Maxscripts not loading at startup

[p.toomey]

I recently upgraded to max 2022 (from 2019)

I have a few simple scripts I wrote and tied to some toolbar buttons and keyboard short cuts.
They work find in 2019 but in 2022 I can't get them to load. 

When I check the Max log it looks like max is skipping them:

Hidden/System startup script: 'C:\Users\MYNAME\AppData\Local\Autodesk\3dsMax\2022 - 64bit\ENU\usermacros\Bromanche tools-Bromanche.mcr', skip loading...

Anyone know w hat do I need to do to get max to load my scripts?

Would appreciate any help with this,
-Pearse  

[attilaszabo]

Hi @p.toomey ,

Starting with 3ds Max 2021 Update 3, scripts with the hidden and\or system file attribute are not loaded by 3ds Max.

Once you remove the hidden file attribute from your scripts, 3ds Max will load them.

You can read here (link) about the security features of 3ds Max.

I hope this helps,

[p.toomey]

Hey Attila,

Thank you for getting back to me, I'm just going to add some details here that tripped me up.
If you need to make hidden folders visible on windows 10 >>here's how<<
once you can see them they will be slightly transparent, just right click and uncheck the box that says "hidden"

In order for Max to read your maxscript the entire folder structure needs to be unhidden.
by default Max will look in
C:\Users\NAME\AppData\Local\Autodesk\3dsMax\2022 - 64bit\ENU\scripts

The easiest thing to do is can change the visibility of the folders in this folder structure.

if you can't/don't want to do that you can ask Max to look somewhere else by going to customise > configure User and System paths:

 

If you have created a toolbar button to call a script then Max will save a version of that script as a macro.

C:\Users\NAME\AppData\Local\Autodesk\3dsMax\2022 - 64bit\ENU\usermacros

So if you want buttons to work make sure that what ever folder Max is saving these macros to, is not in a hierarchy of folders that is hidden.

In my case I had to unhide the Appdata folder as well as my user folder in order for everything to work.

[attilaszabo]

>In my case I had to unhide the Appdata folder as well as my user folder in order for everything to work.

I'm surprised to hear that. I just tested executing startup scripts and user created macros (by drag-and-dropping a script to the toolbar and restarting Max to click on the toolbar button) with the AppData folder hidden, and it worked for me in 3ds Max 2021.3 and 3ds Max 2022.2.

To be clear, if your user folder that stores scripts is hidden, you have to unhide it for 3ds Max to executes scripts found in there. If the folder is not hidden, but the scripts are hidden, again, 3ds Max will not execute them.

But you do not need to un-hide the AppData folder for scripts found in subfolders to be executed by 3ds Max.