Macro Recorder Overview
The Arbortext Editor Macro Recorder lets you automate tasks by capturing series of keystrokes and ArbortextEditor commands for playback at a later time. You can assign macros to key combinations, menu items, and toolbar buttons. The macro recorder generates ACL commands (and stores them in a .mcf file). The macro file format also allows any supported scripting language to be used to define a macro.
Macros run in specific scopes and are stored in the following files:
• <docname>.mcf — (Document scope) Defines macros which apply only to the current document. The .mcf file is in the same directory as the document and has the same base name. The document-scope location is not available for ASCII files and macro documents.
• <doctype>.mcf — (Document type scope) Allows a macro to be redefined for a specific document type. This file is in the document type directory.
• <application_data_dir>\user.mcf — (User scope) Contains user-defined macros which apply to all documents and document types. This location is the default when recording a new macro the first time.
The <application data dir> is the directory where your operating system stores user-specific data. This is usually C:\Document and Settings\user_name\Application Data\PTC\Arbortext\Editor.
• Application macros — Site-specific macros which apply to all documents and document types. This macro scope is defined by reading Arbortext-path\lib\application.mcf (if it exists) and then each \lib\application.mcf file found in the custom directory search list. The search list is processed right-to-left with the left-most definition taking precedence over later ones, including the default definition in Arbortext-path\lib\application.mcf.
This scope is read-only. When a read-only file is selected, Edit and Delete are disabled.
Macros can only be stored in the listed locations with the stated file names.
Several ACL functions are available for customizing your site's use of the macro recorder. Refer to the Arbortext Command Language Reference for details.
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