macros versus containers

chickenlicken

I have a workflow that is getting long.  I am using containers to organise it.  I have also started packaging pieces of the workflow into macros - not so they can be repeated but so that they can be reduced to just one icon instead of multiple.

Is this a good strategy?  Or will I be slowing the workflow down / any other disadvantages?

danilang

Hi @chickenlicken 

I'm sure you'll get differing opinions on this, but I think that you should continue using containers to organize your workflows.  I have several workflows with >300 controls and containers, tool annotations and comments are the way I maintain control.  I only use macros when required for reuse, or to code processes that cannot be done(or would require many tools) in a regular workflow.

Macro's do have a certain performance hit, but if you only call them once in your workflow then that won't be an issue.   The bigger problem is maintaining and debugging the workflow.  I find it much easier to debug inline than to debug the same code when encapsulated in a macro.  I have to set up the proper input parameters and then do several iterations of change...test...save...run main...repeat until fixed.

Edit:  Wireless connections.  I forgot to mention these.  I put tools into containers based on various criteria, but in general each container ends up with usually one or a few connections as outputs that generally are used in several points further down the chain.  For these inter-container connections, I always use wireless connections to keep the overall page tidier.

Dan