Use the User Message / Delay dialog box when you want to interrupt a macro's process flow with either the [User Message] function or the [Delay] function.
What is the [Message] function?
The [Message] function opens a dialog box showing a user message within a macro. This message gives the user the opportunity to carry out certain actions that are necessary at this place in the macro.
Use the [Message] function e.g., to prompt the user to load or acquire an image.
What is the [Delay] function?
The [Delay] function interrupts a macro's process flow for a specific period of time. You can specify, precisely to the second, the duration of this delay. During the delay, a dialog box will be opened in which you will be continuously informed how much time is left.
For example: You can use the [Delay] function, for example, to define a macro that acquires three images with a time interval of three minutes between each of them. Such a macro will then contain the following functions:
[Snapshot]
[Delay 00:03:00]
[Snapshot]
[Delay 00:03:00]
[Snapshot]
Inserting the [Message] or [Delay] function into a macro
For example: You define a macro that acquires an image, and subsequently burns in the scale bar into that image. Before the scale bar is burned in, you want to display a warning message.
1.Define the following macro:
[Snapshot]
[Scale Bar - on]
[Burn In Info]
[Scale Bar - off]
2.In your macro, select the step before which the Message dialog box is to be opened.
In the example macro, select the [Burn In Info] step within the macro. The Message dialog box will then be opened prior to this step.
3.Click the right mouse button to open a context menu. Use the Insert special command > User Message / Delay command.
4.The User Message / Delay dialog box will open.
4.Make the necessary settings in the User Message / Delay dialog box.
In this example enter the text "Warning" in the Title field.
Enter the following text in the Message field: "Burning in the scale bar overwrites image information. Stop the macro, if you don't want to change the image."
Set the wordwrap in such a way that you can easily read the text in the User Message / Delay dialog box.
5.Close the User Message / Delay dialog box with OK.
6.Run the macro.
7.Before the scale bar is burned in, the warning you have defined will now appear. The user can then decide at this point, whether he now actually wants to burn in the scale bar, or not.
Editing the [Message] or [Delay] function in an already existing macro
You can change the function parameters in an existing macro at any time.
1.Activate the macro you want to edit, in the Macro Manager tool window.
2.In the list of functions, doubleclick once on the 
icon to the right of the [Message] or [Delay] function.
3.The User Message / Delay dialog box will open.
3.Change the settings you want in the User Message / Delay dialog box.
See also
Description of dialog box
Title
In the Title field, enter a text that is to be displayed in the title of the dialog box that is going to be opened within the macro. The dialog box's title will then be either "Message: <Title>" or "Delay: <Title>".
If you leave this field empty, the title of the dialog box that is going to be opened within the macro will be simply either Message or Delay.
Message
In the Message field, enter the text that is to be displayed in the dialog box that is going to be opened within the macro. When you enter the text, please take care that you use suitable wordwraps. Later, when the macro is run, the text will appear exactly as you enter it there.
Selecting the [Message] or the [Delay] function
Clear the Delay check box to insert the [Message] function into a macro. The [Message] function interrupts the macro's process flow and opens a dialog box with a user message. This user message will remain open until the user has clicked the Continue button. The macro will then carry out the next function.
As long as this user message is open, your software's commands will still be available. This means that the user then still has time enough to carry out specific actions e.g., to load an image or make a setting on a microscope.
Select the Delay check box to insert the [Delay] function into a macro. The [Delay] function interrupts the macro's process flow and opens a dialog box with a user message and a counter. When the time that is shown in the counter returns to zero, the dialog box will be automatically closed and the macro will then carry out the next function.
The user can at any time, have the macro resume its process flow, before the set time has elapsed, by clicking the Continue button.
Enter the required delay time in the Delay group's fields in the HH:MM:SS (H=Hours, M=Minutes, S=Seconds) form. A total time of 150 seconds equals, e.g., 2 minutes and 30 seconds. In this case, enter the value 0 in the h field, 2 in the m field and the value 30 in the s field.
Inserting a macro function
Close the User Message / Delay dialog box with OK to insert the [Message] or [Delay] macro function in the Macro Manager tool window's list of functions.
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