Why These Macros Might Not Work

Why These Macros Might Not Work and Ways to Fix Them

If you use Windows 95 instead of Windows 98, several commands will not work, including the Go To and Send To sets of macros in Windows Explorer.

I tried not to use commands that would make macros fragile -- meaning they may not work on your machine like they do on mine -- but I found I had to in four instances:

1. The Task and Close Task sets of macros assume that you have no tiny little icons near the left bottom corner of your screen *immediately to the right of the Start Button*, but you probably do, because this is the way Windows 98 is set up by default. To delete these icons, which are simply clickable shortcuts to programs, position the arrow over each and say "Touch Right" then "Click Delete."

2. Sometimes I used the "Set Button" command, which clicks the mouse at a location specified by a set of pixel numbers. Macros that use this command will not work if your screen is not set to the same resolution is mine, which is 1024 by 768. In some instances, the numbers may be off even if you do have the same settings. To fix these macros, use the Direct Grid commands in the Global Commands:Moving the Mouse section ("Show Mouse Macros") to find the x and y coordinates. Make sure to put a zero on the end of the direct Grid coordinates, because they go by 10-pixel increments. For example, "Mouse 45 by 32" puts the mouse at the x,y coordinates 450 by 320. Then change the second and third numbers that appear after the Set Button command in the Macro to match these x,y coordinates.
Note that the Tray 1-10 Macro has a 600 by 800 version called Small Tray 1-10. All fragile Fusion commands also have dual 600 by 800 versions. See the Fusion comments section for these.

3. I occasionally use Wait commands to make macros work on my machine. If you're using a slower machine than my relatively slow Pentium II 300 the number of microseconds of waiting I put in the command might not be enough for your computer.

4. There are several macros that open an existing Macro to allow you to see or add to that Macro. These are the Global macros Change Scroll Up/Down Speed, Change Page Scroll Up/Down Speed, the Netscape, Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer Macros Add Go, Show Go, Add Go to <Program>, Show Locations, Add Location, Add This/New/Paste Location, Add Location to Netscape/Internet Explorer and the Word screenwriting macros Add Character and Add This Character. Because you can't use the HeardWord command in the Edit Command Wizard-Step 4 of 7 window, I used letters and Up and Down commands to select a Macro. These macro-calling macros are a little fragile because of this, but the macros they select all have as their first Word a variable that starts with a semicolon or comma, which puts them at the top of a macro file. They will only break if you make another macro that starts with punctuation. (Here's an example: "<;Test> Example.)

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