Macro Manager

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The Macro Manager allows you to browse the supplied macros by manufacturer and your own macros by category. You can create the system for the catalog of user macros according to your requirements and change the names and classification of your macros at any time.

Standard macros and user macros

Macros are organized in "Front Panel Designer" through entries in a two-part catalog:

Standard Catalog: Here you will find a large number of macros (partly sorted by manufacturer) which make the adaptation of various electro-mechanical components from leading manufacturers possible – from flanged bushings to fan openings to D-sub connectors. This part of the catalog is maintained by Front Panel Express LLC .
User Catalog: When delivered, the user catalog consists of the empty "User" folder on the same hierarchical level as the standard catalog. In this folder, you can create your own structure of subfolders and place and of course select for use the macro objects you have created.

The catalogs are generated from the databases in which the macros are saved. You can also integrate other databases and thereby manage several user catalogs in parallel (see next section).

Integrating other catalogs

Macros are organized in databases that "Front Panel Designer" does not import, but loads as required. The macros from an integrated database are displayed in the Macro Manager as a catalog with a folder hierarchy.

With the button "Macro files ...", which you can find at Edit > Settings… Tab Interface , you can call up a list of all of the databases that are currently integrated. With the appropriate button, additional database files can be added to the list or selected entries can be removed from it by the user.

Catalog with categories

The structure of a user catalog is based on a system of folders that you can extend and adapt to your own needs. Every folder – including the topmost, which has the (editable) Catalog name – defines a category.

The structure of the standard catalog and the names given to the categories, as well as to the cataloged macros may not be changed.

Adding a category

Clicking the Plus icon (at the top of the catalog) or right-clicking Add category… from the context menu of an existing folder opens the "Edit category" dialog box, where the the following actions can be carried out:

Selection of the category, within which the new sub-category is to be placed
Allocation of the name in the current Language
The "Translation>>" button opens a table where the name can also be entered in several languages. This is useful if the database with the user macros is used on multiple workplaces in different languages
Moving a category

Clicking the pencil icon (at the top of the catalog) or right-clicking Edit category… from the context menu for the folder you want to work on opens the "Edit category" dialog box, where the the following actions can be carried out:

Choose the category or sub-category into which the selected category will be moved
Editing name(s)
Renaming a category

The name of the selected category can be edited in the current language by pressing F2 .

To edit the name in all languages, click the pencil icon (at the top of the catalog) or right-click Edit category… from the context menu.

Deleting a category/categories

The selected entry can be deleted by pressing Del, the cross icon (at the top of the catalog), or with the appropriate option from the context menu.

Please note that you this will also delete all of the sub-categories in this category including their macros.