ScriptLink Macro Programming

Where should I put my customization file for macros that I have written?

In ExpertCAD (or ExpertCAM or ExpertCAD 3D), choose the menu item Options... from the Tools menu. Click on the File Location tab. The directory where you want to put these custom files is the Personal application data directory:

I can't program the F10 short key on Windows. Why not?

Windows does not pass F10 as a keystroke message to the application. It intercepts the F10 and activates the menu bar of the application. All other function keys can be programmed using the ScriptLink 'short' command; e.g. short F11 (echo F11 keystroke)

Are the UNIX scripting commands like 'awk', 'grep', 'sed' available on Windows?

AMT Software does not distribute these programs with AMT Software applications. There are 3rd party providers of these programs such as http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/ These programs may or may not work the same as on UNIX. You will have to experiment with them to see how well they work with your macros.

Is the F1 key for entering long commands from the keyboard broken?

The F1 key is programmed to post the help for the application you are using. This is standard behavior for a Windows application. You can reprogram it if you wish. By default, the colon ':' key is programmed to allow entry of long commands from the keyboard.

Why doesn't Ctrl-C keystroke work? In 7.x versions it sent an interrupt event to the software. Is this broke now?

No. To conform to Windows standards, we had to abandon Ctrl-C as the keystroke to send an interrupt event to the applications. As you would expect in a Windows application, Ctrl-C means copy the current selection to the clipboard. If you want to send an interrupt to the application, press the Esc key.

Is it still possible to program an escape sequence for a short command like the old Esc-E for edit?

Escape sequences for programming key strokes are no longer supported. This is because the Esc key issues an interrupt to the application.

Is a debugger or IDE to help with developing macros?

No unfortunately. However we do recommend the program notepad++ for writing macros. One of the biggest benefits it the parentheses matching feature in this program that we find very helpful. You can get notepad++ for free here.