Comparing Action Blocks to Macros

[KeeperCake]

In the course of working with my programmer friend who doesn't like to download apps, he asked me what the distinction was between MD macros and the relatively new action blocks option. Figured the best way to answer that was with a table. Didn't really take me long.

	A Macro	An Action Block
Has a disabling switch?	Yes	No
Can be categorized?	Yes	No
Has a trigger component?	Yes	No
Triggers can be constrained individually?	Yes	n.a.
Has an action set component?	Yes	Yes
Actions can include “Wait For Trigger?”	Yes	Yes
Actions can be grouped into condition sets?	Yes	Yes
Actions can be constrained individually?	Yes	Yes
Has a constraint set component to apply to all actions?	Yes	No
Can read & edit global variables?	Yes	Yes
Can include local variables?	Yes	No
Can include input variables?	No	Yes
Can include those new “working variables?”	No	Yes
Can include output variables?	No	Yes

He told me we could sum it up this way. "Macros are programs. Action blocks are functions."

Suggestions welcome for additions and edits to the table. I don't mind if someone puts the table on the Wiki. I may do it myself since I'm a prospect for access to the Wiki.

 

[Josué García]

In the course of working with my programmer friend who doesn't like to download apps, he asked me what the distinction was between MD macros and the relatively new action blocks option. Figured the best way to answer that was with a table. Didn't really take me long.

	A Macro	An Action Block
Has a disabling switch?	Yes	No
Can be categorized?	Yes	No
Has a trigger component?	Yes	No
Triggers can be constrained individually?	Yes	n.a.
Has an action set component?	Yes	Yes
Actions can include “Wait For Trigger?”	Yes	Yes
Actions can be grouped into condition sets?	Yes	Yes
Actions can be constrained individually?	Yes	Yes
Has a constraint set component to apply to all actions?	Yes	No
Can read & edit global variables?	Yes	Yes
Can include local variables?	Yes	No
Can include input variables?	No	Yes
Can include those new “working variables?”	No	Yes
Can include output variables?	No	Yes

He told me we could sum it up this way. "Macros are programs. Action blocks are functions."

Suggestions welcome for additions and edits to the table. I don't mind if someone puts the table on the Wiki. I may do it myself since I'm a prospect for access to the Wiki.

this is pretty cool, i'll take it to the wiki when i get off work

 

[Josué García]

In the course of working with my programmer friend who doesn't like to download apps, he asked me what the distinction was between MD macros and the relatively new action blocks option. Figured the best way to answer that was with a table. Didn't really take me long.

	A Macro	An Action Block
Has a disabling switch?	Yes	No
Can be categorized?	Yes	No
Has a trigger component?	Yes	No
Triggers can be constrained individually?	Yes	n.a.
Has an action set component?	Yes	Yes
Actions can include “Wait For Trigger?”	Yes	Yes
Actions can be grouped into condition sets?	Yes	Yes
Actions can be constrained individually?	Yes	Yes
Has a constraint set component to apply to all actions?	Yes	No
Can read & edit global variables?	Yes	Yes
Can include local variables?	Yes	No
Can include input variables?	No	Yes
Can include those new “working variables?”	No	Yes
Can include output variables?	No	Yes

He told me we could sum it up this way. "Macros are programs. Action blocks are functions."

Suggestions welcome for additions and edits to the table. I don't mind if someone puts the table on the Wiki. I may do it myself since I'm a prospect for access to the Wiki.

Right now this should be visible on the wiki

 

[FrameXX]

Action blocks are like functions in coding. They are reusable usually more generic actions that you can make use of in multiple macros. For example the "Whatsapp send" action in MacroDroid could be also created as an action block containing set of more generic actions - in this case it would be mostly UI interactions.

One important quality that action blocks have different from macros is that every action block runs in its own thread and has its own copy of variables that are unique to that run of the action block.

For example you have a macro that after triggered makes a HTTP requests to multiple URLs, then waits until response is returned, parses the returned data and posts a notification. With simple macro you would have do these actions for every URL one by one in a loop, but if you place an action block with the very same actions into the same position and just uncheck "wait until action block ends" and it will instead start to run HTTP request (which can take a longer time (is asynchronous)) and then the parsing and posting in its own thread thus not blocking the main thread which can immidiately start another action blocks in their own threads etc... you will end up with MacroDroid doing all you wanted for every URL all at once and much faster.

 

[Endercraft]

Actions can include “Wait For Trigger?”

This is not supported in action blocks, but you can use an if to put one in anyway.

Can include those new “working variables?”

Working variables are local variables (they act like local variables except they're not kept when action block ends).

He told me we could sum it up this way. "Macros are programs. Action blocks are functions."

Exactly.

 

[OscariBot]

From the very first day ACTION BLOCK was included in macrodroid till date I still hav not found a significant reason I should use it in place of RUN MACRO action.

I can't seems to see anything unique abt it and why I shud use it in place of RUN MACRO action.

Maybe am myopic here.
Can someone tell me very outstanding reason to use ACTION BLOCK or perhaps is there anything ACTION BLOCK can do and MACRO cannot do?

Just curious

 

[Endercraft]

From the very first day ACTION BLOCK was included in macrodroid till date I still hav not found a significant reason I should use it in place of RUN MACRO action.

I can't seems to see anything unique abt it and why I shud use it in place of RUN MACRO action.

Maybe am myopic here.
Can someone tell me very outstanding reason to use ACTION BLOCK or perhaps is there anything ACTION BLOCK can do and MACRO cannot do?

