For the longest time, macros have confused me. Every time I would try to record a macro, it never worked the way I wanted it to–until a few days ago. I was scoping a trial transcript, and there were over a hundred exhibits introduced (and then a few paragraphs later, admitted) all at once, and it took five to ten minutes just to add the index codes for all of them.
So I though to myself, Self, we really need to find a shortcut for this process. Maybe we should try a macro again?
I thought it’d never work, but I finally did manage to come up with a working macro, and here’s how I did it and how it works.
First, I had to have an index code include file. Already done in previous posts, so we’re good there.
Then, I had insert the include file and copy the code text once it was included (this is important because it gets pasted as part of the macro we’re going to create).
The third step is to fill in the field where the exhibit number goes for just the first exhibit in the list. The document should look like this at this point:
You can’t tell in the picture, but my cursor is right by the pipe to the right of the field where it says “64” at this moment. It’s important NOT to move the cursor now because this is the reference point for where our macro will begin doing it’s job. Go ahead and click Edit, Macros, Record, and then once you’re into the macro recording dialogue box, type the following commands on the keyboard:
Down Arrow
Down Arrow
Alt+N
The letter i
Enter
Ctrl+V
Note: At this point, your commands may or may not be different, but the ones below are what I needed to input in order to get to the beginning/left edge of the fill-in field.)
Up Arrow
End
Left Arrow
Ctrl+Left Arrow (7 times)
Note: Now we’re back to the more general macro.
Ctrl+T (to fill in this field)
And the recording is done at this point. You can click the X on the fill-in field box so that you can get back to the main screen. Then go back to Edit, Macros, Record, and it should pull up the macro-recording dialogue box.
Give your macro a name you’ll remember, and then click the Speed keys button to define what you’ll type on the keyboard to make the macro happen. I used Alt+R. Then click OK, and you’ll have your macro.
Now, how do you use this macro? Simple. When you have a lot of exhibits to code for indexing, add in your exhibit coding block file once, copy the code, then fill in the fill-in field with the first number.
Next, use your speed keys to have the macro add in the next index code line, paste the code you copied to it, and get you to the fill-in field and the dialogue box where you can fill it in. Your screen should look something like this once you type the number of the next exhibit:
From here, you just press Enter, and use the speed keys to do the next one, and you’ll have that list of exhibits coded in a fraction of the time you would have before.