Differences

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--- action:Prompt_for_User_Input [2021/10/14 05:15] – peternlewis
+++ action:Prompt_for_User_Input [2023/09/13 04:04] (current) – [Slider Field] peternlewis
@@ Line 59: / Line 59: @@
 The field will be displayed as a single line text input field.
+The default field is a token text field.
 ==== Password Field ====
 The field will be displayed as a single line password input field, displayed with bullets instead of characters.
+The default field is a token text field.
 ==== Checkbox ====
 The field will be displayed as a checkbox. If the default value is “0”, or starts with “0|”, then the checkbox will default to off. If the default value is “1”, or starts with “1|”, the checkbox will default to on.
+The default field is a token text field.
 ==== Menu Field ====
@@ Line 76: / Line 82: @@
 The first value in the list of choices will be selected in the menu by default. For example, if you would like "Better" to be the default Popup value, then use “Better|Good|Better|Best”.
-=== Using a Variable for Popup Choices ===
+If the menu item is a dash “-”, a menu separator will be used in its place. For example, “Good|Better|Best|-|Terrible”.
-To use a Variable for the popup choices, see:
+If a menu items is separated in to two parts with two underscores (‗), then the first part is used as the result, while the second part is displayed in the menu. For example, “B‗‗Good|F‗‗Fail|C‗‗OK|B‗‗Good|A‗‗Excellent”.
-  * [Dynamic Default List for Prompt for User Input (Example)](https://forum.keyboardmaestro.com/t/dynamic-default-list-for-prompt-for-user-input-example/4441/1)
-=== Using a Dash ("`-`") to Separate Choices ===
+The default field is a token text field, so you can include variable options in your list, for example: “%Variable%First Choice%|%Variable%Second Choice%”. If you want to provide a list in a variable, then you do so by starting the field with a bar (“|”), followed by your list (or your default value and then your list) in a variable (which contains choices separated by `|`), for example “|%Variable%Current Choice%|%Variable%Choice List%”. Without the leading bar, the entry is separated by bar first, and then token expansion is applied to each field, so that fields may contain bars, for example, “This|That|%Variable%One Entry%”.
-If a popup menu item is a dash (-), then a separator is displayed. For example, “%%Good|Better|Best|-|Terrible%%”
+==== Slider Field ====
-=== How to Store a Different Value than Displayed ===
+The field will be displayed as a slider.
-Sometimes you may want to display a "friendly" value as the default value, but store a different value (like a code) in the actual Variable.  You can do this by using a prefix to the default value.
+The default value defines the initial value and range of the slider. It can contain from zero to four comma-separated values, which are either:
+. initial value of 50, range 0-100.
+. initial value as specified, range 0-100.
+. range as specified, initial value half way between.
+. minimum, initial, maximum value as specified.
+. minimum, initial, maximum value as specified, and if the last value is greater than zero, the gap between allowed values, and if it is less than zero, the number of allowed values.
-If a popup menu item starts with a prefix followed by two underscores, then the prefix will be used as the variable value, while the latter part will be displayed in the menu.
+For example, “0,50,100,10” means a range from 0 to 100, initial value of 50, and only valid values of 0, 10, 20, 30, … 90, 100.
-For example “%%B__Good|F__Fail|C__OK|B__Good|A__Excellent%%” would be shown as:
+The result stored in the variable will be the value of the slider.
-```
+This default value field is a calculation field.
-Fail
-OK
-Good  (selected by default)
-Excellent
-```
-but would set the variable to A, B, C,or F as appropriate.
+Up to Keyboard Maestro version 10.2, the result of the slider will always be an integer, and any initial value above 100 will be clipped to 100 ([[https://forum.keyboardmaestro.com/t/slider-keeps-rounding-my-values-down/32936|forum]]). Neither of these limitations apply in version 11.0+.
-=== How to Use a Variable for the Popup Choices ===
+==== Color Field ====
-* Sometimes you might like to use a Keyboard Maestro Variable to store the list of Popup Choices, and then use this Variable in the Prompt for User Input Action.  This can be done simply starting the default value for the Popup with a vertical bar (`|`).
+The field will be displayed as a color well.
-* If the Popup default value starts with a bar (|), then the Variable (which contains choices separated by `|`) will be expanded and evaluated before the Prompt is displayed, thus showing the choices from the Variable.
-Otherwise, the entry is separated by bar first, and then token expansion is applied to each field, so that fields may contain bars, for example, “This|That|%Variable%One Entry%”.
+The default  value defines the color with three or four comma-separated values, being the red, green, blue and optional alpha values. All values have a range of 0 to 255.
-=== How to Hide a Variable Prefix in the Prompt ===
+This default value field is a calculation field.
-It is a good idea to have a common prefix in all of the variables used by the same macro.  This clearly identifies the macro that uses these variables, and groups them together in the Variables section of the Keyboard Maestro Preferences.  But you may not want to expose this prefix to the user running the macro.
+==== Date and Time Fields ====
-**So, you can hide the prefix if the variable name starts with a prefix followed by two underscores**. Then the label will show only the latter part of the variable name.
+The field will be displayed as a date, date & time, time, or time with seconds field.
-For example, if you enter "**`MyMacro__Text Message`**" in the variable name field of the Prompt for User Input action:
+The default value is [[/unixtime|unixtime]] for the date and time. For time-only values, you can use either a unixtime or a time in seconds in the day (so 28,800 would be 8am) - either way the result will be in the same day as the specified default value.
