Macro Editor |
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Macro Editor OverviewMacros are the set of Objects, Inline Functions, Inline Methods, and #Define Statements, available to all your programs. The Fractal Science Kit fractal generator Macro Editor is used to view/edit macro code, including the built-in macros, My Macros, and any file containing macro definitions. The built-in macros cannot be changed and are opened in the editor as [read-only]. Of course, you can copy 1 or more macros from the built-in macros to My Macros, rename them, and make any changes you wish. The Macro Editor is also used to view/edit macro files. Macro files are created using the Export command described below. To open a macro file, use the Open File command on the Fractal Window. When you change the code in the Macro Editor, the changes are immediate. That is, changes do not need to be explicitly saved but are automatically saved as you make them. A Save command is not required/supported. This is very convenient but you must be careful to backup your code prior to making changes in case you decide to discard your changes at a later time. Of course, as long as the editor remains open you can undo any changes you have made using the Undo command on the Edit menu but once the editor is closed, the undo buffer is lost and you would need to rely on your backups (or your memory) to put things right. To backup some or all of your code, you can use the Export command on the File menu to export the selected text (or the entire file if no text is selected) to a file. To backup all the XML files in your My Programs folder, execute the Backup My Programs command on the Tools menu of the Fractal Window. The built-in macros and My Macros are compiled when you start the application. When you make changes to the macros in My Macros, you must recompile them before you can execute any of your programs. The title of the Macro Editor changes to My Macros [not compiled] when you edit the file to remind you that changes have been made but the macros have not yet been successfully recompiled. My Macros must compile free of errors before you can execute any of your programs. If you try to display a fractal before compiling My Macros, the application will compile My Macros for you. Of course, if any errors are encountered, you will need to fix them before you can proceed.
The editor pane at the bottom of the window is a simple text editor to view/edit the macro source code. See Editing Text for details. The menu items provide complete access to all of the commands. Most of the commands have a toolbar button as well. The following description is aimed at the menu items but applies equally well to the toolbar buttons which are not described separately. Hold the mouse over the toolbar button to see the associated menu item text. File Menu
The File menu has the following commands:
Edit Menu
The Edit menu has the following commands:
Help Menu
The Help menu has the following commands:
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Copyright © 2004-2019 Ross Hilbert |