About Mapkeys:
In Pro/ENGINEER, a mapkey is a keyboard macro that maps frequently used
command sequences to certain keyboard keys or sets of keys. The mapkeys are
saved in the configuration file mapkey, with each macro beginning on a new
line. You can define a unique key or combination of keys which, when
pressed, executes the mapkey macro (for example, F8). You can create a
mapkey for virtually any task you perform frequently within Pro/ENGINEER.
By adding custom mapkeys to your toolbar or menu bar, you can use mapkeys
with a single mouse click or menu command and thus automate your workflow.
If you are a newer user, you can borrow mapkeys from coworkers and eliminate
having to remember cryptic abbreviations.
To create a mapkey, you can use the configuration file option mapkey, or, on
the Pro/ENGINEER menu bar, click Tools > Mapkeys, then in the Mapkeys dialog
box, you click New and record your mapkey in the Record Mapkey dialog box.
Use the Mapkeys dialog box to:
-Define new mapkeys
-View, modify, and delete existing mapkeys
-Execute a mapkey chosen from the list
-Save the mapkeys to a configuration file
The system records your mapkey as you step through the sequence of
keystrokes or command executions to define it. After you define the mapkey,
Pro/ENGINEER creates a corresponding icon and places it in the Customize
dialog box under the Mapkeys category. To open the Customize dialog box,
click Tools > Customize Screen. On the Toolbars tabbed page, select the
Mapkeys category. You can then drag the visible mapkey icon onto the
Pro/ENGINEER main toolbar. You can also create a label for the new mapkey.
If you choose to add the newly created mapkey icon to the toolbar, the label
appears on the button added to the toolbar. When you mouse over the button,
the description appears next to the mouse pointer and in the message area.
You can also nest one mapkey within another, so that one mapkey initiates
another. To do so, you include the mapkey name in the sequence of commands
of the mapkey you are defining.
Mapkey operations include the ability to do the following actions:
-Pause for user interaction.
-Handle message window input more flexibly.
-Run operating system scripts and commands. The Record Mapkey dialog box
contains the OS Script tabbed page, whose options allow you to run OS
commands instead of Pro/ENGINEER commands.
When you define a mapkey, the system automatically records a pause when you
make screen selections, so that you can make new selections while the mapkey
is running. Also, you can record a pause at any place in the mapkey along
with a user-specified dialog prompt, which will appear at the corresponding
point while the mapkey is running.
Note: If you create a new mapkey that contains actions that open and make
selections from dialog boxes, then when you run the mapkey, it does not
pause for user input when it opens the dialog box. To set the mapkey to
pause for user input when opening dialog boxes, you must select Pause for
keyboard input on the Pro/E tab in the Record Mapkey dialog box before you
create the new mapkey.
To Define a Mapkey:
1. Click Tools > Mapkeys from the menu bar or click the appropriate icon on
the toolbar (use Customize Screen on the Tools menu to place buttons on the
toolbar). The Mapkeys dialog box opens.
2. Click New. The Record Mapkey dialog box opens.
3. Type the key sequence that is to be used to execute the mapkey in the Key
Sequence text box.
Note: To use a function key, precede its name with a dollar sign ($). For
example, to map to F3, type $F3.
4. Optional: Type the name and description of the mapkey in the appropriate
text boxes.
5. Click the Pro/E tab. Specify how the system must handle the prompts when
running the mapkey by selecting one of the following options:
*Record keyboard input-(default). Record the keyboard input when defining
the mapkey and use it when running the macro.
*Accept system defaults-Accept the system defaults when running the macro.
*Pause for keyboard input-Pause for keyboard input in the message area in
response to a prompt while running the macro.
Note: The Pause for keyboard input option waits for you to enter a value
wherever an user input is required while recording the macro.
6. Click Record and start recording the macro by selecting menu commands in
the appropriate order.
7. If you create a new mapkey that contains actions that open and make
selections from dialog boxes, when you run the mapkey, Pro/ENGINEER does not
pause for user input whenever the dialog box opens. To pause for user input
into dialog boxes, click Pause in the Record Mapkey dialog box to indicate
when to pause while recording the mapkey. The Resume Prompt dialog box
opens.
8. Type the prompt in the Resume Prompt dialog box. Then click Resume and
proceed recording the mapkey.
9. Click Stop when finished recording the macro.
When you run the macro, the system pauses, displays the prompt you typed,
and gives you the options to Resume recording the macro or to Cancel.
The OS Script tab allows you to run an Operating System (OS) script through
Pro/ENGINEER using a mapkey. This is beneficial because you can start this
OS script without having to minimize your window or to place it in the
background.
An OS script is analogous to using aliases in UNIX. An example of an OS
script is one that copies a configuration file that is commonly used from a
directory on the hard disk to the working directory so that you can load the
file into your session.