Take the My Slickedit Macros Challenge

Saturday, August 21, 2010 1 comments

My Slickedit Macros challenge:

Create a Slick-C macro that will show, at a glance, all unbound keys and key combinations in your current Slickedit configuration. It's the opposite of generating a Key Chart (Options > Keyboard and Mouse > Key Bindings > "Save Chart") or a keydefs.e file ("list_keydefs" command). If you already have such a macro, I invite you to share it.

Having a list of currently unbound keys can improve the efficiency of identifying keys and key combos that are free to be assigned. The macro will reduce the need to identify unbound keys from memory or by hunt and peck.

The macro should apply to the Default mode key bindings but it can also be used on the current mode or language--HTML, C++, Ruby, etc.--if you like.

Awhile back, Slickedit added "Search by Key Sequence" to the Key Bindings window. This is a wonderful feature. Better yet, they added the same search feature to several other configuration dialogs as well. Still, however, these features don't show unbound keys.

Prior to moving to Slickedit around 10 years ago, my text editor of choice was Kedit. Its macro language, KEXX, was based on Mike Cowlishaw's great REXX language. Incidentally, Slickedit's original macro language was REXX, and if I'm not mistaken, Slickedit spent its early years maturing on a single platform: OS/2. I started out with Visual Slickedit version 4.0b on OS/2 version 2.11 (or Warp, I don't remember).

On Kedit I had a macro, unbound.kex, which did everything I described above. Due to the crude composition of that macro, and the differences in Slick-C and KEXX, the Kedit macro is insufficient to translate into a Slick-C version. I'm rusty on my Slick-C, and haven't been able to get myself to write the macro or module--let's call it "unbound.e" So I'm entreating the public to meet the challenge of creating the unbound macro.

The developer with the winning solution by December 31, 2010 gets a free hardcover copy of John Hurst's book, Professional Slickedit.

GlossyBlue Blogger by Black Quanta. Theme & Icons by N.Design Studio
Entries RSS Comments RSS