OMG, OMG, if you think Glenn is smart, try talking to Cliff "Ambrozac" Cain

[ambrozac]

Thanks Jim. I'll see what Scott had rather do. I am hoping to teach him in a short amount of time, so he can do the video on his own. I'm thinking 5 minutes max., to teach him what I know.

Basically all the program does, is gives you the ability to assign 2 character hotkeys and will perform operations automatically, within a dbx, according to the way you have the macro programmed. Same as you would do if you used keystrokes to open the dbx. You can run the Macro via an Icon, hotkey, menu, or window tray. It can be assigned multiple hotkeys. The toolbar can be visible, hidden, floating, or docked.

[Joe Carrick]

I will be looking at what graphics I can automate. I've already done a couple of simple structures by recording the whole process. This is something that Chief can't do at present using a "Block" because it doesn't allow walls, etc to be included in a block.

However, for many things Chief's blocks and symbols are more comprehensive.

I think there's a huge amount of power here but I just need to figure out what the best uses are.

[ambrozac]

Basically all the program does, is ........

Joe, what I meant to say, is I only use the program to automatically perform operations within a dbx and is simple. You'll be able to figure out the harder portions of the program, which 'till now, I've not had any interest in learning. Let us know what you come up with and it may spark an interest.

[Glenn Woodward]

Cliff,

Can you tell me if you need to Enter after a 2 letter command.

And also, do you have to press the 2 keys together, or can you press one key and then the next, and then have the macro execute?

[ambrozac]

Cliff,

Can you tell me if you need to Enter after a 2 letter command.

And also, do you have to press the 2 keys together, or can you press one key and then the next, and then have the macro execute?

Glenn,

Press one key, then the next, to get the macro to execute. After the last key is pressed, the macro will execute without needing to Enter. You can possibly set the program to use the Enter key, but I have no problems the way it is. There is an area for a check box that states: Start Macro after all Hotkeys are released. I have this box checked, but I really don't know what it means. When I uncheck it, it still executes the macro, after the last letter is entered. I'll read the help section and see what it does.

[Glenn Woodward]

Thanks Cliff, that is exactley what I have been advocating for years - no Enter - just the way Generic Cad and Visual Cad used to do - 2 buttons in sucsession and the macro executes.

Until you have used shortcuts like that, it is hard to appreciate how fast and logical it is.

Here are a couple of typical 2 letter shortcuts from Visual Cad.
Notice how logical they are.
You really don't even have to remember them, take a guess and you are probably correct.

I don't want to waylay this thread, but this is something I would really like to see incorporated into Chief.

Ctrl+Shift+G really isn't a shortcut to my way of thinking.

Oh, and then there is the macro language that allows you to string any of the 2 letter shortcuts together to perform complex tasks.

Simple as...


Shortcut
Command Description
Native Command
A2
2-Point Arc
Arc2
A3
3-Point Arc
Arc3
AC
Array Copy
ArrayCopy
AF
AutoFillet*
AutoFillet
AG
Align
Align
AL
All Layers Edit*
AllLayEdit
AP
Aperture ON/OFF*
Aperture
AR
Flip Arrow*
ArrowFlip
AS
Assign Script
ScriptAssign
BA
Backward Redraw*
BackRD
BB
Bearing Labels
BearingLabel
BC
Continuous Bézier Curve
BezierCont

PS. that table didn't import the way I thought, but you can get the idea.

[ambrozac]

.....2 buttons in sucsession and the macro executes.

Until you have used shortcuts like that, it is hard to appreciate how fast and logical it is......

You're welcome Glenn and you're exactly right. With one letter hotkeys, you run out of logic quickly. You can run out with 2 letter also, but at least you have more options.

In the Macro Toolworks program, you can assign the same hotkeys to different macros. When this happens, it will have a pop-up menu of all that have identical hotkeys and allow you to choose which to execute. You can have multiple hotkeys for the same macro.

