Macro tab

For the purpose of getting you acquainted with the AME, this section consists of a very simple comparison between the Macro tab of the AME and the <HAScript> element described in the previous section.

The AME has four tabs: Macro, Screens, Links, and Variables. The first tab, the Macro tab, corresponds very closely to the <HAScript> element. In fact, the Macro tab is the graphical user interface for some of the information that is stored in the attributes of the begin tag of the <HAScript> element.

Therefore, as the <HAScript> element is the master element of a macro script and contains in its attributes information that applies to the entire macro (such as the macro description), similarly the Macro tab is the first tab of the AME and provides access to some of the same global information.

Figure 1 shows the AME with the Macro tab selected.
Figure 1. Macro tab of the AME
The Macro tab of the Advanced Macro Editor
In Figure 1, the Macro tab has input fields for the macro description and other information, along with several check boxes. Also notice the following:

The Macro Name field contains the name that you assign to the macro. This is the same name that you will select when you want to edit the macro or run the macro. Macro names are case-sensitive. For example, macro_1 is a different name than Macro_1, MACRO_1, and so on.

The Use Variables and Arithmetic Expressions In Macro check box determines whether the macro object uses the basic macro format or the advanced macro format for this macro. In the figure above this check box is not selected, indicating that the basic macro format will be used (see Basic and advanced macro format).

Figure 2 shows a sample <HAScript> element that contains the same information as is shown on the Macro tab in Figure 1, as well as some additional information. In the source view, a <HAScript> element is written on a single line; here the element is written on multiple lines so that you can see the attributes.
Figure 2. A sample <HAScript> element
<HAScript
     name="macro_1"
     description=" "
     timeout="60000"
     pausetime="300"
     promptall="true"
     author=""
     creationdate=""
     supressclearevents="false"
     usevars="false"
     ignorepauseforenhancedtn="false"
     delayifnotenhancedtn="0">

...

</HAScript>
In the <HAScript> element in Figure 2 there is an attribute corresponding to each input field of the Macro tab shown in Figure 1. For example, the usevars attribute in the <HAScript> element (usevars="false") corresponds to the Use Variables and Arithmetic Expressions check box on the Macro tab. Figure 2 has additional attributes that are not displayed in Figure 1.