Strand+3+IT+Systems

Strand 3: IT Systems

3.2 Software

Macros, templates, wizards

What is a Macro?
Macros are a productivity tool. It allows you to run a series of actions with a click of a button.

How does a Macro work?
A macro is a series of keyboard strokes recorded by an application. These keystrokes often represent commands within a piece of software which are combined to reduce the work needed to perform the functions. Macros are then stored within the application to allow for repeated use. When recording a macro within an application like Microsoft Word, the keyboard strokes or commands get bound to a shortcut key or stored within a toolbar making them accessible via the mouse. Then the saved sequence of commands can be used simply by clicking a tool bar button or pressing the assigned keys. Example of a Macro Suppose a Microsoft Word user was looking for a quick way to save a document and then exit Word. This could be recorded within a macro to combine the save action and the exit action as follows using Microsoft Word 2007: 1. Choose the View tab from the office ribbon 2.Select the Macros object from the Macros group on the right end of the ribbon 3.Select record macro from the fly out menu Once the record macro object has been clicked, a dialog box appears which allows the user to provide a name for the macro and to assign the toolbar button or keyboard shortcut that will trigger the macro. Usually when assigning a keyboard shortcut for a macro, the control, shift, or alt keys are pressed in combination with the key being assigned. The modifier keys, control, shift, and alt, can also be pressed together in any combination with a key. The idea is to keep the macro keyboard strokes as simple as possible to allow for easily repeated use. 4.Enter a name for the macro 5.Assign the keyboard strokes or tool bar selection that will trigger the macro, for this example choose Ctrl + Alt + X 6.Click OK Then the actions which will make up the macro need to be performed so they can be saved. In the example provided here, the save menu button near the top of the Microsoft Word 2007 window, displayed as a small disk, would be clicked followed by the Office Logo button, also at the top left. When the Word menu displayed the Exit Word object would be selected to close the application or the close option to close the currently active document. After the actions have been performed, the user would select the stop recording option from the macros group on the view menu of the Office ribbon. This would prevent further actions from being recorded and save the macro for future use. Once a macro has been created, it can be used to quickly perform the saved sequence of commands assigned to the shortcut key. In our save and exit example, pressing Ctrl + Alt + X will save the current document and exit the Microsoft Word application.

What is a Template?
Templates are professionally designed “empty” documents that can easily be personalized to specific user needs. The most known template is a Blog Template.

What is a Blog Template?
A blog template is something which can be used to work as the physical presentation of a blog, with settings which apply to every page on the blog so that bloggers can establish a single template, and then focus on content, instead of having to customize each and every single entry. Because blogging also involves complex activities like maintaining archives, creating dynamic pages, and so forth, blog templates automate these functions, reducing the risk of errors across the blog and allowing content creators to focus on blogging instead of building a website. It is possible to build a blog template from scratch, using the mark-up language specific to the blogging platform. Some bloggers enjoy doing this because they can create a custom template from the ground up this way, and they can ensure that their template will not be duplicated on another site. Other bloggers like to use freely available templates, which they may use as-is or manipulate to suit their needs. Templates are very easy to customize and adapt to suit the needs of the blogger.
 * Examples of a Blog Template**



What is a wizard?
A wizard is a part of a program that guides you through certain steps. For example, a wizard in Microsoft Word would help you create and format a new document according to your needs. This is helpful when creating a sum, outline, invoice, etc. Some other examples of wizards are the Finale 2000 wizard, which helps you create a new music composition with your desired instruments, and the PowerPoint wizard, which helps you, set up a presentation using a certain theme.

Basically, a wizard acts as a guide for creating a new document in a software program. Though wizards can be helpful, sometimes they can be more of a hassle than a help for experienced users. Some users would rather just create a new document from scratch, without using a wizard. This is because wizards typically don't offer as much customization as an experienced user may want. Finally, be sure not to confuse a "wizard" with a "template." A template is a pre-formatted document that has already been created, whereas a wizard is a step-by-step guide that helps you create your own document.