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Once a macro is created and named it seems to vanish. To reach it the user has to traverse the options dialog. It is not reasonable to expect the user to look here - or know the type of editior they are using and look within that node..
What behaviour do you expect? Where should the user look for the new macro?
I expect to see some menu item regarding Macros - perhaps in the Tools Menu. Or may be in the editor contexual menu. I am afraid that the way it is - users who want to use the macros might not because its hard to find and good functionality might go unused..
OK, I am ccing our UI expert to solve this problem. Gabo, could you please look at this. Thanks.
Since we have gone to the effort of putting Record and Stop Record Macro functions on the editor toolbar, it seems like we should also add a "Invoke Macro" toolbar/menu bar item that would show the list of macros, allow you to add a key binding (if there isn't already one) and also just run any macro (whether it has a key binding or not).
Also, it is reasonable to present all macros to the user, and not filter it based on the editor in which you created the macros. For example, I may create a macro in the Java editor, but it may be perfectly acceptable for me to use that same macro within a scriptlet in the JSP editor. Similarly, I could create a macro in the HTML editor that is useful in the JSP editor. I should not be forced to recreate the macro for each different editor.
Change version to 3.5.
*** Issue 30738 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
For now we have three solutions. 1. creation of the macros item in the Tools menu 2. creation of the macros item in the editor context menu 3. add the action run macro in the editor toolbar Which one would be the best? (As for me, I would preffer the toolbar solution. It is editor bound and visible place for that) I wouldn't show the all macros to user, only the macros for the kit, that is editing. But, perhaps, it could be some option for that. How does the "Invoke Macro" macro dialog looks like? Just the list of the available macros with start and cancel button? Couldn't be the current Macro dialog from editor settings reused somehow?
Gabo, could you please evaluate the presented possibilities from your UI point of view? Thanks.
What about placing an action into the toolbar, which opens the "[active] Editor - Macros" dialog (now accessible only from Options)?
Gabo is not responisble for this issue any more. Rudo please take a look at it. Thanks
Yes, there should be a submenu in the menu Tools, which contains always the proper macros (content specific).
The status of this issue should get improved with new Tools | Options dialog where macros will be easier discoverable.
*** Issue 63163 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
Tools > Options is not a sufficient place to put this feature. Even when the dialog is improved, it will still not be intuitive, since the Options dialog is a place that the user goes to configure the IDE and I don't believe it would ever be clear to a user that running a macro is somehow configuring the IDE. Macros deserves its own section of the Tools menu so that all of its features (creating, running, editing, etc.) can be easily dicoverable. This is where many of our competitors place this feature.
Hi! I think that this issue should not be classified as a "defect". I would personally say it as an RFE or a feature proposal. I will now mark this issue as a feature: jhoffman wrote: "Tools > Options is not a sufficient place to put this feature. ..." Please feel free to change the issue back to DEFECT if you think it deserves it, but in my opinion FEATURE is more appropriate for this one...
I agree. I've never used macros until I found them today, but the lack of an "invoke" button and the hiding of a "list of all macros" makes the feature broken. Either get rid of macros, or make them sensible. I'd suggest adding to or modifying the buttons that are already in the editor. Also: improssible to clear a shortcut to a macro, and no warning when the shortcut is a letter (and overrides typing)