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20. Macro

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seto edited this page Apr 14, 2026 · 11 revisions

Macro

ReciPro includes an IronPython-based macro system for automating crystal operations, diffraction simulations, and image simulations through scripting.

Overview

Macros are written in Python syntax. Using ReciPro's built-in classes and functions, you can programmatically perform the same operations available through the GUI.

  • Language: Python 3 (IronPython 3.4)
  • Storage: Compressed binary in Windows Registry (persists across sessions)
  • Access: Click the Macro button on the main window to open the macro editor

Editor window

The macro editor has four main areas:

Area Purpose
Macro list (left) Stored macros. Add appends a new macro, Replace overwrites the selected one, Delete removes it. Up/Down reorder.
Name field (top) Identifier of the macro being edited.
Code area (right) Python code editor with line-number gutter, auto-indent, syntax help popup.
Status bar (bottom) Shows the current caret position as Line N, Col M.
Debug panel (visible during Step execution) Lists local variables at the current line.

The title bar shows Macro* (with an asterisk) while there are unsaved edits, and reverts to Macro after Add / Replace / Ctrl+S.

Editing features

  • Auto-indent: When you press Enter, the next line inherits the current line's leading whitespace. If the line ends with : (after def/if/for/etc.), one extra indent level (4 spaces) is added automatically.
  • Smart Backspace: Inside leading whitespace, Backspace removes a full indent level (4 spaces) instead of a single character.
  • Tab / Shift+Tab:
    • No selection: insert / remove one indent level at the caret.
    • Multi-line selection: indent / outdent every selected line at once.
  • Autocomplete: As you type, a popup lists matching function names and language keywords. Arrow keys navigate, Enter or Tab accepts, Esc cancels.
  • Tooltip help: Hovering a selected autocomplete entry shows its documentation.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut Action
Ctrl+S Save the current code into the selected macro entry (in-place)
F10 Step to the next line (during Step execution)
Enter Insert newline with auto-indent
Tab / Shift+Tab Indent / outdent
Backspace Delete one indent level if inside leading whitespace
Ctrl+↑ / Ctrl+↓ N/A — use the Up/Down buttons to reorder macros

Running macros

Two run modes:

  • Run: Execute the code to the end. Errors pop up a dialog showing the Python traceback and highlight the offending line in the editor.
  • Step by step: Pause before each line. The debug panel shows local variables. Use F10 (or the Next button) to advance, or Cancel to abort.

Cancel only works during Step mode (standard Run cannot be interrupted because IronPython does not honour CancellationToken and everything runs on the UI thread).

Python language support

This macro environment is IronPython 3.4. Not all Python features are meaningful here.

Pre-imported

  • math is imported at startup. Use math.sqrt(x), math.sin(x), math.pi, math.radians(deg), etc. directly.

Usable

  • Control flow: if/elif/else, for, while, def, class, return, try/except/finally, pass, break, continue, lambda
  • Literals: True, False, None
  • Built-in functions: len, range, abs, min, max, sum, sorted, enumerate, zip, int, float, str, list, dict, tuple, type, isinstance
  • Standard library modules that are pure Python: random, datetime, time, re, json, itertools, functools, collections

These basics are pre-registered in the autocomplete popup, so you can discover them by typing the first few letters.

NOT usable

  • print() — there is no console window; output goes nowhere. Use Step by step and look at the debug panel to inspect values.
  • input() — no stdin.
  • File I/O (open, with open) — not intended for macros. Use ReciPro.File.* helpers instead.
  • C-extension packages: numpy, scipy, pandas, matplotlib — not compatible with IronPython.

API access

The ReciPro macro API is exposed under the top-level name ReciPro. Every built-in class is a field of ReciPro:

ReciPro.File.*         # File I/O helpers
ReciPro.Crystal.*      # Currently selected crystal
ReciPro.CrystalList.*  # Manage the crystal list
ReciPro.Dir.*          # Crystal orientation (Euler, zone-axis, rotation)
ReciPro.DifSim.*       # Diffraction simulator
ReciPro.HRTEM.*        # HRTEM simulation
ReciPro.STEM.*         # STEM simulation
ReciPro.Potential.*    # Potential simulation
ReciPro.Sleep(ms)      # Pause execution (milliseconds)

The autocomplete popup always shows the full ReciPro.Class.Member form and inserts it verbatim, so you rarely need to type the prefix by hand.

See 20.1. Built-in functions for the complete API reference.

Error messages

When a macro fails, a dialog shows the Python traceback in the standard format:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<string>", line 5, in <module>
NameError: name 'abc' is not defined

The editor automatically selects the line reported in the traceback (the innermost frame), so you can fix the problem immediately. Syntax errors are reported with line numbers as well, before execution starts.

See also

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