Dialog call:You have inserted a macro box in a macro project (Tab Master data > Command group Macros > Drop-down button Navigator > Insert macro box), or you have double-clicked an existing macro box.
In this tab you define the macro box properties. In a macro project you use the macro boxes to specify the outline and data of the window and / or symbol macros to be generated.
Note:
Most of the properties of a macro box can only be edited in a macro project. For this to be possible the "Defining" or "Not specified" entry must be set for the Type of usage field.
In a schematic project or if the entry "Referencing" or "Subordinate" is set for the type of usage in a macro project, most of the fields only serve to display the data and cannot be edited by you.
Tip:
If you want to assign a prepared macro box to several macros, use the Macro definition tab. Enter the respective name and the description of the macros to be generated in the lines of this tab. During automatic generation the same content (same macro box) is then stored in several macros.
Overview of the main dialog elements:
The type of usage serves to differentiate macros and specifies which of the functionalities Generate macros automatically and Update macros can be executed and which not. Select the desired entry from the drop-down list:
- Not specified: Generation and updating are possible. This corresponds to the behavior in previous EPLAN versions (before Version 2.8). This entry only exists for reasons of compatibility.
- Defining: Is only taken into consideration for generating (for example for prepared macros in the macro project from which macros are to be generated).
- Referencing: Is only taken into consideration for updating (for example for macros in the schematic project that are possibly to be updated with more recent data).
- Subordinate: Neither generating nor updating are possible (for example for macros whose macro box is used as an "inner" macro box in nested macro boxes).
In the tree of the macro navigator the prepared macros are grouped into different hierarchy levels depending on the type of usage.
Enter the name and, if necessary, the path of the macro box here. This name is then used for the file name of the macro to be generated. Without specifying a name you cannot create a macro.
You can use the Insert path variable popup menu item to branch to the dialog Select path variable where you can select one of the available path variables.
The representation type of the macro is used for sorting, i.e., it helps you manage your macros. It has no effect on the functions within the macro, these retain their own respective representation types. This allows all macros belonging to a part to be stored in a single file. Up to 26 representation type variants are possible for a single macro. The representation type is set to default values according to the selected functions or the page type. Select the desired entry from the drop-down list:
- Multi-line: For macros placed on multi-line schematic pages.
- Multi-line Fluid: For macros placed on multi-line Fluid power schematic pages.
- Overview: For macros placed on overview pages.
- Pair cross-reference: For macros used to implement a pair cross-reference.
- Single-line: For macros placed on single-line schematic pages.
- Topology: For macros placed on topology pages.
- P&I diagram: For macros placed on P&I diagram pages.
- Functional: For macros placed in operational sequence sheets.
- Panel layout: For part placements of the "Panel layout" or "Detailed panel layout" representation types.
- 3D mounting layout: For macros placed in layout spaces.
- Pre-planning: For macros placed on pre-planning pages.
- Function overview (fluid power): For macros placed in the function overviews for fluid power.
- Graphic: For macros containing only graphical components. Graphical components are not included in reports, check runs, or the creation of cross-references and are also not acquired as targets.
Note:
If a function has several representation types, whose common properties contain varying data, the representation type will determine which properties will be considered during reporting. EPLAN uses the specified sequence of the representation types for its global editing and reporting.
Use the drop-down list to specify the variant designation for the respective macro to be created. "Variant A" is the default.
Note:
In order to automatically create macro variants from a macro project, you have to first manually create the variants in the project pages. Then give every variant a macro box and assign the same name to all of the macro boxes, each with a different variant designation. After automatically creating the macros you can select from among the different variants when inserting the macros.
By means of this field you can thus customize your macro versions, but the entry has nothing to do with EPLAN-specific versions.
This field is prepopulated with the name of the source project when automatically creating macros from a macro project.
Here you can specify where the schematic originates (e.g., Siemens catalog).
The text entered here becomes the description text of the macro automatically generated from the macro project and is displayed in a comments field when the macro is inserted.
Popup menu:
The popup menu provides - depending on the field type (e.g. date, integer, multilingual) - the following menu items that are, depending on the situation, available for influencing the table or editing the values in the fields. You can find an overview of these popup menu items in the section Popup menu items.
Normally, all objects located in a macro box belong to one macro.
Select this check box if you would like to add an object outside of the box as well, for example. You then have to select all objects associated with the macro and select the Assign objects to macro box function in the popup menu for that macro box. If the check box is again deselected, the original object assignment in the macro is restored.
See also