| Recorded Keystrokes And Instructions |
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A set of keystrokes and commands that are recorded, saved, and assigned to a short key code. When the key code is typed, the recorded keystrokes and instructions execute (play back). Macros can simplify day-to-day operations, which otherwise become tedious. For example, a single macro keystroke can set up a connection using pcAnywhere. n. 1. In applications, a set of keystrokes and instructions recorded and saved under a short key code or macro name. When the key code is typed or the macro name is used, the program carries out the instructions of the macro. Users can create a macro to save time by replacing an often-used, sometimes lengthy, series of strokes with a shorter version. 2. In programming languages, such as C or assembly language, a name that defines a set of commands that are substituted for the macro name wherever the name appears in a program (a process called macro expansion) when the program is compiled or assembled. Macros are similar to functions in that they can take arguments and in that they are calls to lengthier sets of instructions. Unlike functions, macros are replaced by the actual commands they represent when the program is prepared for execution; function instructions are copied into a program only once. Compare function (definition 2). |