When I group a set of macros for a particular function, such as turning layers ON/Off, I assign two different hotkeys for each macro. The first one I use is "ON" and it is assigned to all the macros in that group. The second hotkey is assigned according to "my" logic, such as OR (for on/off Roof), OW (for on/off Windows), etc.......When you enter the hotkey "ON", then it will have the pop-up menu to choose which macro to execute. If you enter OR, then it will immediately execute the macro, since there are no other macros with this hotkey assigned.

[ambrozac]

The two jpg's below, show a choice of menu style you can choose between. The first jpg's menu, allows you to execute the macro with a single click, or you can enter the number beside the macro and it will also execute......The second jpg's menu requires you to double click, to execute the macro.

The jpg's are showing the macros I use to assign room names. Highlight the room, enter the hotkey and the program does the rest. You can see the 2 letter hotkeys I've assigned, to the far right beyond the slash mark. All of these are assigned RD (Room Definition), for the first hotkey, so it will have this pop-up menu. The second hotkey follows my logic, while trying not to interfer with hotkeys in a different group.

[ambrozac]

.....Another potential problem could be plan file size and how it will affect the speed and performance of the macros.

I can't emphasize this enough. If the plan file size starts slowing down the time it takes a dbx to open, the macro is still going to execute at the speed you have set it to run....My plans are small, so I don't have any problems, but as I mentioned before, it's not for everyone.

[marty]

This thread takes me back to V4 when I converted from DataCad. I was so used to using macros that I installed a program called Keyboard Express (Later Macro Express) which allowed me to run Chief more like DataCad. The problem back then was Chief was a little unstable and computers a little underpowered so there were frequent crashes.

One issue was that Chief had a lot of commands which had no keyboard equivalent so there was a lot of select tab tab tab tab enter to navigate dbxs. The hot key and toolbar system is way more advanced now and I thought that the need for an add on macro controller had passed but it looks like that is not the case.

[dshall]

Hey hey hey, I am about to do a meeting with Cliff "Ambrozac" Cain. I will let you know how it goes. I am so excited.

[dshall]

Okay guys, a LONG 30 minute video with The Cliffster. He was dictating to me some 2 key stroke steps. The point of this video was to get some exposure to Cliff's 2 keystroke steps. This video does not show how to create the shortcuts, but is intended stimulate our thinking of what might be possible. It could of been a better video, but remember I was communicating with a Texan, and we all know how Texans are............. speaking as a former Texan, I know from where I speaketh of.

Thanks Cliff for your time, I hope to glean more information from you in the future.

http://chieftutor.com/dscotthall/CLI...20PART%201.wmv

[dshall]

Quick comment, I think what Cliff does is really neat. I think he will, and he did, admit that he created some shortcuts that were unnecessary. So the key for me is trying to get a handle on what the most effective shortcuts could be. I believe this is something I will take some time to absorb..... I wish CA already had these two stroke shortcuts built into the program, something Glenn has requested for some time. But until CA carries this out, I believe this is something to look into, and with Cliff's help, I anticipate using this in the very near future.

As expressed in the video, these shortcuts do not save a lot of time, seconds at the most, but using many of these shortcuts over the duration of a project could save an hour or two. I will say that I am no longer looking to save hours on a project, CA has already saved me hours, I am now looking to save seconds and minutes which over the course of a project could turn into more hours saved.

Gosh, am I lucky to have stumbled upon this program, and I know it will only get better.

[perryh]

Thank you guys, this could be very powerful. I think what people might be wondering is ,how to set this thing up. Nice, looks like Cliff sure has it down. I wonder if there is a way to get the reference set to pair to the anno sets and the layout. That would save a lot of time.

[ambrozac]

....Thanks Cliff for your time, I hope to glean more information from you in the future......

You're welcome Scott. Only the surface was scratched in the video. When Joe has time to learn the program, he can provide more depth.......If anyone wants to try, it's best to get the Professional version, rather than the free version. I believe you are offered a trial, with the professional, but the free version is limited in functions.

....I wonder if there is a way to get the reference set to pair to the anno sets and the layout. That would save a lot of time.

Yes. If it can be done manually, via a dbx, then it can be programmed with a macro, to execute automatically.