UX - Tweaks to macros

[petersampsonaudacity]

Discussed in #885

^{Originally posted by petersampsonaudacity May 12, 2021}
Some suggested improvements for Audacity Macros

1. The pathetically small parameter dialog box in Manage Macros makes it difficult to input or edit a normal length path-name. And note the box is not expandable/shrinkable.

2. We really could do with a handshake when a Macro completes - something, a dialog, that tell the user that it was successful and how many files were exported and where to.
   See: Bug 2737 - ENH: When running a Macro on files there is no completion/success dialog:
   https://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2737

3. It could be very useful to open up the exported to location with a file manager. This could be optional from a clickable link from the success exit dialog (2 above)

4. We really could do with a dialog when a Macro fails telling us just where, what step, the Macro failed on and why.

5. It would be really nice if the user could see a progress dialog stepping through the steps of the Macro. We do see progress dialogs for some of the individual steps but that's not a proper guide as to where you are in the Macro.

6. It would be useful Macros were more like Open/Save/Import/Export and had an input field in the dialog to run them where you could specify the output location (and with a Browse button).

7. Allow a Macro to process files from several different directories.

8. Fix P2 Bug UI Overhaul needed! #2785 https://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2785
   Bug 2785 - Running Macros on 600plus files gives a misleading error message
   Steve wrote in the bug thread:
   "We need to work out why macros fail after processing a lot of files. When we know why, then it may be relatively easy to fix. There is clearly something wrong in how Audacity is running macros, but currently we don't know what it is, or if it creates problems elsewhere as well as batch processing."

9. Enable the cancellation of Macros running on files - this is P2 Bug Select Zero Crossings fails for narrow selection around a zero crossing point #2787
   https://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2787
   Bug 2787 - Macros running on files can't be cancelled

10. Add a command to the set of commands available to Macros for exporting to M4A(AAC)
    Export to M4A(AAC).

11. We get a lot of requests for adding two new macro commands:
    a) Get Noise Profile
    b) Apply Noise Removal
    This would make the Noise Reduction effect usable in macros.
    See Issue Separate macro commands for "Get Noise Profile" and "Apply Noise Reduction" #1443

12. Now that we have import and export for Macros it would be very useful if multiple macro exports and imports were available. Currently the Macros have to be exported or imported one at a time which can be very tedious if the user has a lot of Macros.

13. Add additional exports to Macros for say: AAC/MP4, AIFF, other FFmpeg files.

14. Add export format options and export sample rate to Macro parameters.
    This was originally logged as Bugzilla P3 548
    https://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=548
    Workaround:
    You cannot set export format options or export sample rate in the Macro.''' If you need to specify export options other than the current default, import or generate some audio, File > Export, select the audio type, click "Options..." then choose and save the option and cancel the export.

15. Partial (and undocumented) support for Noise Reduction effect with Macros
    Noise reduction does not use the 'new' system for macro parameters. As a result the parameters used in a macro are 'whatever you have set during this session'.
    This was originally logged as Bugzilla P3
    https://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2350
    and as Bugzilla P3 901
    https://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=901
    Enh: Macros: Noise Reduction and Noise Removal do not store parameters in a Macro

16. Please add Export Multiple to the list of commands available for Macros

[DavidBailes]

5. It would be really nice if the user could see a progress dialog stepping through the steps of the Macro. We do see progress dialogs for some of the individual steps but that's not a proper guide as to where you are in the Macro.

If there is such a dialog, then I think it should be optional. For many macros which just consist of commands which execute quickly, such a dialog would just amount to some flashing lights, or for screen readers, some unwanted noise.

[ChicagoScanningMG]

+1 for adding "Export Multiple" to the macros. I really want to be able to create a macro that will export all tracks to both MP3 and WAV with a single shortcut.