Ham Radio Deluxe Customer Support

The DM-780 Macro Manager is much like a library that can contain 10 different sets of macros. The purpose of this document is to explain, in detail, what the Macro Manager does and how it works.

A Macro Set is basically a file that contains text, special tags, radio commands and other frequently used information that can be transmitted by clicking on a single button.

These macros eliminate having to type the information for repetitive responses, calls and information. Macros can be created in such a way that you can carry on a complete QSO, from beginning to end, using only your mouse to point and click and without ever touching your keyboard.

Macro Sets can also be created for specific purposes. You might have a set of macros configured for specific modes, e.g. you might want a set of macros for rag chewing in the PSK mode. You might want another set that contains text, prosigns, and abbreviations used for CW communications.

Note:

The Macro Manager can contain and access 10 different custom sets of macros at any one time. You can create and save more than 10 sets of macros that c can be loaded into the Macro Manager when needed.

The Macro Manager can be accessed two different ways. On your DM-780 display there are two toolbars located between the Receive Pane and the Transmit Pane. The top toolbar contains buttons for specific functions performed when text is entered in the Transmit Pane. The toolbar immediately under the transmit functions toolbar is your Macro toolbar. The macro toolbar can be displayed in two different ways. We'll explain that later in this document. For now, we're interested in the Macro Manager.

The last button on the macro toolbar contains a drop-down list of macro sets currently loaded into the Macro Manager. From this dropdown, you can select the macro set you wish to use during this particular operating session. There are also two options in this dropdown that allows you to display the macros on your toolbar in specific ways. You can display the macros on the toolbar as "popups" where the "group" name is on the button and when you click it, a drop-down menu appears with the individual macros assigned to that group. You can also select "buttons" and your "individual" macro buttons will be displayed on the Macro toolbar.

The last item in this menu, marked "Manager" allows you to directly access the Macro Manager from the Macro toolbar.

Now, lets open the Macro Manager from the Macro toolbar as shown below.

You can also open the Macro Manager by clicking the "Program Options" icon on the DM-780 main toolbar and select "Macros" from the menu on the left.

Within the Macro Manager you can create and maintain up to 10 different custom macro sets. By default, as mentioned earlier, Digital Master 780 comes with two pre- configured macro sets.

Macro Manager Tour

There are 5 areas of interest in the Macro Manager.

1. Macro Manager Toolbars

The main Macro Manager toolbar contains icons for functions available in the Macro Manager.

• 1.    New: Selecting this option opens the Macro Editor to allow you to add a new macro definition record to the macro set open in the Macro Manager.
• 2.    Copy: Click on a macro definition record in the main window to highlight, then click the "Copy" icon on the toolbar copies the highlighted macro record to the Macro Editor utility for editing.
• 3.    Edit: (Same as "Copy")
• Delete: Click on a macro definition record to highlight and click the "Delete" icon to remove the record from the macro definitions.
• UP: Click on a macro definition record to highlight and click the "Up" icon to move that record's position upward toward the top of the list.
• Down: (Same functionality as "Up" except it moves the record's position downward in the list.
• Import: Clicking on the "Import" icon presents a dropdown menu of the macro sets currently loaded in the Macro Manager and allows you to select one to be imported into a new, empty macro set.
• Defaults: Clicking this icon loads the "Default" macro set into a new, empty set to allow it to be edited for what ever purpose you like.
• Load: Loads saved macro sets into the Macro Manager.

Macro Toolbar

The toolbar immediately below the Macro Manager tools displays the actual macro buttons as they would be displayed in the DM-780 main screen macro toolbar. You have the choice of displaying the Macro buttons as individual buttons or as "Group" popup buttons. Although displaying the macro buttons as "Groups" can conserve space on the Macro toolbar it can slow down the selection of individual macros during a QSO because you would have to memorize which macros are included in which group.

Macro Definitions Window

The largest pane in the Macro Manager is the Macro Definitions window. Shown in this window are the actual definitions for each macro contained in a selected macro set.

The Macro Definitions Window is divided into columns. Along the top edge of the definitions window is a header bar which contains the names of the macro elements contained in the definition records.

• Enable: This column contains check boxes which allow you to enable or disable specific macros within the set.
• Group: Each macro is assigned to a "Group". This column indicates the Group that each macro in the set has been assigned to.
• Title: This column contains the "Title" you have given to a macro.
• Toolbar: The data in this column should be kept as short as possible since this is the name that's placed on the macro button displayed in the Macro toolbar in DM- 780
• Mode: Assigning a "Mode" to a particular macro gives you the ability to have one large macro set, (e.g. "Digital Macros") which contain specific macros for particular modes. You can define macros for PSK, RTTY, CW, etc., all in the same macro set and have only those macros shown on the Macro toolbar when that particular mode is sleeted.
• Definition: This column actually shows the text, tags and control characters contained in the actual macro's body.

Macro Pane

Macro Display Options

At the bottom of the Macro Manager, below the definitions window are some radio buttons and check boxes that can be selected that affect the display of the Macro Pane, Toolbar Buttons and an option for how a macro containing the contact's name is displayed.

The Macro Display options are shown in 3 groups. They are Appearance, Macro Pane, and First Name.

Under the Appearance group, you see two radio buttons after the "Toolbar" option. Selecting either "Button" or "Popups" here tells DM-780 how you want the macro buttons to display on the Macro Toolbar.

There are also 3 check boxes for the "Icon" option. On the left of every macro button and to the left of the macro name in the Macro Pane, there is a small icon that indicates how the macro is going to respond when you click the button or select the macro name in the Macro Pane. These are global settings for every macro set displayed in the Macro Manager.

A check mark in the box for "Send Immediately" will create a small icon on the Macro Button indicating the macro was designed to send immediately when the button is clicked.

If there is a check in the "Erase TX Window" an icon will be created on the Macro Button that indicates the macro is designed in a way so that it erases everything in the TX pane after the macro is sent.

A check in the "Radio Control" check box indicates the macro contains radio control tags that are to be sent to the radio's CAT system.