A Macro is a set of Commands for the computer to follow. It is in effect one command that invokes several others. There are some Macros built into CombineZ5, see The Standard Macros, but you can write your own or use others from anywhere else.
There is room on the Macro menu for 10 Macros with 24 lines each. You can Restore the Standard set, save your own Sets, load other Macro Sets, or clear all Macros with items near the bottom of this menu. To start a Macro just click on the appropriate menu item.
Edit Macros is the one stop shop for macro design. On clicking it, a dialog appears from which you must choose the Macro you wish to edit. Clicking on the appropriate button brings up the Macro design dialog proper.
First enter the name of your new macro on the top line, or load a Macro with the Load button, or go ahead and edit the existing macro.
The large pane contains a list of the commands that are assigned to this Macro in the order in which they will be executed. To the right are a number of buttons with fairly obvious functions and below is the main input area. The Dropdown List is used to choose Commands; notice that existing Macros will become commands also. The three edit boxes are used to enter numbers, which will appear inside brackets in the large pane later. There are various tick boxes scattered around in this area also. The one marked Pause stops the running Macro before the Command it is associated with is executed. This gives you the chance to change its parameters, or do various other actions using the buttons on the dialog that pops up. You can disable Pausing on the whole Macro and any nested Macros by unticking the Pause item on the Macro menu. The Tick Box marked Add to Name is used to make meaningful names when you are doing a batch of trial runs so that you can choose the best. It appends an abbreviation for the current command and its parameters to the name of any newly created Frames. Finally it is possible for a Macro to receive a number when it starts. If you wish this number to be substituted for a parameter, just tick the box above the parameter.
To edit an existing Command in a Macro, select the appropriate line on the large pane and click the Edit button. To create a totally new line, select a command from the dropdown list. Now alter any parameters you wish and tick the appropriate Tick Boxes. If you wish to overwrite an existing line, click on Update, or to place this line above an existing one, use Insert Above.
Notice that even Macros have parameters when you use them as commands. The first param is a starting value, the next an amount to add before next executing this same Macro, and finally a Finishing value. If the current value is greater than the Finishing value the Macro is not executed again. The current value is passed to the Macro when it runs and is substituted for the parameters with tick marks above them. A macro started from the menu cannot receive a parameter and uses the default value you provide.
In the large pane the letters NPS are used to indicate which Tick boxes have been ticked for each command, N is Add to Name, P is Pause, and S is Substitute parameter.
If you study the Example Macros you should be able to understand how all of this can be used to create looping nested Macros quite easily.
Most of the Commands are the same as the menu items with similar names, but there are a few exceptions. You can try a menu item, then note the parameter values shown in the Progress box and enter these in the Macro Editor.
Instead of designing a Filter, you must Create it before you can use it. You may only have one Filter active at a time.
There are two commands to Filter the Depthmap. One of them (Filter Depthmap) leaves the output in Out as the other Filter Commands do, and the other (Filter and Replace Depthmap) replaces the old Depthmap with the newly created one.
When a Tool is used such as Contrast or a Filter, it is left active until the next Command is executed. If it is the last Command in a Macro, it is left active so that the user can adjust its parameters. This is how Average and Filter is implemented. If you do not wish to leave such a command open, then finish your Macro with Finish.
Goto Frame changes the Active Frame to a new one. Frame zero is at the bottom of the Stack. If the parameter is too big the Top Frame is made Active. There is a special case: if Goto Frame is the first Command in a Nested Macro, and it has a Substituted Parameter, and the value it receives would take it above the top Frame, or the Frame is Unused, the rest of the Nested Macro is skipped. This enables you to do something to every Used frame, and not repeat the operation several times on the last Frame.