About Mapkeys
In Creo Parametric, a mapkey is a keyboard macro that maps frequently used command sequences to certain keyboard keys or sets of keys. 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.
Starting with Creo Parametric 11.0.0.0, the mapkeys are saved in Mapkeys.pro file that contains the following data:
• Mapkey shortcut
• Mapkey label
• Mapkey content
• Mapkey description
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.
An administrator can define a set of mapkeys that are automatically stored in the Mapkeys.pro file (located in AppData\Roaming\PTC\ProENGINEER\Wildfire\.wf\.Settings). The administrator can place the Mapkeys.pro file in the installation directory or in an alternate folder, if it is set up. The mapkeys defined by the administrator are controlled only by the administrator, and any modifications made by a user to the administrator mapkeys are not saved.
A user can also define their own personalized set of mapkeys. By default, all user-defined mapkeys are automatically saved to the Mapkeys.pro file that is located in the <user>\AppData\Roaming\PTC\ProENGINEER\Wildfire\.wf\..
To create a mapkey on the Creo Parametric menu bar:
1. Click > > .
2. In the Mapkeys dialog box, click New.
3. Record your mapkey in the Record Mapkey dialog box.
Use the Mapkeys dialog box to:
• Define new mapkeys
• View, modify, and delete existing mapkeys
• Execute a mapkey chosen from the list
• Save the mapkeys to a configuration file
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. The administrator mapkeys and the user mapkeys are listed in separate groups in the mapkeys dialog box.
To view the mapkeys in the Creo Parametric Options dialog box:
1. Click > .
2. On the Ribbon page in the Customize tab, select the Mapkeys from the Category list.
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:
• Pause for user interaction.
• Handle message window input more flexibly.
• Run operating system scripts and commands. The Record Mapkey dialog box contains the OS Script tabbed page, whose options allow you to run OS commands instead of Creo Parametric commands.
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.
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If you create a new mapkey that contains actions that open and make selections from dialog boxes, then when you run the mapkey, it does not pause for user input when it opens the dialog box. To set the mapkey to pause for user input when opening dialog boxes, you must select Pause for keyboard input on the Creo Parametric tab in the Record Mapkey dialog box before you create the new mapkey.
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Working with Legacy Mapkeys
When importing mapkeys defined in earlier versions of Creo Parametric, make sure to manually remove the mapkeys from all levels of config.pro files and from the config.sup file (located in<creo_loadpoint>\Common Files\text\config.sup), and then add the mapkeys in the Mapkeys.pro file.
If the legacy mapkeys are present in the config.pro file or config.sup file, warning messages are displayed in Creo Parametric.