Macro Boxes: Principle

Through the inserting of macro boxes you specify the contents that are to be stored in the macros (data, outlines of the macros) in a macro project. You can later generate window and / or symbol macros automatically from these prepared macros.

The insertion of macro boxes is not possible in a schematic project. When generating window or symbol macros in such a project , a macro box is nevertheless also saved in the macro for the specified section.

Special popup menu items at the macro box offer you the possibility of updating inserted macros subsequently with newer versions. By means of a manual object assignment you can furthermore assign objects that are located outside a macro box to a macro. This is possible both in a macro project and in a schematic project, if the macro boxes are inserted as well.

Note:

There are no macro boxes in a page macro. The macro data of the name, description, version, etc. are stored in the page properties of the pages contained in the macro in the Page and / or Macro definition tab. The Macro definition tab is not displayed in a schematic project. You can find this data in the page properties under the "Macro" category.

Also insert macro boxes

You have two possibilities for the macro boxes to also be inserted when you insert window and symbol macros on the project pages of a schematic project. When preparing macros in a macro project you can determine for every macro individually whether the generated macro of the macro box is also to be inserted during the insertion. To do this select the desired option in the Settings tab for the drop-down list Also insert macro box at the respective macro box.

If the "From project settings" option was activated in the Also insert macro box setting during the preparation of the macro, you can specify project-wide for a schematic project that macro boxes are also to be inserted. To do this, activate the Also insert macro boxes project setting.

Note:

When compressing projects, there is a setting available for deleting all of the inserted macro boxes in a project. To do this, select the Macro boxes check box (in the Remove placed functions hierarchy level) and execute the subsequent compression (see also Compressing a Project).

Type of usage at macro boxes

The setting Type of usage that you set at macro boxes can be used to specify which of the functionalities typical for macros (Generate macros automatically, Update macros) can be executed and which not.

Differentiation of macro boxes

On the basis of the type of usage you furthermore have the possibility to better differentiate between the prepared macros in the macro navigator.

In the tree of the macro navigator prepared macros whose macro boxes have the same type of usage are combined into one hierarchy level. The types of usage are flagged by different icons here.

The macro boxes are stored on different layers depending on the type of usage so that the inserted macro boxes can be differentiated better visually in the graphical editor:

EPLAN308: For macro boxes with the "Subordinate" or "Not specified" type of usage
EPLAN326: For macro boxes with the type of usage "Defining"
EPLAN327: For macro boxes with the "Referencing" type of usage.

In layer management you can then specify the settings for this layer.

Changing of the type of usage

The type of usage "Defining" is preset when macro boxes are inserted in a macro project. This type of usage is stored automatically during automatic generation of the macros. In the EPLAN platform the type of usage is then automatically changed to "Referencing" during inserting into a schematic project. This means that - if the setting in the macro project is correct - the macros are generated in such a manner that they can be used directly and, if required, can be updated.

A further automatic change in the type of usage does not take place (also not when the project type is changed).

Type of usage in the case of nested macro boxes

If you have activated the setting Insert macros referencing and proceed in the recommended order during the set-up of nested macros (from the inside to the outside), an adjustment of the type of usage is not required for the respective macro boxes.

To prepare nested macros, insert an already finished macro and then draw an outer macro box around it. This way the inner macro box receives the type of usage "Referencing" and the outer macro box the type of usage "Defining".

For macro boxes with an even stronger nesting the type of usage "Subordinate" is provided. Macro boxes with this type of usage are not considered during the automatic generation or update of the outer macro boxes.

Type of usage for page and 3D macros

In the page macros and 3D macros the type of usage is specified automatically depending on the project type (in macro projects "Defining" and in schematic projects "Referencing").

Conversion of projects

Projects from older EPLAN versions (Version 2.7 or previous) are converted automatically when opened into the EPLAN platform. In the process the type of usage is assigned automatically: The type of usage "Defining" is assigned to the prepared macros in macro projects. Already inserted macros in old schematic projects receive the "Referencing" type of usage.

Nested macro boxes are interpreted on the basis of the graphical structure. In schematic projects, the type of usage "Subordinate" is assigned to the "inner" macro boxes. In macro projects, the outer macro boxes receive the type of usage "Defining" and the inner macro boxes the type of usage "Referencing". The macro boxes lying further inside are set to "Subordinate".

In some situations that are not clear (if, for example, the lines of the outer and the inner macro box overlap) problems with the assignment of the type of usage can arise.

Check run message

In order to verify the correct use of the type of usage at macro boxes you can use the check run message 014006 from the message class 014 "Macros".