OUTDATED: Macro Import Manager (MIM) BETA v0.9.0

NOTE:

This is outdated and will be replaced with a newer version, hopefully soon.

Macro Import Manager (MIM) BETA v0.9.0

This is the initial beta release of the brand-new, sparkling and shiny "Macro Import Manager".

  • Requires OS/X Yosemite or later.

NOTE: Please see the Installation Instructions (below) before installation.

Macro Import Manager BETA.v0.9.0.zip (512.5 KB)


PURPOSE:

Short Version: With the Macro Import Manager (MIM), you can:

  • See an overview of the Macro(s) to be imported.
  • See which Macro(s) have already been imported.
  • Choose which Macro(s) you don't want to import.
  • View and fix possible name conflicts.
  • Rename Macro(s) and Group(s) to be imported.
  • Inspect Triggers (if any), and optionally choose not to import a Trigger.
  • And much more.

How the Macro Import Manager works:

MIM reads the Macro import file (.kmmacros file), and summarizes the data for you.

When you're ready to import, MIM builds a new import file, and tells Keyboard Maestro to import that file. The original import file is unchanged.

Data from the original import file is copied to the new import file, with the following possible changes, which are all based on choices you made in MIM:

  • Some Macros may not be included.
  • Some Macro Names/IDs and/or Group Names/IDs may have been changed.
  • Some Triggers may not be included.

Other than that, everything is unchanged. If you make no changes in MIM, the original import file is used.

NOTE: MIM does NOT change anything with your existing Macros and Groups.


Screenshots and Features:

Basic Appearance:

Features:

  1. Macro Name.
  2. Group Name.
  3. Options that allow you to edit the Macro and/or Group Names, among other things.
  4. Checkbox to enable or disable the Macro from being imported.
  5. Information Panel(s) telling about potential issues, and some of the things you could do to resolve them.
  6. Hyperlink to an existing Macro, so you can view it in Keyboard Maestro.
  7. One of the actions you could take to resolve this potential issue.
  8. Initial "Comment" actions in the Macro are shown here.
  9. This macro has a trigger, and it's shown here.
  10. Checkbox allowing you to choose not to have the trigger imported.
  11. You can always cancel, and no actions will be taken. This means you can use MIM anytime to see an overview of any .kmmacros file, without making any changes to anything.

Features (2):

  1. Supports multiple Macros in an import file.
  2. Context-specific hyperlinks for things like existing Macros, duplicate names, etc. that allow you to view your existing Macros and/or Groups, etc.
  3. More examples of actions you can take to resolve potential conflicts. There are many more possible, and I'm sure I'll add even more as the Beta cycle progresses.

Features (3):

  1. An example of one Macro that won't be imported, while the one after it will be imported.

What's Included:

Macro Import Manager includes the following Macros/files:

  • 3 Macros. One main Macro, and the others are Sub-Macros.
  • A "Resources" folder containing scripts, HTML resources, and...
  • One "helper" applet that can allow you to launch the MIM macro directly from Finder. (More on this below.)

Installing the Macro Import Manager:

NOTE: If you are installing over an existing version, please read the notes below.

  1. Unzip the files in the distribution zip file.

  2. Copy or move (see note) the entire folder "Macro Import Manager Resources" to anywhere you want. I would recommend something like "Documents/Keyboard Maestro", so it would be "Documents/Keyboard Maestro /Macro Import Manager Resources".

  • NOTE: On my computer, copying the folder takes a long time - something like a minute. It has to do with the fact that there's an applet in the folder, but I have no idea why. So if you have a choice, MOVE the resource folder instead of copying it.
  1. Import the .kmmacros file into Keyboard Maestro. You can double-click it, or use whatever other method you want.

  2. Launch the Macro Import Manager macro once, to configure it for the first time (see below).

Installation When You Already Have MIM Installed:

  1. Delete the existing Macro Import Manager macros from Keyboard Maestro.

  2. Delete your existing "Macro Import Manager Resources" folder.

  3. Stop the Keyboard Maestro Engine and Restart it. This is because MIM uses a Custom HTML Prompt, and some of its files may be cached in memory. If you don't stop the engine and restart it, the results can be unpredictable.

  4. Continue with the normal installation steps, above.

NOTES:

  • It is important that you do not install a second version of the MIM macros until you remove the ones you already have installed.
  • If you do it anyway, just delete both sets of Macros, and re-import the new version.
  • This is because installing a second copy of the macros will change the macros internal IDs, and that will break the sub-macros and the Macro Import Manager Launcher applet (more on this below).

