Catryx - CATIA VBA Macro Launcher

A macro launcher for CATIA V5, designed to make running and registering macros as effortless as possible. Catryx automatically scans JSON configuration files in a designated folder and dynamically builds an organized menu UI, so you can launch your macros intuitively.

Background & Motivation

This tool was created to address the limitations of the existing CATIA_V5_SimpleMacroMenu. The previous macro menu had several pain points:

• Environment compatibility issues: It relied on older .NET Framework objects, causing failures on recent systems.
• Bloated source code: All functionality was packed into a single .catvba file, making the project unwieldy and hard to maintain.
• Tedious configuration: Adding and registering existing macros was overly cumbersome.

Catryx solves these problems by providing a launcher that is free of external library dependencies and supports splitting macro projects into simple, manageable units.

Key Features

• Distributed management: Organize macros into separate folders to keep codebases clean and maintainable.
• Dynamic UI generation: Simply place folders and JSON files in the specified structure, and tabs and buttons are generated automatically.
• Icon support: Drop an image file (jpg / bmp / gif / ico, etc.) into a macro's folder, and it will automatically be used as the button icon. (Note: png is not supported due to VBA's built-in limitations.)

Development Environment

• OS: Windows 11
• CATIA V5 V5-6R2022 (R32)

Installation

Register Catryx.catvba just like any other CATIA macro:

1. Download this repository and place it in any location you prefer.
2. Open the CATIA Macro dialog (Alt + F8) and register Catryx.catvba.
3. Run the CATMain subroutine in Main.bas to launch the launcher.

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File Structure

Below is the basic file/folder structure required to run the launcher. Place a Macros folder at the same level as the .catvba file, and the launcher will scan it automatically.

(your-folder)/
 ├── Catryx.catvba        <- The launcher itself (contains Main.bas, etc.)
 ├── Macros/              <- Root folder for all macros you want to run
 │   ├── Settings.json    <- Global launcher settings (e.g. tab order; auto-generated)
 │   │
 │   ├── [MacroA_folder]/
 │   │   ├── xxx.catvba   <- The macro to execute
 │   │   ├── icon.png     <- (Optional) Icon image displayed on the button
 │   │   └── Macro.json   <- Macro registration info (group, entry point, etc.)
 │   │
 │   └── [MacroB_folder]/
 │       ├── yyy.catvba
 │       ├── icon.jpg
 │       └── Macro.json

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Configuration Files

Macros/Settings.json (Global Settings)

This file is auto-generated on the first launch. It primarily controls the display order of tabs (groups) in the UI.

{
  "tabOrder": [
    "Part",
    "Assy",
    "Draw"
  ]
}

• tabOrder: Lists tab names in the order they should appear from left to right. Any groups not listed here will be appended automatically to the right.

Macros/[MacroFolder]/Macro.json (Per-Macro Settings)

Place this file inside each macro's folder to define which module and function to call.

{
  "group": "Part",
  "moduleName": "Main",
  "functionName": "CATMain",
  "tooltip": "A handy utility macro for parts",
  "Caption": "MyMacro"
}

• group (required): The tab category name. Use a comma-separated value (e.g. "Parts, Utility") to display the same button on multiple tabs. Macros without this field are not loaded.
• moduleName (optional): The standard module containing the target macro. (Default: "Main")
• functionName (optional): The procedure to call. (Default: "CATMain")
• tooltip (optional): A description shown when hovering over the button.
• Caption (optional): The text displayed on the button. If an icon image is present, the icon takes priority; otherwise this text is shown. (If omitted, the first two characters of the file name are used.)

Minimal Configuration Example

You only need to specify group — all other keys fall back to their defaults.

{
  "group": "Part"
}

In this case, the CATMain procedure in the Main module will be called.

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Preferences Tab

The launcher UI automatically includes a Preferences tab alongside your macro tabs. It provides the following buttons:

• Open Macros Folder: Opens the Macros folder in File Explorer — handy for adding new macros or editing configuration files.
• Reload: Re-scans the Macros folder and Settings.json, then rebuilds the UI to reflect the latest state. This lets you pick up changes without restarting the launcher.

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Contributing

Contributions, bug reports, and feature requests are welcome! Feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.