Introduction
1
i!-MacroManager
Introduction
i!-MacroManager allows users to create custom macros from any NetLinx compatible touch panel
and execute them in real time without modification to the NetLinx program. i!-MacroManager is
composed of a series of modules that allow users to create, edit, delete, execute and schedule
macros from any NetLinx compatible touch panel.
i!-MacroManager creates macros from the actions available through i!-ConnectLinx. Each macro
can contain up to 50 actions. Each action can have an associated delay, set in 1/100-second
increments, to handle time delays required between actions. The user can configure a macro
execution button to execute any macro.
i!-MacroScheduler allows users to schedule NetLinx macros directly from any NetLinx compatible
touch panel. i!-MacroScheduler provides a user interface for creating up to 240 scheduled events to
run any available macro on a repeating or non-repeating basis. i!-MacroScheduler also provides a
scheduling engine that will trigger each event at the appropriate time and reschedule repeating
events.
i!-ConnectLinx provides the mechanism to expose actions to i!-MacroManager and to manage
action execution on the NetLinx system. Once i!-MacroManager builds a macro from the actions in
the i!-ConnectLinx action list, i!-MacroManager makes a request to i!-ConnectLinx to execute
those actions. i!-ConnectLinx handles this request and presents it to the NetLinx program for
execution.
Macro and Schedule Persistence
i!-MacroManager stores macros on the NetLinx master's file system in macro files. These files are
located in the doc:\user\macros directory. You can use i!-MacroManager to create and delete
macros.
i!-MacroManager does not store macros in memory, only on the file systems. If a macro is
scheduled via i!-MacroScheduler and then the macro is deleted, the macro will fail to run since the
macro no longer exists on the file system. Deleting macros will not delete all references to the
macro, only the macro itself.
i!-MacroScheduler stores the schedule information in a file called MMSchedule.bin located in the
doc:\user\schedule directory. All event information will be stored in this file and recalled during
power up. Any event scheduled by the user is stored and will not be lost during a power cycle.
The scheduling engine will always attempt to read the MMSchedule.bin file on start up. If you are
loading a new program containing macro scheduling into an old master that used to have macro
scheduling, you should use FTP to browse the NetLinx master's file system and delete the old
schedule file. Otherwise, the old scheduling information will be automatically loaded.
NetLinx Master firmware (build 130 or greater) supports up to 199 macros.
