Arbortext IsoDraw > Macro Language Reference > Introduction > About Macros > Macros and Macro Language
  
Macros and Macro Language
A macro is a small computer program stored in IML, the Arbortext IsoDraw Macro Language. You run macros inside Arbortext IsoDraw, typically to automate repetitive manual actions, such as selecting menu options, setting predefined views, or performing a series of graphical transformations.
For example: If you frequently perform tasks such as:
Importing a third-party graphics file into Arbortext IsoDraw for editing and saving in native Arbortext IsoDraw ISO (.iso) file format
Exporting an ISO file to a file in a third-party graphics format
Batch-converting files in one graphics format to a different format
You can create a macro that automatically configures import or export preference settings in Arbortext IsoDraw and performs the graphics conversion.
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If a macro only performs 2D graphics tasks, you can run it in either Arbortext IsoDraw Foundation or Arbortext IsoDraw CADprocess. If a macro performs 3D graphics tasks, it will only run successfully in Arbortext IsoDraw CADprocess. (In this guide, Arbortext IsoDraw refers to both Arbortext IsoDraw Foundation and Arbortext IsoDraw CADprocess unless otherwise noted.)
Most drawing tasks that can be done manually through the Arbortext IsoDraw interface can also be done using macros. Furthermore, programming logic structures in IML enable you to do more with macros than you can using the Arbortext IsoDraw interface alone.