MACREX DOWNLOADS

Contents

 

Free full version of MACREX

 

I wrote the first indexing program in 1981 for my wife, Drusilla, to run on an 8 bit microcomputer. Since then the program developed to its current form with Drusilla providing the support. Nancy Mulvany and subsequently Gale Rhoades took over as agents for the USA and Canada. Sadly, Gale died in early 2021 and Drusilla, my wife of 52 years, died of a neurological disease, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), in May of 2021.

 

Since I am now unable to provide the same level of support as we used to, I have made MACREX available free. This is exactly the same fully functional version and will continue to be updated from time to time. I have also set up a google group, Macrex-international, which by which MACREX users can support each other. If you would like to join this group let me know. There are also experienced US-based users who are happy to help people. I am happy to provide support also, but I can’t guarantee my response time.

 

I am inviting voluntary donations to support the MACREX web site hosting, with any excess going to the PSP Association, UK. Donations can be made to me via PayPal using macrex@macrex.myzen.co.uk as the email address or directly to the PSP association via their web page (https://pspassociation.org.uk/). To contact me directly email hilary@macrex.myzen.co.uk.

 

North American users of my distribution will need to make one adjustment after installing the program to make sure the keyboard works correctly. From the main screen select Options->General Option 2->B – Set country (dates and keyboard) to United States and then press <ESCAPE> to save as the default.

 

North American Users can also contact Do Mi Stauber - dmstauber@gmail.com – for advice. The program that was distributed by Gale Rhoades was exactly the same program but with different configuration files to support house styles used by various US publishers.

 

Download MACREX-9 (free)

Note that the configuration files have been changed on 4 December 2022 to facilitate the production of .rtf files from the Output menu.

 

Files for HTML output in Version 9

Unfortunately these were omitted from the MACREX version 9 copies distributed until 5 December 2014, so they are available for download here. They support the use of Unicode characters which will be transferred to the HTML output. To use them download the file html.zip and unzip the two files it contains into you MACREX default folder. You can then load them in the ordinary way from the MACREX output program. The files are called htmlv9001.lay and htmlv9002.mwp. You can also download them separately by right-clicking on the file names and selecting "Save file as".

New - Help file for HTML website scanning in Version 9

This help file describes the feature that will make a draft index by scanning a html website. Click the link here and save a copy on your computer if you would like to use it offline.

MACREX Version 9 brings new features, flexibility and ease of use compared to Version 8. In particular we support indexing html documents, flexible colour schemes to help you know where you are and which version of MACREX you are using, and more flexible and extensive support for Unicode characters.

A FEW OF THE NEW FEATURES IN MACREX V9

You can do everything in v 9 that you could do in v 8 plus the following

  1. Position of autocomplete box can be fixed for future entries.
  2. Duplication of headings as well as replacement of headings with their subheadings possible.
  3. Block delete possible on query file.
  4. New colour schemes – quick and dirty use – M from Options menu 1, 0, up-arrow, left or right arrow to choose the colour scheme - if you have saved a v8 colour scheme you can load it into v9. These new colour schemes are designed so that you can work on v8 and v9 on the same computer and so that they can be easily distinguished.
  5. HTML indexing - possible to use URLs as locators and to see what they are pointing to increased number of changed and ignored words – as many as you want providing it’s not more than 2 billion.
  6. Length of expanded form of keyword increased to record length chosen - maximum is therefore 3000 characters; a new box is in place to accommodate the increased length.
  7. Up to 10,000 printer replacement codes.
  8. Popup boxes for block delete and change headings moved to the right by about 10 characters so that you can see the headings you are about to work on better.
  9. Volume numbers can be changed as well as page numbers when there are pagination changes.
  10. Support for different console fonts which can be chosen from within MACREX Windows 7 and 8 support a large number of Unicode characters using the Consolas font. You can also download and install the free DejaVu Sans Mono font which supports Arabic characters, and select it from within MACREX.
  11. Easy use of Unicode characters which are displayed correctly on the screen list.
  12. About 400 characters available using on Windows XP and Vista, about 1500 on Windows 7 and 8. You can add your own code for any new character that you want to use, and it will automatically feed through to the output.
  13. Easy input of many special characters using a two-key system.
  14. File selector allows a sub-folder search. There is a new feature introduced in the last year or two but not documented. This is a facility to search subfolder trees or whole disks for a file. It is available on any of the file selector screens. Access is from the Options drop down menu on the file selector screen or by pressing <CTRL><SHIFT>H on the file selector screen.
  15. When you change to Greek character typing mode (<CTRL><SHIFT>G) you get a warning. When you leave the add screen MACREX automatically reverts to normal character entry.
  16. If MACREX has a problem writing the index to the disk (for example in the case of a hard drive or network failure) you get the option to save a backup file in a different location so you do not lose your work.
  17. v8 IND files can be loaded into v9 and saved in v9 format (you cannot then reopen the index in v8).
  18. Search can be set to ignore diacritics.
  19. Reveal codes feature allows you to see all the replacement codes in use on an entry that you are editing. By default you see the entry you are entering or editing in Unicode.
  20. Variable number of spaces (or other characters) between text and first page number depending on heading.
  21. Group by page number.
  22. Group by page range.
  23. Group by number of page references.
  24. Group by Volume number/range of volume numbers.
  25. MACREX information screen modified to display the font size and the MACREX program folder, in addition to the stuff already there.
  26. You can change volume numbers as well as page numbers for the range of page/vol numbers of the text. The options to set the largest volume number are on the Merge Options Menu 2 and are the same as those for page numbers. When renumbering, there is a check to make sure that you don’t try to renumber volumes and pages at the same time.
  27. For see and see also text you are asked whether you want to add spaces if they are not already there.
  28. Most of the configuration files in MACREX-9 have been converted from binary files to text files. The use of text files means that they are less likely to cause problems if corrupted. In addition you, or someone providing MACREX support, can look at them with a text editor to see what the settings are and modify them if necessary.
  29. More import and export options allowing diacritics etc to be transferred to and from other Windows programs.
  30. You can open a v8 in v9, but it will then be a v9 index – you can’t go back unless you reload a backup file.
  31. Double quotes have a shortcut key (CTRL-SHIFT-Q).

