Release Notes

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1. Added new window resize command - resize by pixels (grow or shrink)
2. Added new window resize command - resize by percentage (grow or shrink)
3. Added new window reposition command - reposition by pixels (up/down left/right)
4. Added new window reposition command - reposition by percentage (up/down left/right)
5. Added new window reposition command - place in top left of screen.
6. Added new window reposition command - place in top center of screen.
7. Added new window reposition command - place in top right of screen.
8. Added new window reposition command - place in left center of screen.
9. Added new window reposition command - place in center of screen.
10. Added new window reposition command - place in right center of screen.
11. Added new window reposition command - place in bottom left of screen.
12. Added new window reposition command - place in bottom center of screen.
13. Added new window reposition command - place in bottom right of screen.
14. Added new open Control Panel Command
15. Added new run predefined control panel applet including: Accessibility Options, Add/Remove Program Properties, Console Window Properties, Date/Time Properties, Dialing Properties (NT), Dialup Networking Monitor (NT), Display Properties, Internet Settings, Modem Properties, Mouse Properties, Multimedia Properties, Network (NT), Network (95), Ports (NT), Regional Setting Properties and System Properties.
16. Add run control panel applet command (user specified)
17. Added new "Open or Run Control Panel" Wizard.
18. Created a "Playable Macro" file format. Files with an MXE file extension can be clicked on from within Explorer and the macro contained in the MXE file will run.
19. Added an "Export As Playable Macro" option to allow any defined macro to be exported as a playable macro.
20. Created an "Import A Playable Macro" option to import a playable macro into your regular list of macros.
21. Created a File Association for the normal files containing all Macros (*.MEX file) so that double clicking on a MEX file from within Explorer will load in the MEX file.
22. The /F command line parameter of loading in a macro file will now accept a long file name format for the parameter.
23. Added a new /MXE command line parameter which allows a "Playable Macro" file to be run when Macro Express is run.
24. Added a new macro type called a "Floating Menu". A floating menu has the same form and options as a Popup Menu except that it remains always on top and always accessible at any time as long as the Macro Player is running. A floating menu can be minimized to just the caption bar to free up space if needed. Multiple floating menus can be created. The last location of the floating menu is retained and used with subsequent runs of Macro Express.
25. Add a new macro trigger called "Mouse" which allows you to define macros activated by mouse clicks. Two different kinds are available. 1. You can define regions on the screen that can be assigned to the left, middle or right mouse button. Clicking on this area will trigger the macro. Macros can be global, window or program specific. 2. You can define a macro to go off by clicking on a part of a window. Parts include the window border, window menu, window caption bar, horizontal scroll bar, vertical scroll bar, system button, minimize button and maximize button. Macros can be assigned to left, middle or right button and can be global, window or program specific.
26. Modified the Scripting Editor and Modify Directly Windows so that they are tabbed Windows with the Editor in one tab and all the macro properties in another tab. Added the ability to change the macro type inside the properties section.
27. Modified the Menu Building Editor Window so that it is tabbed with the Editor in one tab and all the macro properties in another tab.
28. For menus (floating and popup) using icons, added the ability to specify if the menu should run horizontal or vertical and to specify the number of icons to place in a row or column.
29. Created a very small program called MEPROC.EXE which can be called instead of MACEXP.EXE to launch macros from the command line. The advantage here is that if Macro Express is already running, the macro will launch much much quicker as MEPROC is so much smaller that it does not take long to load and execute it. In fact, the new built in file association MXE as well as placing macros on the desktop both call MEPROC.EXE instead of MACEXP.EXE.
30. Added a new command to process a basic Text File where each line of the text file is considered as a single entry to be read in. Each line is loaded into a variable which can be used throughout the macro. Use of the line variable and processing will take place between the command to open the text file and the command to end the text file processing. You can specify which line to start with in the text file and to either process all the lines from that point or just a specific number of lines.
31. Added a new command to process an ASCII Delimited Text File. Each field in a line of the text file is loaded into a variable which can be used throughout the macro. Use of the variables and processing will take place between the command to open the text file and the command to end the text file processing. You can specify which record to start with in the text file and to either process all the records from that point or just a specific number of records.