-  * It will display a label of "**`Text Message`**":
-  * But the actual variable name that is set will be just as you entered it: "**`MyMacro__Text Message`**"
-==== Checkbox Field ====
+This default value field is a calculation field.
-If the popup menu would contain only "0" and "1", then a checkbox is used (so for example, “0|1" or "1|0", depending on the desired default).
+==== Labels ====
+It can be a good idea to have a common prefix in all of the variables used by the same macro.  This clearly identifies the macro that uses these variables, and groups them together in the Variables section of the Keyboard Maestro Preferences.  But you may not want to expose this prefix to the user running the macro.
+So, you can hide the prefix if the variable name starts with a prefix followed by two underscores. Then the label will show only the latter part of the variable name.
+Similarly, you can use Instance or Local variables, and the “Instance” or “Local” will be removed from the variable name when displayed in the form.
+For example, variables named “MyMacro‗‗Text Message”, “Instance Text Message” or “Local Text Message” will all display the label “Text Message” in the form. The actual variable used will be the full variable name.
 ==== Buttons ====
@@ Line 128: / Line 138: @@
   - {{:action:km-7.3-ok-button.png?nolink|}}
     * Responds to shortcut <kbd>⏎</kbd> (RETURN)
-    * Closes the Prompt
+    * Closes the Prompt.
-    * Flows proceeds to next Action
+    * Flows proceeds to next Action.
   - {{:action:km-7.3-cancel-button.png?nolink|}}
     * Responds to shortcuts of either <key>⎋</key> (ESCAPE), or <key>⌘</key><key>.</key> (COMMAND-PERIOD)
-    * Closes the Prompt
+    * Closes the Prompt **without writing the variables**.
     * **Cancels the Macro**
-=== Optional Buttons Can be Assigned Shortcut Keys ===
+You can add more buttons to allow for other options. For example, “Save” and “Save and Send”.
-You can optionally assign a shortcut key by applying a suffix to the Button Name in the form of /«character», which will cause the Button to respond to a keystroke of <key>⌘</key><key>/«character»</key>
+You can optionally assign a shortcut key by applying a suffix to the Button Name in the form of /«character», which will cause the Button to respond to a keystroke of <key>⌘</key><key>«character»</key> (or just <key>«character»</key> if there are no focusable text fields).
 ^Suffix^Button Responds to Shortcut Key of:^
 |`/.`|<key>⎋</key> (ESCAPE) key.|
 |`/`|<kbd>⏎</kbd> (RETURN) key.|
-|`/H`|<key>⌘</key><key>H</key> keystroke (as an example).\\ (The <key>⌘</key> key is not needed IF there are not any text fields in the Prompt User dialog)|
+|`/H`|<key>⌘</key><key>H</key> keystroke (as an example) (or just <key>H</key> if there are not any text fields in the form)|
+|`/-`|no shortcut|
 === Result Button ===
@@ Line 150: / Line 161: @@
 === How Buttons are Processed ===
-* The first button (from the top) has a default key of <kbd>⏎</kbd> (RETURN), _unless_ you have assigned the _RETURN_ response to another button using “/” at the end of a button name.
+* The first button (from the top) has a default key of <kbd>⏎</kbd> (RETURN), _unless_ you have assigned the _RETURN_ response to another button using “/” at the end of a button name, or marked the button to cancel the macro.
 * The second button has a default key of either <key>⎋</key> (ESCAPE), or <key>⌘</key><key>.</key> (COMMAND-PERIOD), _unless_ you have turned off canceling the macro for that button or assigned the _ESCAPE_ response to another button using “/.” at the end of a button name.
 * Any button can _Cancel_ the macro if the "Cancel Macro" checkbox is _checked_ for it.
@@ Line 157: / Line 168: @@
 * If you have the system preference “Use keyboard navigation to move focus between controls” enabled, the button shown with a colored outline (usually blue) can be chosen/activated by pressing the _SPACE_ key.
-**Guidelines for Good Button UI**
+=== Guidelines for Good Button User Experience ===
-* The default button should be the "OK" button, the one that performs the *normal behaviour*.
+* The default button should be the “OK” button, the one that performs the *normal behaviour*.
 * The default button should be rightmost.
 * The left most button should be "Cancel".
@@ Line 165: / Line 176: @@
 * If the normal behaviour is significantly dangerous, then it may be appropriate for it to not be the default button, or for there to be no default button.
-"normal behaviour" here is defined as doing what the user just asked to do.
+“Normal behaviour” here is defined as doing what the user just asked to do.
 A consequence of all of this is that if you have a second button in the Prompt For User Input action, and it does not cancel the macro, then you should definitely give it some other key, or disable it with “/-”.
-An update is planned so that if the first button has the Cancel Macro flag, then it is not the default (by default), and if the second button does not have the Cancel Macro flag, then it does not get the Escape/Command-, key (by default).
 ===== Notes =====
 Note that the system will not allow Keyboard Maestro Engine to see keys typed in its own windows so the [[trigger:Typed String]] triggers will not work within Keyboard Maestro Engine windows.
-Note that the system really really wants a "default" button, and if you do not give it one, it will choose one for you.
 ===== See Also =====