How to insert more steps into an existing macro

Extending a macro you already trust is what Record and insert into this macro is for. In Macro by Zaweba, select the step after which the new part should go, then choose Macro > Record and insert into this macro. Do the extra work, press Stop, and the new steps sit right after the one you selected.

There is no need to record the whole job again. The steps before and after stay as they were.

When to insert rather than start again

A macro that works is worth keeping. Maybe it fills in a form correctly but you now want it to save at the end. Maybe a new field has appeared in the middle of the form. Recording from scratch means repeating the whole job and checking it all over again, while inserting only adds the part that changed.

Typical jobs are adding a final Save step, filling an extra field, or opening one more menu before the macro carries on.

Recording the extra part

Open the macro and find the step just before the new part. Select it.

Get the screen into the state it would be in at that point. If you're adding a field after the email address, have the form open with the email filled in. The macro will be replayed from that state later, so recording from the right place matters.

Choose Macro > Record and insert into this macro. The same recording controls apply as for a new recording: the record hotkey, the small bar at the top of the screen with its count, Pause keystrokes and Stop, and the keystroke pause hotkey (Ctrl+Alt+P by default) for anything sensitive.

Do the extra work and press Stop. The new steps appear after the selected step.

Play the whole macro once at 1x to check that the join is smooth.

Adding steps by hand

For a small change, adding steps in the editor can be quicker than recording. The step editor offers click, double-click, type text, key combo, wait, type from list, scroll, move, press and release a button, and note.

Select where the step should go and add it. For a click, type the position or point at the spot; the editor reads the cursor after three seconds. Edit with Enter or a double-click, move steps with Alt+Up and Alt+Down, duplicate with Ctrl+D and delete with Del. Everything saves straight away.

A Key step such as Key Ctrl+S is often all a final save needs, and it's tidier to type than to record.

Making the join work

The most common problem is timing. The original recording ended or paused at a point where the screen took a moment to settle, and the new steps arrive too soon. A Wait step between the old part and the new one usually fixes it.

Positions are the other thing to watch. If the original macro used positions relative to the active window, check that the new clicks do too, so the whole macro behaves the same when the window moves. Each step can be switched separately in the editor.

If you paused keystroke recording during the insert, there will be a note where keys were not recorded. That's expected; it marks the place, so you'll remember that part is typed by hand.

Keeping a safe copy

Before a larger change, duplicate the macro in the library. If the edit goes wrong, the original is still there. Once the new version has run cleanly a few times, delete the old one or rename it.

A replay of any version can be stopped at once by holding Esc for one second, which also releases any key or mouse button the macro was holding.