Pause

Macro Express allows for pauses to be placed in macros. When a macro is invoked, it plays back until the script reaches the pause command. When the pause is reached, playback stops and a small Pause window opens indicating that the macro has been paused. While the macro is paused, the mouse or keyboard may be used without adversely affecting the macro.

Resume the macro playback or cancel the macro at any time by clicking the appropriate button on the pause window. Or use the System Macro to resume macro playback. The default hot key setting is Ctrl + Alt + Shift + Y.

The Basic Pause stops the macro and displays a window in the center of the screen stating that the macro pause is in effect. Click on the Resume button, press the hot key assigned to the macro or press the system hot key to continue the macro playback. Click on the Abort button to cancel the remainder of the playback.

The complex pause displays a message during the pause and allows for positioning the pause window so that it does not interfere with the application window in use.

Include an optional message to display in the pause window giving additional instructions to the user. Just type a message of up to 180 characters in the edit box.

When the pause message appears during macro playback, click on the Resume button to continue the macro playback or the Abort button to cancel the remainder of the macro. Also resume the playback of the paused macro by pressing the hot key assigned to the macro or by pressing the system hot key.

Use this option to position where the Pause window is to be displayed on the screen during macro playback. See the Size and Position topic for more details about positioning a window.

Select this option to force the Pause window to retain window focus. If this option is left unchecked, the window open before the Pause window was activated keeps the focus. This option is available for either the basic or complex pause.

Other Ways to Pause a Macro

1. The Wait for Key Press command causes the macro to pause. It instructs the macro to wait until a specific key is pressed. The macro resumes once the key is pressed. This command does not allow for a message to display while the macro is paused.

2. If the macro is paused so that the user can insert text, another option is the Variable Set String command - Prompt for Value option. This command prompts the user to type text into the prompt. The text is saved to a variable which can then be inserted into another application using the Text Type command. This also applies to the Variable Set Integer and Variable Set Decimal commands.