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Macros from a token context menu

I know this has been suggested before but the topic was closed a few months ago and I wanted to add my opinion.


I'd like to see Macros being able to be tied to a token and accessed from a right click context menu.

I've been setting up for my first Roll20 campaign and despite the fact we haven't played a proper session yet while testing out the software I was getting irritated at how to access macros,

Trying to access the macros section in settings means you have to click away from the chat pane which means you're likely to miss either rolls or messages (especially given how much screen space the rolls take up) and its just a hassle of having to change to a new menu then go hunting for the roll you want to make then switch back to see what the result is then switch again because you may need to roll a second attack (or secondary effect) or damage).
The macro bar is a little better but only if you aren't using many macros, if you're the sort of player that macros every single skill, save and ability (and some of mine are) then you quickly run past the point where you can see all your macros on the screen at once and have to start scrolling to hunt down the one you're looking for (do you want to power attack, charge and power attack, overhand chop, not to mention a caster who macros every single one of his spells), similarly any GM who has multiple enemies or several encounters on the same map is going to generate huge lists of macros.

Similarly with the monster/NPC sheets, sometimes they're just not important enough to create whole journal sheets for them so there's no character sheet to open and access and if they are you still have to switch away from the chat pane in order to access them.

So I would very much like to see the ability not just to access a list of macros from a right click menu on an individual token but also the ability to organise them in folders which would open sub menus when you hover over them.

I think somebody suggested possibly a pop out window for macros but I would personally dislike the idea as that still suffers from a lot of the problems that the current system has, it gives you access to a lot more information than you actually need at any given time and you have to search through for the one button you're actually looking for and you'd either have to keep opening and closing the window manually or leave it somewhere taking up valuable screen space while a context manu appears and disappears when you need it and an organised one makes it much easier to find the specific macro you're looking for.
July 22 (12 years ago)
Gauss
Forum Champion

While not directly what you want you can access a token's associated character sheet from the token by holding the ALT key and double clicking on the token. From there you can checkmark and edit Ability Macros rather quickly. 

- Gauss

I did not know that, thats useful for anything that does have a character sheet, although its not the editing macros that's the problem its rolling them sorry if that wasn't clear

July 22 (12 years ago)
Pat S.
Forum Champion
Sheet Author

The inline roller removes almost all the dice rolling clutter now. The macros being attached to the token through the right click menu would be nice.  Say you have a group of skeletons attacking the group and you could have each skeleton have their own init macro, to hit macro, and damage macro. Nice idea.

Metroknight said:

...The macros being attached to the token through the right click menu would be nice.  Say you have a group of skeletons attacking the group and you could have each skeleton have their own init macro, to hit macro, and damage macro. Nice idea.

This would be delicious. My second favourite VTT site handles tokens this way, and it's one of the features I most wish was available here.

July 22 (12 years ago)
Alex L.
Pro
Sheet Author

Asked for this myself more times than I can remember, even had it working in the API until Riley fixed the huge exploit i was using to do it :P

Metroknight said:

The inline roller removes almost all the dice rolling clutter now. The macros being attached to the token through the right click menu would be nice.  Say you have a group of skeletons attacking the group and you could have each skeleton have their own init macro, to hit macro, and damage macro. Nice idea.

Inline roller? is that an API feature?

July 23 (12 years ago)
Gid
Roll20 Team

Peter, this is a new feature that's been recently added to Roll20 -  Update 7/16: Transmogrifier, Inline Rolls, 3D Dice Fixes, Rollable Tables for Everyone, and MORE!

As a thought, instead of the context menu, how about an option where the macro toolbar changes based on which token is selected?

Example, say I have a Goblin "Character" in the journal, with the attributes, abilities, etc., set up, with Macros to match. I drag his tokens around the game board to set them up. Then, I also have some Orc "Characters" set up the same way with their ability macros and positioned on the board as well.

Now, in the middle of battle or what have you, I select an Orc, and doing so, the abilities I set up for the Orc "Character-type" populate the macro toolbar for easy use. Then, when it's a goblin's turn, I select one, and the toolbar repopulates with His abilities. Speaking only for myself, with all the monsters and dice modifiers I've had in my 4e campaign lately, it would make running an encounter a breeze.

July 23 (12 years ago)
Alex L.
Pro
Sheet Author

Justin P. said:

As a thought, instead of the context menu, how about an option where the macro toolbar changes based on which token is selected?

Example, say I have a Goblin "Character" in the journal, with the attributes, abilities, etc., set up, with Macros to match. I drag his tokens around the game board to set them up. Then, I also have some Orc "Characters" set up the same way with their ability macros and positioned on the board as well.

Now, in the middle of battle or what have you, I select an Orc, and doing so, the abilities I set up for the Orc "Character-type" populate the macro toolbar for easy use. Then, when it's a goblin's turn, I select one, and the toolbar repopulates with His abilities. Speaking only for myself, with all the monsters and dice modifiers I've had in my 4e campaign lately, it would make running an encounter a breeze.

Doesn't really matter how its done does it as long as it is contextual?


On a similar note you can now make contextual macro's using the API although I know its not all that helpful for those who aren't mentors.

Justin P. said:

As a thought, instead of the context menu, how about an option where the macro toolbar changes based on which token is selected?

Example, say I have a Goblin "Character" in the journal, with the attributes, abilities, etc., set up, with Macros to match. I drag his tokens around the game board to set them up. Then, I also have some Orc "Characters" set up the same way with their ability macros and positioned on the board as well.

Now, in the middle of battle or what have you, I select an Orc, and doing so, the abilities I set up for the Orc "Character-type" populate the macro toolbar for easy use. Then, when it's a goblin's turn, I select one, and the toolbar repopulates with His abilities. Speaking only for myself, with all the monsters and dice modifiers I've had in my 4e campaign lately, it would make running an encounter a breeze.

It would certainly be an improvement but not as much as a dropdown IMO, the problem with the Macro bar is that you can only hold a limited number of macros comfortably before you have to start scrolling, exactly how many depends on the name of the character and the macro, as an extreme example Lord Gyrumm of Alverdein with a macro called Greatsword Overhand Chop is going to take up a lot of space on the bar, obviously you can abbreviate the names to an extent but whether you want to or not will depend on your own taste and if it was context based you wouldn't need the name attached to every macro.


My ideal solution is sideways expanding menus that follow a player decided scheme, so for example player 1 may divide his macros into folders marked Skills, Saves, Attacks, Spells etc while player 2 might divide his into Str Rolls, Dex Rolls, Int Rolls etc but to access them, both would right click their token, highlight Macros and then see their list of folders, highlighting a folder would expand the menu again with the list of macros inside that folder.



Kristin C. said:

Peter, this is a new feature that's been recently added to Roll20 -  Update 7/16: Transmogrifier, Inline Rolls, 3D Dice Fixes, Rollable Tables for Everyone, and MORE!

Thanks for that that's improved the output a lot.