the toolbar, the label appears on the button added to the toolbar. When you mouse over the button, the description appears next to the mouse pointer and in the message area.

You can also nest one mapkey within another, so that one mapkey initiates another. To do so, you include the mapkey name in the sequence of commands of the mapkey you are defining.

Mapkey operations include the ability to do the following actions:

When you define a mapkey, the system automatically records a pause when you make screen selections, so that you can make new selections while the mapkey is running. Also, you can record a pause at any place in the mapkey along with a user-specified dialog prompt, which will appear at the corresponding point while the mapkey is running.