How do I 'Execute a Macro' that lives in the Macro Library

Questions & Suggestions
1

Hi All -- Am trying to clean up my Groups and Macros by shuffling some things into the Macro Library, a'la this post in an earlier thread:

I think the secret here is to create your own libraries and then call them from your macros. I have libraries for each of my applications (Finder, Omnifocus, Mail etc) and even some for certain websites. If I use something more than once then I try to break it out into what I call an 'Ingredient' and put it in these libraries.

... and something Peter said to in a different thread:

You can create a macro and then save it to your Macro Library. You can then add it each time and then adjust the parameters as necessary.

The explanation I've seen for incorporating these library macros as ingredients in new macros you're creating is to use the 'Execute a Macro' action. The problem I'm having is that when I click the drop-down in that action, I can't see where I have access to any of the macros in my Macro Library.

Like my previous question, I feel like I'm missing something basic, so I look forward to giving myself a head-slap when someone hips me to the answer. Thanks.

2

This wont work.

Macros in the Macro Library are like actions in the action selector - they are waiting to be added, but not active as they are.

To execute a macro, it must be in a currently enabled and active Macro Group, and itself must be enabled - it need not have any trigger itself though.

3

Okay – thanks, Peter. That certainly explains it.

4

Allow me to add a slight clarification: disabled macros or macros in disabled group can be called from Execute a Macro action in an active macro. I’m saying this because I didn’t know whether that would be the case until I started experimenting with it.

5

Generally I would not recommend relying on this - the behaviour of executing a disabled macro is not something I would want to define. It’s quite possible trying to execute a disabled macro, or even inactive macro (ie disabled macro, or in a disabled macro group, or in an inactive macro group) would fail in the future.

Instead it is better to have an enabled macro group that contains enabled macros that have no trigger.

6

Good to know. Wouldn’t have thought to ask because I’ve been doing this a lot all along with lots of submacros in disabled groups. It seemed the cleanest way to do this, but I’ll change them all. (Some of the macros will need changing to because some of them got disabled along the way, during testing say when I had a keystroke bound to them.)