Macros for Hog v5

I’d love to see some much-needed updates to the macro system:

Background Execution

Allow macros to run in the background without interfering with programmer. This would make them far more flexible during live use.

Direct Syntax Entry

Please enable direct syntax input instead of relying on the current “comment macros.”

Unlocking syntax entry would make creating and editing macros much simpler.

The current keystroke method works for very basic tasks, but it quickly becomes cumbersome, especially when adding or removing lines.

Wait and Hold Times

The process for adding wait/hold times is not user-friendly. Streamlining this would make complex macros much easier to program and manage.

Lua Support

Consider unlocking Lua scripting.

Alternatively, borrowing from the EOS macro engine (as was done with the color engine) could be an excellent solution and their magic sheet are amazing

Overall, these changes would make macros far more powerful, flexible, and user-friendly, especially for those of us who rely on them for complex show control and live busking.

Please and thank you 

  • Thanks Chris, I think whichever script ETC chooses would be more than welcome, but if I was being completely honestly the updated macros who be what most of the programmers I talk to really want.

  • If we ever added scripting it would probably be javascript not Lua. Most likely there would be a directory where you could start/stop your scripts, feedback status in the directory to show run state, a simple text editor to edit your scripts, a script log window where you could see what your scripts were doing, custom javascript function names with a hook into OSC/MIDI/timecode/command line/keys/faders/macros/playback/websockets/directories/views/DMX record/playback/ etc. Most likely a script could act as a fire and forget or setup its own event loop to receive and act upon events from the broader Hog ecosystem.