32. Added a password protection command. This command requires that a password be entered before the macro will continue. In addition, a macro that contains this command cannot be edited unless the password is first entered. This prevents someone from simply looking at the macro or deleting the password command and then playing the macro to get at sensitive information. The encrypted text command gives additional security for sensitive information.
33. Added an option to allow the "Modify Directly" to be the default editor. When set, double clicking on a macro will bring up the Modify Directly editor instead of the Scripting Editor.
34. Added new "Text String" variables. Up to 99 may be defined and used per macro.
35. Added commands to populate a "Text String" variable. Commands include, setting the value, being prompted for a value, setting the value from the clipboard, setting the value from a file, setting the value with the window title of the topmost window, setting the value with the name of the program of the topmost window, setting the value with the current directory/folder and setting the value from an INI file.
36. Added commands to manipulate a "Text String" variable. Commands include trimming spaces off both ends of the string, trimming spaces off the left end, trimming spaces off the right end, stripping out CR/LF characters, Appending Text, Appending another String Variable, Converting it to an Integer Variable, Converting it to a Decimal Variable, Copying it to another String Variable, Copying a portion of it to another String Variable, Deleting a portion of the String, Uppercasing it, and lowercasing it.
37. Added the capability for almost all macro commands that have a "text" input into the command to be able to use Text Variables inside the text commands. For example, you could assign a file name to variable "T1" and then use the macro command to launch a program and insert %T1% (representation of the variable T1) into the "program to launch" text area of the command and it would launch the program that had been assigned to "T1". A couple macro commands have this feature omitted where it did not make much sense to add them. These include the commands like password protection and encrypted text.
38. Added new "Integer" variables. Up to 50 may be defined and used per macro.
39. Added commands to populate an "Integer" variable. Commands include, setting the value, being prompted for a value, setting the value from the mouse x position, setting the value from the mouse y position, setting the value from the size of a file, setting a random value, setting a value from the top position of the topmost window, setting a value from the left position of the topmost window, setting a value from the width of the topmost window, setting a value from the height position of the topmost window
40. Added commands to manipulate a "Integer" variable. Commands include adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, copying to a string, copying to a decimal and copying to another integer variable.
41. Modified the Window sizing and positioning macro commands so that sizing and positioning values can be set to integer variables.
42. Modified the mouse macro commands so that mouse positioning values can be set to integer variables. This can facilitate saving original mouse coordinates into variables (at the beginning of a macro) and then restoring the mouse coordinates to the original location (at the end of a macro)
43. Added new "Decimal" variables. Up to 50 may be defined and used per macro.
44. Added commands to populate a "Decimal" variable. Commands include, setting the value and being prompted for a value.
45. Added commands to manipulate a "Decimal" variable. Commands include adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, copying to a string, copying to an integer and copying to another decimal variable.
46. Added new Log Errors command where any errors will be logged to a file. An entry will be made in the error log file as soon as the command is processed allowing you to indicate the start of a macro if you put this command first. Also, a macro completion entry will be made in the log file. All entries will be date/time stamped. You can also specify to turn off any displaying of error messages on the screen so that Macro Express will not be stuck waiting for user intervention in cases where the macro is run unattended.
47. Add a new Log Message command where messages can be logged to a file. You can specify the file name or default it to the default error logging file. Optionally choose whether to include Date/Time stamping on the message.
48. Added a configuration option to give a name to the "Default Error Logging File". This can be useful in networked environments where you wish individual users to have their own error log file.
49. Added a new Menu command where a macro can now display a menu of choices. Choices can be displayed as either radio boxes (one selection out of the group) or as checkboxes (select as many as wanted). Up to 10 menu choices can be included along with header text describing the purpose of the menu and the caption bar (title) of the Window can be specified. The selection results are stored in a text string variable which can be tested for conditional processing of the macro.
50. Added a new repeat based on a variable command. A portion of a macro can now be repeated "X" number of times where "X" is defined by an integer variable
51. On a normal repeat command, a prompt for a repeat value command and on a repeat based on a variable command: Added the ability to place the repeat counter into a variable so that the counter value can be used and manipulated during the repeat process.
52. Added a new Repeat Until macro command. You can now repeat a portion of a macro over and over until a condition is met. The condition is the comparison of either a text, integer or decimal variable to a fixed value. Comparisons can be equal, not equal, less than, greater than, less than or equal to or greater than or equal to. An example: Prompt a user for an integer value less than 10--you could put a Repeat Until around the integer prompt command until the correct type of input was entered.