Running the Macro Import Manager the First Time:

When you run MIM the first time, it will ask you to tell it where you put the Resources folder (from step 2 of "Installing the Macro Import Manager", above).

Once you've configured where the Resources folder is, you can Cancel. Or you can use it - it's up to you.


Launching the Macro Import Manager directly from Finder:

Included in the Resources folder is an applet named "Macro Import Manager Launcher". Its purpose is to allow you to launch the MIM macro from Finder.

The Launcher is an AppleScript Applet. If you feel the need, you are welcome to examine it in in Script Editor, but please don't change anything.

  1. Run the Launcher once by double-clicking it, so the system can "register" it. (Remember, it's in the Macro Import Manager Resources folder. You can cancel the File Selection dialog when it comes up.

  2. After having been run once, you can now right-click on a .kmmacros file and select "Open With Macro Import Manager Launcher".

  1. You can also assign it as the default application for ".kmmacros" files, so all you have to do is double-click a ".kmmacros" file to launch it. Once you are comfortable using MIM, I recommend doing this.

Where To From Here?

As a Beta tester, I thank you for not only reading this far, but for being willing to help work out the kinks.

Please report any issues to this forum. I will address them quickly.

If you have suggestions, please make them here also. No guarantees on what I can or will do, but it never hurts to ask.

11 Likes

Hey Dan,

Wow!  :upside_down:

I’ll test that out when I have a little more time.

-Chris

2 Likes

(Is there discussion of this someplace? I can’t believe you wouldn’t have gotten any comments, questions, feature requests, etc., but I could find any after searching several different ways.)

Here’s a feature I would very much like to see: a check box to import the macros disabled. Basically I don’t ever want to import enabled macros.

There didn't seem to be much interest in this (even though I worked my butt off on it), so I didn't do anything else.

That's a good idea. Perhaps I'll put some more effort into this, we'll see. But don't hold your breath. :slight_smile:

Also, there may already be a way to do this, by holding down certain keys while importing, but I can't seem to find anything on it, even though I thought I saw it once.

Dan, many thanks for your efforts on this macro manager.

I'm interested, but to be honest, it feels too complicated for most of my needs.
I'm so overloaded with learning new stuff right now, that this just has not bubbled up to the top, yet. :smile:

But please don't let the initial reaction deter you. Sometimes it takes people a while to discover and appreciate great things.

Thanks.

Actually, I think one of the issues is that it’s not easy enough for people to see what macros are available, and what they can do. You’ve done an outstanding job with all you’ve done here, Best Macros list, etc. But I feel like there’s got to be a better way to showcase macros.

I’m working on some ideas - I’m redesigning my website, and I’m going to try out a few ideas and see what you, and other people, think. It’ll take awhile to flesh out my ideas, but hopefully I can come up with something good that can (potentially) be implemented on the KM site.

Time will tell.

1 Like

Thanks. The main purpose of the "Best Macros List" is to make it easy for people to find the better macros. If you have any ideas on how to improve the layout of this topic, please let me know.

Within the "Best Macro List" are links to several other great lists:

  • Best Macros by Author
  • Example Macros
  • All Macros by Author

If anyone has any suggestions on improving this topic/list, please post in the Best Macro List

I’m going a completely different direction, trying to think way outside the box.

If I get any success, I’ll post something.

Like Chris said: Wow!

1 Like

@DanThomas Sorry for bumping this old thread .... but I just love this... I wanted to write some thoughts on this Macro for such a long time but I alwas forgot ...

  • Are you still working on this Macro ?
  • do you know about any Issues with this Macro and KM 9 / 10 ?
    • are there Issues using High Sierra ?
    • maybe Catalina ?
  • are there possibilities to combine this with the other MIM Version ?

Hoping that you can give me some answers ...

Greetings from Germany

Tobias

I think it still works, but I don't know if there's any issues with different versions of macOS. The only things I can think of would be permissions-related.

No, I'm not maintaining it, although I still have all the source code. The funny thing about most of my macros, and KM in general, is that they just continue to work when new versions are released. The only issues that have come up recently are related to window positions, and fortunately you can get around those with the new KM 10 Set Next Engine Window Position Action.

