Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: How many custom macros do you use? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
| | John Cutler Spain Local time: 08:14 Spanish to English + ... Ok, I give. What is it? | May 8, 2007 |
I’m going to sit here ever so quietly and wait to be enlightened… | | | Honesty is the best policy | May 8, 2007 |
Full marks to John. I tried to sneak a look at the discussion for enlightenment, but only found out that I am in good company. Perhaps by another name? Noni | | |
John Cutler wrote: I’m going to sit here ever so quietly and wait to be enlightened… Come on, someone, please tell - what is it? Is it, perhaps, a self-created standardised document such as I use for my invoices, for example? Regards, Jenny. | |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macro and read all about it. Or open MS Word and use Help to search for 'Macro'. By the way, I only use predefined macros. I know how to create one myself, but I haven't had a reason to do so yet.
[Edited at 2007-05-08 14:36] | | | What is a macro? | May 8, 2007 |
Hello, Since I am the one who suggested this poll, I suppose I should give a brief clarification. "A macro is a way to automate a task that you perform repeatedly or on a regular basis. It is a series of commands and actions that can be stored and run whenever you need to perform the task. You can record or build a macro, and then play the macro to automatically repeat the series of commands or actions." (The defin... See more Hello, Since I am the one who suggested this poll, I suppose I should give a brief clarification. "A macro is a way to automate a task that you perform repeatedly or on a regular basis. It is a series of commands and actions that can be stored and run whenever you need to perform the task. You can record or build a macro, and then play the macro to automatically repeat the series of commands or actions." (The definition is taken from http://www.macros.com/whatmac.htm). Trados, for example, is based on a set of macros written for Microsoft Word. Every time you open a segment, etc, a macro is "doing the job". You can also create your own macros in Word by either recording tasks or (more advanced) by writing the code for the macro in the Visual Basic Editor, or a combination of both. I use numerous macros that I have created over the years in Word. I am in no way a programmer, and I often still create the macros in Word 95 (using Word Basic that I once tried to study more in-depth), and then import them into my current version of Word. Some of the macros I have created have only been used once in a specific project. Years ago I for example had to open about 100 of RTF files and change one line of text to another font or size or something, and then I created a macro that did this automatically while I could sit back and have a cup of coffee while files were being opened and closed at the speed of light on the screen. Some of the macros I have wanted to create have been to complicated for me, so then I have assigned the actual programming part to people I know who are good programmers. Apart from the two advanced macros that I have had custom made for me and that I use every day, I also use simpler ones all the time, for example one macro that colour codes text from one specified word or number or paragraph sign or whatever to another specified character. I use this for all sorts of things, for example when I update my web pages (which I still do in text mode in Word) – I then colour code all the html code for easier overview. I also use macros when I perform alignments of texts. With the help of macros the aligning goes much faster this way than using for example WinAlign. I have collected macros from free macro libraries on the Internet for years, and studied them and used snippets of code from them to create custom macros. It would be interesting to hear what kind of macros other translators use. Here are a few links to pages were macros can be downloaded: MS Word macros for translators http://web.ticino.com/multilingual/ms_word_macros_for_translators.htm Useful Word Macros (mostly for DVX users) http://www.necco.ca/dv/word_macros.htm GITS - Word Macros for Translators http://ginstrom.com/software/wordmacros/ These are just a few examples, I am sure there are many more. Best regards, Cecilia ▲ Collapse | | | Saskia Steur (X) Local time: 08:14 English to Dutch + ...
