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Macros and Templates
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Downloading, Documentation, Modifications,
and Support |
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Downloading
and Installing Macros and Templates
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WordPerfect
11 users - be sure
to read this! |
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The majority
of the files on this site are found inside single, compressed
archive files known as "zip" files.
[More about ZIP files]
- Just download the desired
archive by clicking the "Download" link on the page,
saving it to your Windows desktop or any convenient folder (a/k/a
"directory"). [More
on Windows files and folders]
- Then extract the file
or files inside the zip archive file. This is also known as uncompressing
or unzipping the archive.
- In Windows XP, for example,
just double-clicking the zip file will open an Explorer screen
where you can choose "Extract all files."
- You can also do this (and more)
with a separate program such as WinZip
(now owned by Corel), PKZip,
or the free program FreeZip.
- Once the individual file
or files are extracted from the zip file, the macro(s) then can
be moved to your default or supplemental
macros directory or folder, the template(s) can be moved to your
template folder, etc. [To locate your own default
folders, click Tools,
Settings, Files, Merge/Macro (or Template).]
No special installation
is required beyond placing the macro or template where WordPerfect
can find it. However, you might need to make some small changes
to a macro's configuration:
- See
the next section below
before playing a macro for the first time.
- To play a macro once it is moved
to one of the folders described above, you simply use Tools,
Macro, Play. To make it even easier to play you can assign
it to a menu, toolbar, or keystroke combination. See this
page for how to do this.
- Most macros contain code that
is extensively annotated so you can learn how to create your
own if you are so inclined. (You can also modify
them to "tailor" them.) In fact, that was the original
purpose of this site.
- Newcomers might find this article useful: Macros:
The "Robots" of WordPerfect® - By Gordon McComb.
It explains what they are, when to use them, and how to record
and play them.
- Note that some files provided
here are in Adobe
Acrobat format (.PDF), which
requires the free Adobe Acrobat
Reader, the full retail Adobe program, or a file viewer that
can read Portable Document Format (.PDF) files. You may already
have one of these on your computer, but if not, click here
to download the popular (and free) Acrobat Reader software directly
from Adobe.
- See also this site's Disclaimer,
Distribution of Materials, and Privacy Policy.
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Instructions and Documentation
for Macros |
Most macros come with instructions or other documentation. These are either in the form of a separate
text document accompanying the macro, or in the form of programmer's
remarks (i.e., lines preceded by "//" marks) or inside
text boxes at the top of the macro code itself.
- Macros are just a special
type of WordPerfect document
(a macro's filename ends with .wcm). They contain commands
that WordPerfect should carry out. Just open the document
like any other (with File, Open, or -- once you have
moved the macro into your Macros folder -- you can use Tools,
Macro, Edit) and read the comments and instructions at
the top. When
you are finished, you can close the macro.
- Most of the macros here have
information or instructions at the top of the main macro code.
There may also be a redlined section in the macro's code that users
can modify, something usually called the "User Modification
Area." Follow the instructions there to modify various macro
defaults, such as initial menu choices or initial values for
the macro to use when it processes the document.
- If you have
done nothing to the macro, you can close it without saving it (to insure
against accidental modifications) with File>Close.
- If you have
made modifications to the macro that might have been requested in the instructions,
you should save them with the Save & Compile button
that is on the Macro toolbar, which should be displayed above
the body text area. (If it is not, you can use File>Save.)
- Some instructions
tell you how to create needed files, etc., or explain the conditions
under which the macro will -- or won't -- work. You cannot always
assume that you can play the macro "out of the box"
without reading the instructions first. Sorry . . . but this
is the price you have to pay for free macros. :-)
- Know your
"build" number: Look in WordPerfect's Help menu, and click "About
WordPerfect". You will see a four-digit number like 11.0.0.300.
The first part of the number is the major version number; the
last part is the minor version number, or specific build.
- WordPerfect
11: If
your build is 11.0.0.233, you have the first release of
WP11, and it had a serious bug in it that will affect many of
your macros -- even some of those shipped by Corel and used by
the program, as well as many that are included as part of a WordPerfect
Project. See here for more information
about how to fix this problem.
- WordPerfect
10 and later versions: - Should you
enable the "Use
WordPerfect 9 text selection"
setting in WordPerfect 10+? Here's
a discussion of the issues and potential problems, and some macro
solutions.
- WordPerfect
9 and later versions: Are you getting an error message when you play
an older macro in WordPerfect
9 (i.e., 9.0.0.883, a/k/a Service Pack 4) or a later version
of WordPerfect? If
you play a macro that uses an "obsolete" (but probably
still valid) command, WordPerfect will attempt to recompile the
macro. You may get a PerfectScript Compiler warning at that point,
beginning with the words "A 'Warning' was detected..."
followed by a description and location of the problem. This most
likely is a harmless warning, and was instituted in WP9 service
pack 4. According to J Dan Broadhead, developer of PerfectScript:
"These are warnings only. Many commands in the macro system
have been improved since version 7. The old formats of these
commands are still accepted, but version 9 SP4 will remind you
when using these old features. These are "warnings"
only, and not "errors". You can ignore these by clicking
on "Continue [compilation]", and everything will be
fine. And you won't see these messages ever again unless the
macro gets changed."
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Modifications |
Feel free to
modify my macros to suit your needs, but please don't
distribute my macros in modified form or charge anything for
them, or post them without my explicit permission, since this
violates my copyright and sometimes gives me a big headache.
Just tell your friends about this web site. Thanks.
- If you are NOT
using a U.S. version of WordPerfect, you might need to change
the language code parameter in the first macro code line of some
macros here or elsewhere (i.e., the "Application..."
line) from "US" (used in WP6/7) or "EN" (used
in WP8/9) to your language code, then Save & Compile the
macro. I have re-compiled these macros using a generic Application
command (i.e., one without a language code parameter at the end
of the command line), which works for most users and should solve
the problem of having to modify the macro in this way. However,
if you have more than one language version of WordPerfect on
your computer, you may need to modify the Application command
in my macros according to the instructions in the macro. [NOTE:
As some have found, deleting the Application line entirely from
a macro generally produces no ill effects unless you try to compile
it directly using the PerfectScript utility, or try to access
an older macro that doesn't have this command by double-clicking
its name from Windows. Hence, it probably is best to leave the
Application command in your macros, using the appropriate language
code parameter.]
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Support for you (and me) |
I am always interested in fixing
any of my macros and I will appreciate hearing form you if you
are having a problem or you have a suggestion. Many of my macros
had their genesis in user suggestions. However, I am no
longer able to provide support for any of my WP6, WP7, WP8, or
WP9 macros. (It's time to move on.) To contact me by
e-mail, use my Contact page.
Did you find
something useful here? Did it save you some time? A small donation (anonymous
if you prefer) will be greatly appreciated to help me keep this
site alive. Donations can be made through Amazon.com
or PayPal. Thanks very
much for your support! |
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Barry MacDonnell's