And finally, as has always been possible backup files from any previous version of MACREX can be loaded into v9

Below is the information on how Version 8 improves on Version 7, and also additional downloads.

MACREX version 8.1 was a major upgrade to previous versions. It had a host of new features to enhance usability and functionality as well as fixing all the known bugs in previous versions. The new features included:

Download instructions for the demonstration version

The demonstration version has all the functionality of the full version except that it is restricted to 300 entries and the maximum length of entries is 500 characters.

If you are familiar with downloading and running programs from the internet you can scroll down to the MACREX-9 Demo download link at the end of these instructions. If not we recommend that you read all the following notes. Windows 10 and many antivirus programs provide a lot of checks to make sure that users don't install viruses and other harmful programs. This includes blocking any program that they don't recognise. This means that you will get lots of messages saying that MACREX might harm your computer and recommending that you don't run it. We check our computers and our copies of MACREX very carefully using professional antivirus software so we are confident that MACREX does not contain virus code or other damaging software.

Requires Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 or 8.1, Windows 10. Windows 7 or later recommended.

Compatible with 32 and 64 bit Windows versions.

Many users runs MACREX successfully under under Parallels on a Mac although currently we can't support this.

  1. If you already have a copy of MACREX-9 Demo or the full version installed you will need to uninstall this first. Do this by pressing the windows key, typing "Control Panel" into the search box and then selecting it from the list. Once the control panel windows has opened select "Programs and Features", and double click on the entry for MACREX. You don't need to uninstall an existing MACREX Version 8.
  2. Click the link below, to download the file macrex9demo91046.exe. There may be quite a long pause before the Web Site responds.
  3. When asked select "Save as.." and choose a suitable location on your computer to save the file. If your web browser does not give you a "Save as.." option let the download complete then choose an option to "View downloads", "Open folder" or "Run" (or something similar to one of these).
  4. When the download is complete you may get a message saying that the publisher could not be verified. This is expected. Select "Run" to begin the installation.
  5. On Windows 10 you may see a message like this one.

           Click "View downloads" and you will see

            Click "Run" and you will see

        Click "More Info" and you will see

    Click on Run anyway to continue the installation

  1. If you use "View downloads" or "Open folder", double click on the file "macrex9demo91046.exe" - you may see some of the messages mentioned above.
  2. Follow the instructions on the screen (you may get another message saying that the publisher could not be verified) and at the end of the installation carefully read the MACREX Quick Start instructions that will be displayed.
  3. It is possible that your antivirus software may also try to block you from installing MACREX. In that case you should be able to override the block (with our software you have to choose an option called "File properties"). Email us if you have a problem with this.

Click here to download the MACREX Version 9 Demonstration Version

Notes (FAQ) on installing the demonstration

Will MACREX work on Windows 10?

MACREX is already in use on a number of machines running various versions of Windows 10. We are using Windows 10 exclusively for MACREX use, support and development. Apart from the annoyances during installation (see above) we have not encountered any serious problems. There were some Windows 10 computers where the mouse did not work but this has been corrected in the current version (9.10R046). We are fully committed to supporting MACREX on this platforms.

What will installing the demonstration version do to my computer? Click here for details.

I already have MACREX Version 7 or 8 Installed.  Will installing MACREX Version 9 demonstration version affect this?

MACREX Version 9 Demonstration Version (and indeed the full version) will run alongside any previous versions of MACREX without problems.

