PURPOSE:
Simple export of Macro and Image of Macro for sharing on KM Forum.
I find the "official" instructions for saving Macros and their Images for sharing on the Forum a bit cumbersome (having to upload Macros to new topic, copy the Macros, delete the topic...)
Here is the way I do it.
I think there are similar methods out there but I like my Macro for its simplicity and ease of use so, I thought I'd share it.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Select the Macro you want to share and run this Macro. It will make a copy of the selected Macro and a .png image of it on the Desktop. With the Forum post open for editing, just drag these two generated files from the Desktop to the open Post and they will be uploaded.
NOTES:
Sometimes, with a very long Macro it might take a little time to export so, my Macro has a progress bar to show that it is working.
The default location to save is the Desktop, but this can be changed on the fly in the Save dialog that pops up when the Macro is run.
The default Save location can be changed permanently by editing the location in the Macro's Magenta Action.
This is pretty cool, and I'd use it myself except ... I found the original method cumbersome as well, and in my search for a better way, I found @ccstone's Share to Keyboard Maestro Forum macro.
His macro does the stuff you'd normally do using the Share button, but adds some nice formatting to the post (hidden details for the code and screenshot), and importantly, cuts the text at the end and closes the new forum post that was created by the Share button.
When the macro is done, you wind up with the text on the clipboard, ready to paste into whatever thread you're replying to. Sometimes it seems to get stuck when trying to contact the forum, but it generally works very well for me.
My macro is a lot less featured than @ccstone's - but is for the situation where we say to someone "please upload your macro otherwise we can't help" and they reply "how do I do that?". In other words a quick and simple way to upload a macro/image into the current thread. It is here partially so next time I get asked that I can send a link to here
I understand, and think it's a great idea—I was sharing Chris' for pretty much the same reason, so that people searching will find multiple available options and can pick the one that works best for them.
The most important part is that they do share, as it makes helping them so much simpler. If only there were a Keyboard Maestro button that would also make them describe the task they're trying to accomplish first, instead of asking why their macro doesn't work :).
Yes, it's hard to help much without having the actual macro to test (not just a screenshot).
I have to say (again) that after visiting other Forums, the Keyboard Maestro Forum is the most friendly and helpful. Some other Forums seems to knock people down just for asking a question...
Yes, I think this will be particularly helpful for new forum users. It will also be useful for the cases when one wants to annotate the image file before it is dragged to the forum entry. (Of course, as usual, for long macros that are not collapsed, the image could exceed the maximum permitted size.)
The forum is keen to help new users even when they haven't given much information but at times this can end up like 'Twenty Questions'.
I wondered if maybe Discourse supported form templates so newbies could be guided when posting questions, and it looks as though that might be possible.
