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[DDouble]

The roguelike game T-O-M-E (t-o-m-e.net) has long had the ability for players to create and edit their own macro sequences of key presses, a huge help for spellcasters who have to search out a spell inside all their books.

DF could desperately use such a thing that would allow a player to create a "bedroom mining designation" macro, a "construct wall" macro for long lines, or even a macro which changed options on the orders menu to make dwarves stay inside in case of a siege or attack.

The bedroom one I know exists as a mod, allowing people to rapidly designate swaths of bedrooms, but it would be nice to have it in-game.

[Toady One]

How would you prefer to trigger a macro?  If it can work on any screen, there'd need to be a key (like ESC for options) reserved for it, or something.  What are people used to?

[GauHelldragon]

control-d!

[SquashMonster]

To me, \ is the macro key.

[GreyMario]

Personally, I'd like to see [M] designated as the Select [M]acro key, then allow up to 50 custom macros to be selected from a list. The selected macro can then be executed by simply pressing [m] without being in any menu.

EDIT: Wait, [m] is [m]ilitary. Nvm.

[e]/[E] isn't occupied at the moment as far as I know... are they used in economy mode?

[ December 12, 2007: Message edited by: GreyMario ]

[Aquillion]

Not everyone will use macros.  I'd rather it didn't take up a 'prime' key like a letter, at least in the default configuration (remember, people can reassign it.)

In fact, that's an idea -- let players assign keys to specific macros, too.  If it's possible, anyway.  I've found it useful using macros in some other programs, anyway...  that way, a player could, say, set up a single key to automatically select a specific trap for building out of the menus, and just tap it very rapidly to place a line of traps.

[Toady One]

I guess one of the hotkey options (the only one now is zoom) could be to execute a macro, and you could access all of your macros and the macro creation menu from another specialized and more out of the way key, whatever form it takes.

[Eagle of Fire]

This idea has so much potential... If Toady could make it so the macroes are exported to a .txt file, someone could create a macro of a kickass building or anything buildable in one screen sitting, take the macro output in the text file and post "templates" around...

Pretty much like blueprints.

[Silveron]

Mmmm blueprint/macro function. That would be lovely!

[DDouble]

Toady, the function keys should be assignable to macros. F1 through F12.

In T-O-M-E, I can assign a certain spell to each F1, F2, F3, etc. I like this because I can group things in fours, like the function keys are arrayed on my keyboard. F1-4 are common spells like magic missile, stink cloud, F5-8 are lesser used spells like elemental or utility spells...

[Toady One]

Yeah, those are kinda the hotkeys I mentioned, though those are now F1-8 and Shift+F1-8.  It should be enough.  Not sure about the future of F9 through F12.  They are used sort of randomly for leaving screens where space wouldn't work and toggling fullscreen (F9 and F11).  There's also Alt+ and Ctrl+ F keys, but I dunno how many macros we really need.  I supposed things lik Alt+Shift+ are also possible, but I'm not sure when you start running into conflicts with things like that, and it's kind of annoying if you mess up pressing one of the keys.

[Draco18s]

quote:Originally posted by Toady One:
<STRONG>I supposed things lik Alt+Shift+ are also possible, but I'm not sure when you start running into conflicts with things like that, and it's kind of annoying if you mess up pressing one of the keys.</STRONG>

Kinda like how Trillian gets first pick over any other program for the hotkeys I give it.  Used to have F2 set me invisible, but now it's F4 as I use F2 and F3 in DF a lot.

[DDouble]

I forgot that DF already uses the function keys for zooming. My fault.

Also, I second the desire to export macros to a txt file. That'd allow us to download really complex macros for designing some of the big fractal bedroom complexes mentioned on the wiki, or other design programs. I imagine a person hitting a single key to load/run a macro file they got off the wiki (next to its corresponding architectural layout), and watching it designate a huge area to be mined in some beautiful shape.

[ December 16, 2007: Message edited by: DDouble ]

[dyze]

Alt,Shift or Ctrl + F Keys would do it for me

[Toady One]

Also, would you want a macro saved as the interface key token or the key code pressed?  There might be situations where you'd want it either way, I think.

[ December 16, 2007: Message edited by: Toady One ]