Thanks a lot Cecilia, those links contain some great stuff. I know what macros are, used to create them in WordPerfect for years before I was a translator, but my interest in them has been rekindled by your poll and information. Thanks a lot, Saskia | | | decimals macro | May 8, 2007 |
I use an excellent little macro for changing commas into decimal points and spaces between series of 000 into commas. 1,26 becomes 1.26 and 1 000 becomes 1,000 This saves time in nearly every Fr- En technical translation | |
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How to create macros | May 8, 2007 |
One I tried to create and use macros but I gave up after several attempts. Do these sites show us how to create a macro? I'd love to try them´. Thanks, | | | Set language and hide/reveal hidden text in Trados | May 8, 2007 |
Setting the language to UK English in Word drives me mad. It's the penalty, of course, for thinking we invented it, we own it, but after I've been past Ireland, Jamaica and the Caribbean (why not Scotland while we're about it?) and a dozen others, you get to UK, with only South Africa, Trinidad, US and Zanzibar further down the list! (UK is called Storbritannien on my computer.) Don't misunderstand me. I love them all. But you don't get the slightest hint of an Irish l... See more Setting the language to UK English in Word drives me mad. It's the penalty, of course, for thinking we invented it, we own it, but after I've been past Ireland, Jamaica and the Caribbean (why not Scotland while we're about it?) and a dozen others, you get to UK, with only South Africa, Trinidad, US and Zanzibar further down the list! (UK is called Storbritannien on my computer.) Don't misunderstand me. I love them all. But you don't get the slightest hint of an Irish lullaby or a calypso to cheer you on your way before you get cramp in your wrist from holding the mouse down... So I have one macro to set the whole document to UK and another to set a highlighted section of text to UK and leave the rest in whatever other language it may be. Then I have two more that hide or reveal the codes when I work with Trados. They save a lot of mouse-work too. It's a good thing we're not counting the custom additions to Autocorrect that tidy up the worst of my typos! ▲ Collapse | | | Clarisa Moraña United States Local time: 02:14 Member (2002) English to Spanish + ... Trados cleanup macro | May 8, 2007 |
That's the only macro I use, the one for cleaning up Word files translated with Trados:tw4winClean. It is very useful when the function "clean" at workbench doesn't work. Besides that macro, that came with Trados, I should answer that I don't know how to create a macro and that I don't know what else I could do with a macro. I've never understood the explanations for creating a macro. They are not clear at all. Yeah, they say that "they are very useful for routine tasks", ... See more That's the only macro I use, the one for cleaning up Word files translated with Trados:tw4winClean. It is very useful when the function "clean" at workbench doesn't work. Besides that macro, that came with Trados, I should answer that I don't know how to create a macro and that I don't know what else I could do with a macro. I've never understood the explanations for creating a macro. They are not clear at all. Yeah, they say that "they are very useful for routine tasks", but I've never managed to create one. Regards Clarisa ▲ Collapse | | | That of NR_Stedman and some others | May 8, 2007 |
I don't know how to write code so I use the Record a macro feature in Word. I created: - one to replace commas with non-breakable spaces and decimal points with decimal commas (useful in tables) - one to select all the text and set the spellcheck language to French - one to clean a Trados bilingual file (without opening Trados, but the TM is not updated) - one to replace straight ' into curly ’ (Dragon doesn't put the curly ones by default) - one to replace ... See more I don't know how to write code so I use the Record a macro feature in Word. I created: - one to replace commas with non-breakable spaces and decimal points with decimal commas (useful in tables) - one to select all the text and set the spellcheck language to French - one to clean a Trados bilingual file (without opening Trados, but the TM is not updated) - one to replace straight ' into curly ’ (Dragon doesn't put the curly ones by default) - one to replace double spaces with single spaces I think that's it. I discovered Word macros 3-4 years ago and thought it was difficult to learn, but in fact with the record feature, it is easy to stick on a toolbar a button that spares 6 or 7 mouse clicks and the associated flying distance. However I still haven't found out where they are recorded and if I can somehow back them up or share them. Happy code-writing, Philippe ▲ Collapse | |
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| Decimal points and commas | May 8, 2007 |
NR_Stedman wrote: I use an excellent little macro for changing commas into decimal points and spaces between series of 000 into commas. 1,26 becomes 1.26 and 1 000 becomes 1,000 This saves time in nearly every Fr- En technical translation This sounds extremely useful - I am always trying to persuade clients to do this for themselves, because I feel awful charging for it, but am not prepared not to. Wd love to know the name of the macro if it is commercially available - or are normal human beings capable of creating it?! | | | More on decimal points and commas | May 8, 2007 |
Very useful would be an automated way to do this in TagEditor, where (AFAIK) you can't use any macros? Best regards, Cecilia | | | Pages in topic: [1 2] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: How many custom macros do you use? Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
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