Processing a Variable update action in a description

You should be aware of how the macro runtime processes one or more Variable update actions when they occur in a <description> element:

The macro runtime performs all the Variable update actions immediately, as if they were first in sequence.
The macro runtime then evaluates the remaining items (descriptors) in the description as usual and arrives at an overall boolean result. The Variable update actions have no effect on the boolean result.

As you might remember, the macro runtime can go through the screen recognition process a number of times before matching a macro screen to an application screen (see Repeated screen evaluations). Therefore, if a <description> element contains one or more Variable update actions, then the macro runtime will perform the Variable update actions each time that it evaluates the <description> element.

For example, suppose that a macro is being played back, that the screen name ScreenB is on the list of valid next screens, and that ScreenB contains a <description> element like the one shown in Figure 1:

Figure 1. The <description> element of ScreenB

<description>
   <oia status="NOTINHIBITED" optional="false" invertmatch="false" />
   <varupdate name="$intUpdate$" value="$intUpdate$+1" />
   <attrib value="0x4" row="1" col="1" plane="COLOR_PLANE" optional="false"
               invertmatch="false" />
</description>

Each time that the macro runtime tries to match ScreenB to the current application screen:

The macro runtime sees the <varupdate> action and performs it, incrementing the value of $intUpdate$ by 1.
The macro runtime evaluates the <oia> descriptor and the <attrib> descriptor and arrives at a boolean result for the entire <description> element.