Playback of Variables

Variables can be placed in the input fields of practically all macro commands. There are a couple of methods that may be used for inserting existing variables into command fields.

1. Type the existing variable name directly into the edit field. To do so, place the name of the variable surrounded by percent signs (%). This would look like %T[1]% for the Text variable array T[1] or %results% for a variable previously defined as results.

2. Click on the Variable button to open the Insert Variable window. Expand the variable type needed, select an existing variable and click OK. If using an array variable such as N in the example below, N[ ] will appear in the variable name field. Enter the number of the array to be used such as 2 in this example and save. Array elements start with [1] and not [0].

üNote: In many of the commands, only one variable type may be available for selection in the Insert Variable window. For example, if using the Variable Set String command only Text Variables are available for use.

Before selecting a variable, it must first be defined, as discussed in the Defining Variables topic.

Example 1

To launch a program, enter %T[1]% in the Program/Path Name field of the Program Launch command. When the macro is executed, it attempts to run the program that is defined by T[1]. Assign a value (file name and path) to T[1] previously in the macro.

Example 2

A macro may include several Delay commands each for the same amount of time. Instead of inserting 2 seconds as the delay time, insert %delay%. In this case, the macro delays the amount of time previously defined in the variable named "delay". If a need arises to increase or decrease the delay time, just edit the command that defines the value of %delay% instead of changing each Delay command individually.

There are many ways to use variables. Besides placing variables in commands as described above, there are some functions that accept and use variables directly as part of the command. These include window resizing and repositioning commands, mouse movement commands, repeat commands, processing text or ASCII delimited text files and many others.

Note: See the Using Integer Variables and Using Text String Variables tutorials for actual examples of how to create variables and use them in macros.