Just curious

From the very first day ACTION BLOCK was included in macrodroid till date I still hav not found a significant reason I should use it in place of RUN MACRO action.

I can't seems to see anything unique abt it and why I shud use it in place of RUN MACRO action.

Maybe am myopic here.
Can someone tell me very outstanding reason to use ACTION BLOCK or perhaps is there anything ACTION BLOCK can do and MACRO cannot do?

Just curious

Well, for example you can create an action block to convert temperatures, or distances.

 

[Dm114]

From the very first day ACTION BLOCK was included in macrodroid till date I still hav not found a significant reason I should use it in place of RUN MACRO action.

I can't seems to see anything unique abt it and why I shud use it in place of RUN MACRO action.

Maybe am myopic here.
Can someone tell me very outstanding reason to use ACTION BLOCK or perhaps is there anything ACTION BLOCK can do and MACRO cannot do?

Just curious

You're not totally wrong. It was really similar to a Run macro action at the very beginning.

But Jamie improved these Action blocks so much that it's now much more convenient to use them rather than Run macro actions. Mainly (but not only) according to privacy of variables inside Action blocks: you must not use only global variables to pass values to an independent macro and spoil global variables area with variables that become useless once calling macro has finished...

 

[Dm114]

Well, for example you can create an action block to convert temperatures, or distances.

I wouldn't say that unless this "module" (Action block) is about to be called from several macros, not just one. Otherwise, you'd better use a regular macro to make these conversions.

I made one (in the store) a long time ago and improved it for my personal use. I'll try to update it in the store if you are interested.

 

[OscariBot]

Well, for example you can create an action block to convert temperatures, or distances.

MaCro cAN do ThAt toO... hehe

 

[OscariBot]

You're not totally wrong. It was really similar to a Run macro action at the very beginning.

But Jamie improved these Action blocks so much that it's now much more convenient to use them rather than Run macro actions. Mainly (but not only) according to privacy of variables inside Action blocks: you must not use only global variables to pass values to an independent macro and spoil global variables area with variables that become useless once calling macro has finished...

I wish I understand anything he's saying

 

[OscariBot]

Link please... I really need to see this action block in action.... I want to b sure there is something really unique about it that macro can't do.

I hav been using run macro for all my complex action and each time I see this action block I keep wondering is there something really unique?

 

[Endercraft]

Link please... I really need to see this action block in action.... I want to b sure there is something really unique about it that macro can't do.

I hav been using run macro for all my complex action and each time I see this action block I keep wondering is there something really unique?

At first I was like you, 'I don't see the point ?'
At some point I started using them because I noticed they were actually useful, and started using them. But, action blocks are not just used as functions, they're a playground to hunt bugs and to develop workarounds

 

[Qarboz]

My opinion is that action blocks are handy if you have to repeat the same actions multiple times (with or without different data) within the same macro or in different macros.
E.g. you can create a vibration pattern in an action block and call it from various macros instead of rewriting the same things several times (with the risk of errors; also, if you make a change automatically it is already present in all macros that use that action block!). You can also create it with input variables to determine (eg) duration and speed.
But the possibilities are much greater

 

[OscariBot]

My opinion is that action blocks are handy if you have to repeat the same actions multiple times (with or without different data) within the same macro or in different macros.
E.g. you can create a vibration pattern in an action block and call it from various macros instead of rewriting the same things several times (with the risk of errors; also, if you make a change automatically it is already present in all macros that use that action block!). You can also create it with input variables to determine (eg) duration and speed.
But the possibilities are much greater

Hahaaaa same thing can be done by writing a single macro and using RUN MACRO action to run it from all ur macros.

Maybe I should narrow my question to.... What can ACTION BLOCK do that MACRO can't do?

I have played with action block but still have not seen anything unique.

 

[Endercraft]

Hahaaaa same thing can be done by writing a single macro and using RUN MACRO action to run it from all ur macros.

Maybe I should narrow my question to.... What can ACTION BLOCK do that MACRO can't do?

I have played with action block but still have not seen anything unique.

Input/output variables.

 

[Endercraft]

The thing is you may not use action block for their purpose? but some do. I don't (fully) use action blocks for their purposes of being like functions, I use them as workarounds and for experimenting.
Yep, the same thing that had (fixed, for now...) potential to crash anybody on run, and (still has) potential to... do something unwanted.

 

[Dimlos]

If you want to use action blocks, use them, if you don't want to use them, don't use them. I am not familiar with action blocks either, but I have been looking at other people's macros and I am slowly getting the hang of it.

In my opinion, it is a good thing that we no longer have to write long, vertical macros as we did before.

 

[Dm114]

Hahaaaa same thing can be done by writing a single macro and using RUN MACRO action to run it from all ur macros.

Maybe I should narrow my question to.... What can ACTION BLOCK do that MACRO can't do?

I have played with action block but still have not seen anything unique.

I would say that the main difference is the way to pass variables. To pass variables from macro to macro, you must use global ones. With action blocks they can be local.

The inconvenience with global variables (which I'm still using for some purpose) is that either you have specific names depending on macros using them, i.e. you must declare and store a lot a variables Or you use a smaller number depending in their type (integer, decimal, string, arrays...) shared by all the macros but if several macros running at the same time use same variables, the values won't be reliable...

Action blocks are not more powerful but just more convenient is some cases.

 

[OscariBot]

@Dimlos you have made one point about the uniqness of action block (To pass variables from macro to macro, you must use global ones. With action blocks they can be local).... This seems to be the only unique feature that might attract me to use it to reduce the number of my global variable.

Thanks

Please don't fail to update me if u found more unique features