The use of the Macro Wait command when recording Macros for Communication documents can in some cases be unreliable. If you are having problems using this command it may be due to one of the following:
- The Macro Wait command may only be issued once per Macro. Using the command two or more times in a single macro may cause it to not work at all.
- Its operation is not consistent among the various versions of ClarisWorks
- The command must be issued and the Macro must be in the wait state BEFORE the host sends the string that the Macro Wait command is waiting for.
- The command "sees" invisible characters and may appear not to recognize the desired text, when in fact, the text contains characters that are not visible.
- The wait string is not editable. If the string is not correct, the entire Macro must be rerecorded.
Due to these limitations, it is recommended that the use Macro Wait command NOT be generally attempted. Its use should be reserved for those who have an in-depth understanding of communications, understand its limitations, and who are willing to experiment.
An alternative is to check the "Play Pauses" box when recording Macros for communications. While slower, this is a significantly more reliable and productive way to record Macros for communications. The following steps are recommended as a consistently productive method of recording Macros for communications.
- Run through the procedure you wish to record manually, without recording, preferably several times, so that you see and understand all the messages, paths and options that may occur during the sequence.
- Take out a sheet of paper and divide it into two halves with a line down the middle. Use the left side to write down what you enter when you are responding to the host. Use the right side to list the messages sent by the host. In doing this you are creating a script.
- When you are sure the script is correct, Start recording the Macro with "Play Pauses" checked and follow the script exactly as quickly as you can. Then stop recording.
You now have a Macro that should work efficiently, correctly and reliably.