53. Added a new Repeat With Folder command. This command will repeated scan through a folder and find each file in the folder. During the repeat process, the each successive file name will be placed in a text variable which can then be processed by other macro commands. Optionally choose just the file name or full path of the file name to be placed in the variable.
54. Added a new If Variable macro command where a condition can be made. The condition is the comparison of either a text, integer or decimal variable to a fixed value. Comparisons can be equal, not equal, less than, greater than, less than or equal to or greater than or equal to. For text variables, a "contains" condition is also available for testing if certain characters are in the string variable.
55. Added an If File Exists command to test if a file exists.
56. Added an If Folder Exists command to test if a folder exists.
57. Added an If Window command to test if a given window is on top (has focus) or to test if it is running. Specify an Exact Window Title match or a partial one.
58. Added an If Program command to test if a given program is on top (has focus) or to test if it is running.
59. Added an If Clipboard command to compare the text contents of the clipboard.
60. Added an EndIf command to mark the place where macro control should stop after a conditional statement is encountered.
61. Added an ELSE statement which can be used inconjunction with a conditional statement. Everything after an ELSE command until an ENDIF command is reached will be executed if the conditional is FALSE.
62. Added a new If Question command where the macro can prompt with a question. Two buttons below the question appear and can be set to Yes/No, Ok/Cancel, True/False or User defined. This statement requires and ENDIF statement and can optionally use the ELSE statement.
63. Add a Macro Stop command.
64. Enhanced the scripting editor with the following: Changed the "copy" command to "Duplicate" (which is what it did all along). Added cut, copy, paste commands to allow a line or multiple lines of the script to be cut, copied and pasted to and from the clipboard. Allow multiple lines to be selected for use with moving lines around, duplicating lines, deleting lines or cutting or copying to the clipboard.
65. Added a "Test Run Macro" command to the Scripting Editor window where you can test out your macro.
66. Added an If Not File Exists command to test if a file doesn't exist.
67. Added an If Not Folder Exists command to test if a folder doesn't exists
68. Added an If Not Window command to test if a given window is not on top (has focus) or to test if it is not running. Specify an Exact Window Title match or a partial one.
69. Added an If Not Program command to test if a given program is not on top (has focus) or to test if it is not running.
70. Added ) ] ' " and ` to the list of additional punctuation characters to trigger a ShortKey macro when using the suffix key option.
71. Added a new option for entering a value into a text variable. You can now prompt for a file name by having a standard Windows File Entry selection window pop up. The selected entry will be placed into the variable.
72. Added a new option for entering a value into a text variable. You can now prompt for a folder name by having a standard Windows Folder selection window pop up. The selected entry will be placed into the variable.
73. Enhanced the "If Variable" command to allow a comparison of one variable against another variable.
74. Added the ability to "disable" a command in a macro and then re-enable it at a later time.
75. Added the option of placing "Encrypted Text" into a text variable.
76. Added the option of placing the date into a text variable.
77. Added the option of placing the time into a text variable.
78. Added the option of placing the contents of the clipboard into an integer variable. The contents of the clipboard will have any beginning and trailing spaces stripped off as well as any CR/LF characters before it is converted to an integer.
79. Added the option of placing the contents of the clipboard into a decimal variable. The contents of the clipboard will have any beginning and trailing spaces stripped off as well as any CR/LF characters before it is converted to a decimal.
80. Added a pad left and a pad right command for text varialble manipulation. This will allow spaces to be added to the left or right of a current text variable so as to give uniform length among text variables. Useful if you are lining up values in a column.
81. Added the ability to shut down the Macro Express Player (and editor) from within the Macro Express Editor.
82. Added a "Terminate Macro Express" command to shut down the Macro Express Player (which will also shut down the editor if it is running) from within a macro. Obviously only to be used as the last command in a macro (no more commands will execute after this one anyway!)
83. Allow Popup Menus to have an activation of "None" in the event that the menu is to be used only from the system tray or from another menu.
84. Added new macro commands for specifically setting the CapsLock key off or on
85. Added new macro commands for specifically setting the NumLock key off or on
86. Added new macro commands for specifically setting the ScrollLock key off or on