But feel free to let me know if something doesn't work. I may not fix it, but I'd like to know about it. :slightly_smiling_face:

Okay I'll try it ...

that's odd ...

I am just asking but ....

  • Is there a chance that I can get it with all the stuff and infos on how I can maybe learn and maintain it by my self ?
  • maybe the sourses of the other Version, too ?

I sure will do that ....

You actually already have the sources. Between the macros themselves, and the package files, everything's there. But they're complicated (to say the least).

If you are pointing to the Files that are downloadable from here. I just downloaded them again because I don't remember where I put them after my last download...

I thought of maybe some project setup stuff - like additional stuff I will need to setup to edit / maintain - maybe Workspace setup snippets for VS Code and or snippets?

It doesn't have to be all - just as much as I need to get started with it.

I like to get my hands dirty - doing just the rest of it !!!

I love doing complicated stuff ... this is the reason why I am asking ... stuff like this triggers something in my brain to get really nerdy and obsessed :rofl: :rofl:

I am a tought Milling Machinist and I come from the world of CNC Milling Machines -
When I was learning all the stuff about those Machines to control them I was fixed by the Idea to learn 5 axis programming by Hand....

Just to give you an Idea of how I am thinking ....

All the project files are in the "Macro Import Manager Resources" folder. The file "MimPrompt.html" is the Custom HTML Prompt file, and the other folders like "js", etc, are used by the prompt. The ".scpt" files are used by the macros.

All the real work, other than the prompt, is done in the macros. Start with the macro "[MIM] Macro Import Manager BETA v0.9.0". If you run it as it is, with no parameters, it will ask you for the name of the .kmmacros file.

The file "Macro Import Manager Launcher" in the resources folder is an applet. Basically all it does is ask you to select a .kmmacros file, and it runs the "[MIM] Macro Import Manager BETA v0.9.0" macro. If memory serves, you can also drop a file on it.

Right-Click on it and select "Show package contents". Inside it, the file Contents/Resources/Scripts/main.scpt is the AppleScript that runs when you launch the applet.

If you manage to get far enough to be able to try and launch the HTML prompt from VSCode, let me know and I'll show you how I get VSCode to run it as a Custom HTML Prompt.

1 Like

Thank you .... I will take a look to get through the Files and the Macros - making use of these useful infos.

Greetings from Germany

Tobias

1 Like

I appoligize I haven't seen this earlier. There are so many things that make life easier and help and here I am years later wondering if this Macro is still a great way to go. It is embarrissing to say but I have imported a macro multiple times now and can't seem to find where it is in Keyboard Maestro 11 even when viewing all macros and sorting by date created, modified etc. Searched by what shows up in the Macro name before importing and was tempted to delete all my macros just to find it.

Is there a better way and perhaps this is the solution.

I very much agree.

I can't believe I don't know what your website is and where to find these things.

The funny amazing thing about them and it really blows my mind how Peter does this.

The timing of you replying to this thread is is amazing. I actually have a new version that works pretty well, and just this morning I was trying to decide if I wanted to publish it now, or wait until I finished some other things I'm working on.

I'll take a look at it and see if it's ready to go. I'll reply later and let you know.

I suspect this may help. But if not, we can work something out.

I never finished that, and even if I did, almost everything in it relates to JXA (JavaScript for Automation, or whatever they call it), so I don't know how much help it would be for you.

I'm a pretty good developer - certainly above average. And I am in awe of the things Peter has accomplished. He's one of the brightest people I've ever encountered.

And not only is he a great developer, but he interacts with people so well also, You don't find that a lot. He's the Shohei Ohtani of developers. @peternlewis #TheShoheiOhtaniOfDevelopers

1 Like

Oh that is exciting, you always have something cooking in the oven, and share so freely, you're pretty amazing that way.

I am excited to see it.

No worries, if you ever do I would love to see what you have and learn.

I would say you are pretty amazing as well but nice to see who the people I look up to look up to. I agree about Peter and being both an amazing programer and communicator. It is so helpful to read so many things he has posted. I have gone back again and again and learned so many things from him.

I did have to look that person up, I thought it was some Japanese word for crème de la crème or the bees knees.

Well, he sort-of is. He a top-level pitcher, as well as a great hitter and base stealer. The fact that he both pitches and hits at an elite level is what I was talking about, when I used him for Peter. You don't often get both at the same time - in Peter's case, an elite programmer and an elite communicator.

1 Like