Extending a macro with Record and insert in Macro by Zaweba

A macro that works is worth keeping. When it needs one more thing, such as a final save or an extra field on a form, starting the recording from scratch risks breaking the parts that were fine. Macro by Zaweba avoids that with Macro > Record and insert into this macro. It adds a new recording after the step you have selected, leaving the rest exactly as it was.

The new steps arrive in the same plain-English form as the rest, so you can see at once what was added and where.

Where it helps

The commonest use is adding the ending you forgot. Plenty of first recordings stop just before the Key Ctrl+S that saves the work, or before closing a dialog. Select the last step and record the missing bit.

Forms change too. If a web form gains a new field, select the step just before that field in the macro, record clicking into the new field and typing, and the macro is up to date.

It also helps when a job has grown. A macro that renamed one file can be extended to also move it, or a macro that filled one screen can carry on to the next, all without retracing what already works.

Recording the new part

Open the macro in the step editor and select the step after which the new steps should go. Choose Macro > Record and insert into this macro. Get the target program into the state it would be in at that point in the macro, then record as usual.

The same recording controls apply. The record hotkey (Ctrl+Alt+R by default) starts and stops it from any program. The small bar at the top of the screen shows the count of recorded events, with Pause keystrokes and Stop buttons, and clicks on the bar are never recorded. The keystroke pause hotkey (Ctrl+Alt+P by default) works as well, for typing anything sensitive.

When you stop, the new steps appear after the one you selected.

Setting the scene before you record

The new recording starts from wherever the screen is when you begin. If the macro at that point would have a particular window open or a field selected, set that up first. Otherwise the new steps will be recorded against the wrong screen and replay in the wrong place.

A simple way to do this is to play the macro until just before the insertion point and stop it by holding Esc for one second. The screen is then in the right state for you to record the new part.

Tidying afterwards

Look over the new steps in the editor. Remove any stray clicks with Del, move steps with Alt+Up and Alt+Down, and duplicate one with Ctrl+D if you need it twice. Add a Wait step if the program needs a moment between the old and new parts. Everything saves straight away.

Then play the whole macro from the start to make sure the join is smooth.

Where inserts go wrong

Don't select the wrong step. The recording goes after whatever is selected, so check the highlight before you start.

Don't start recording with the program in a different state from the one the macro expects at that point. It is the most common reason an inserted section misses its targets.

And if the window may move between runs, check whether the macro uses positions relative to the active window. Each step can be switched in the editor, so make sure the new steps match the old ones.