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Macros, tips, and templates for Corel® WordPerfect® for Windows®
© Copyright 1996-2021 by Barry MacDonnell. All Rights Reserved.

Automate your current session tasks with a QuickMacro

See also:

• QuickWords
• ...and other methods of inserting Boilerplate

WordPerfect has a feature called a QuickMacro that lets you record a series of keystrokes and/or mouse clicks that you can play back as many times as needed with a single click of your mouse.

You can play the same QuickMacro in any open document during the current session. When you close WordPerfect, the QuickMacro is deleted. (It is a temporary macro, so it is not saved to disk. If you want a permanent solution, record a regular macro with Tools, Macro, Record. Use this same command to stop the recording, or use the black-square stop button (■) on the left side of the Macro Toolbar. Note that not all things can be recorded, so some saved macros will need to be edited to add commands to them.)

Instructions

• To make using a QuickMacro easier, you should add a "Record QuickMacro" and a "Play QuickMacro" button to your toolbar. This is generally easier for most users than following the instructions in the program's Help file. Here's how:
  
  
  • Right-click in the toolbar and choose Edit to bring up the Toolbar Editor.
  • Under the Features tab, in the "Features categories" drop list, choose Tools.
  • Scroll down in the list to "QuickMacro Record," then click Add Button, then click OK.
  • Repeat to add a "QuickMacro Play" button.
  • The buttons look like this: (Their quick tips will show their names as "Record QuickMacro" and "Play QuickMacro" -- the opposite of the names in the Features category drop list.)
    
    
• To use QuickMacros: 
  
  
• Click the Record QuickMacro button on your toolbar, then press various keys or click the mouse as needed while you record your task. 
• Click the same Record QuickMacro to stop the recording -- it acts as an On/Off button -- or use the black-square stop button (■) on the left side of the Macro Toolbar.
• Then click Play QuickMacro when you need to perform the same task. (Remember that the macro will exist only for the current WordPerfect session.)

• To repeat playing the macro: If you have a repetitive task that needs to be processed "n" times, you can make the QuickMacro (or any macro) repeat "n" times:
  
  
  • You can, of course, simply click the Play QuickMacro button "n" times in sequence. For some tasks might be easier and quicker.
    
      -or-
    
    
  • Click Edit, Repeat Next Action to bring up the Repeat dialog (image), specify the number of repeats, (click the Use as Default button, if desired), then click OK. 
  • Then click the Play QuickMacro button (if available) -or- click on Tools, Macro, Play and select the macro.
    
    Tip: For quicker access you could assign the "Repeat Next Action" function to a toolbar (or keyboard, such as the <Alt+R> shortcut already included with the DOS keyboard) using the same procedure in the Instructions section above (but look under the Edit feature category, not the Tools feature category). Click it before clicking the Play QuickMacro button to tell the QuickMacro how many times to repeat itself. The Repeat Next Action toolbar button looks like this: 
    
    Tip: The similarly named Repeat Next button "feeds" the default value (you previously set in the Repeat dialog) to the Play QuickMacro function. Hence, if you have several repeat sets of the same default value (e.g., 10 for each set), you can just use Repeat Next followed by Play QuickMacro.
    

Notes 

• If you record a QuickMacro in an empty document, it will add a line numbering code [Ln Num] at the top. This code (and thus the line numbering) can be deleted in Reveal Codes after the QuickMacro has been recorded.
  • Explanation: In a blank document, recording a QuickMacro from a QuickMacro button or from an added menu item turns on the Macro Toolbar and line numbering. This occurs as though the purpose was to create a named macro, but it does record your keystrokes and mouse clicks. The Save&Compile button on the Macro Toolbar will be grayed out and inaccessible during recording.
• You will be left in Draft view (View, Draft) if you started your recording in an empty document. Just click View, Page after making the recording.
• If you record in a document that has at least one character in it, no line numbering will be inserted and the current View setting will not change.
• You can also assign these features to shortcut keys (a/k/a "hot keys") or a menu. See here.