Additional documentation for version 8 and 9 users

     Macrex help files in PDF format   

Powerpoint and pdf files for new and existing users

Basic Basics (as you might expect) teaches you the basic skills needed to make indexes in MACREX.

Download a Powerpoint presentation of Basic Basics (a free Powerpoint viewer is available from Microsoft)

Download a pdf file of Basic Basics (if you don't already have an Acrobat Reader a free one is available from Adobe)

Should I upgrade?  This presentation introduces some of the many advanced and unique features of MACREX Version 8 which permit you to enhance the quality of your final index as well as to save your valuable time. In addition MACREX Version 9 offers even more useful features. Click here to see them.

Download a Powerpoint presentation of "Should I upgrade to Version 8?" (a free Powerpoint viewer is available from Microsoft)

Download a pdf file of "Should I upgrade to Version 8?" (if you don't already have an Acrobat Reader a free one is available from Adobe)

 

64 bit compatible versions of MACREX utilities (2012)

These utilities are stand-alone programs, originally designed to accompany MACREX Version 6. Much if their functionality is now included in the main body of MACREX, but some people still find it useful to use them on their own. The existing versions would not run on 64 bit versions of Windows, so we have recompiled them so that they will now run with all versions of Windows. They have all had '2' added to the file name to indicate that they are the new versions, but functionally they are identical to the old ones. Please note that these are only intended for experienced or adventurous users! Also your web browser may tell you that they may harm your computer - ignore this.

 

Strip2.exe

 

This program will ask you for the name of a .MBK file to read from, the name of an output file to receive the "stripped" version of the .MBK file and the text to define which lines are to be stripped and copied to the output file.
 

The file which is to be stripped will be scanned one line at a time. If the text which has been selected to be removed is present at the beginning of the line it will be removed and the rest of the line written to the new output file. If the text to be removed is not present the whole line will be ignored and will not be written to the output file.

You can use this to split multiple indexes. For example if all the authors have been entered under A by prefixing them with a, ( A, comma, space) and all the subjects under S in a similar way, you can prepare separate backup files containing the subjects and authors by stripping first a, (don't forget to type the space) and then s, to different output files.

 

select2.exe

 

This program will allow you to create a sub-index from an existing index. The sub-index will contain all of the entries which do (or do not) contain a particular word or phrase. It works on a backup (.MBK) file and produces a second backup file. The text used to select the entries may contain "wildcards"or "regular expressions". This means that the symbols \^$?:*+-[] have a special meaning. See the Help option on next menu for more information.

 

volfrig2.exe

 

This program will process a file prior which has been prepared using a text editor prior to loading it into MACREX by the "Copy a backup file" option. It will

1.      Perform punctuation corrections and checks

2.      Replace 0 keywords

3.      Duplicate subheadings denoted by _

The function of VOLFRIG is exactly like that of CORRECT except that it will also insert volume numbers in appropriate places, eg cows 1.14, 19, 22, 2.11, 33 will be changed to cows 1.14, 1.19, 1.22, 2.11, 2.33If there are volume separators (eg cows 1.14, 19, 22: 2.11, 33) these must be replaced with commas before processing with VOLFRIG.

 

Headings2.exe

 

This program can do two things

1.      It will generate a list of all the main headings used in a MACREX backup (.MBK) file and place these in another file. Providing that the correct text for cross-references ("see also") references is used it will also show which headings are cross-referenced. The backup file needs to be sorted for this program to work correctly.

2.      It will copy the MACREX backup file to another file and strip off all the page references in the new file.

MACREX List messages, 1998 to 2014

 

These are copies of the email list containing ongoing discussion by MACREX users. They are provided in PDF format for each individual year, or it is possible to access the PDFs from 1998 through 2001 in one zip file. They are for existing MACREX users only. They are password protected; contact us with your serial number to obtain the password.

 

macrex_list_1998.pdf          361,465 bytes
macrex_list_1999.pdf          652,619 bytes
macrex_list_2000.pdf          746,502 bytes
macrex_list_2001.pdf          458,266 bytes
macrex_list_2002.pdf          493,496 bytes
macrex_list_2003.pdf          164,061 bytes
macrex_list_2004.pdf          234,954 bytes
macrex_list_2005.pdf          230,448 bytes
macrex_list_2006.pdf          237,365 bytes
macrex_list_2007.pdf          571,704 bytes
macrex_list_2008.pdf          271,290 bytes
macrex_list_2009.pdf          485,564 bytes
macrex_list_1998_to_2009.zip  3,686,126 bytes
macrex list 2007a.pdf
macrex list 2008a.pdf
macrex list 2009a.pdf
macrex list 2010a.pdf
macrex list 2011a.pdf
macrex list 2012a.pdf
macrex list 2013a.pdf
macrex list Jan 2014a.pdf

Last updated 4 Decemberc 2022.  Return to MACREX home page.