Many of Mac OS X’s standard keyboard shortcuts, such as “New Folder” (Shift + Command + N), “Save As” (Shift + Command + S), and “Paste and Match Style” (Option + Shift + Command + V), require pressing multiple keys simultaneously. While this isn’t very difficult to do with KeyStrokes or SwitchXS, it would be much easier if you could save yourself two or three clicks by triggering complex commands like these with one button. Fortunately, LayoutKitchen makes this possible -and it couldn’t be easier!
This article will show you how to create a Text Macro button in LayoutKitchen that simultaneously activates multiple keys. For demonstration purposes, we’ll be adding a button to a KeyStrokes panel that takes a picture of the screen; however, if you want to add the button to a SwitchXS panel or change its function to something else, such as “Save As,” the same basic steps should apply.
For this tutorial we’ll be adding our button to an existing KeyStrokes panel. In LayoutKitchen, choose KS Panels and select an existing panel to open it.
In the Inspector, click the item kind pop-up menu and select Text Macro.
Click “New Button” to add a new Text Macro button to your panel. Position and size the button as you like.
Now we will set style and color options for the button. With the button still selected, in the Appearance section of the Inspector click the pop-up menu beside the word “Design” to set the design of the key. For this example we chose the Snow Key design.
Click the pop-up menu beside the word “Display” and select Label Only so only the button’s label is displayed.
Click the color swatch directly below the word “Label” to bring up the Mac OS X Colors panel and set the label color. If it is not visible, click the small color wheel icon to bring up the color wheel. Make sure the small dot is centered in the middle of the color wheel and then drag the brightness slider towards the center so a shade of grey is selected. Click OK.
Click the color swatch directly below the word “Button” to bring up the Mac OS X Colors panel and set the button color. Click the red part of the color wheel near the edge and then drag the brightness slider all the way to the top so a bright shade of red is selected. Click OK.
Now we will enter the button’s content including its Text Macro. In the Content section of the Inspector, click in the Description field and type “This button takes a picture of the screen”.
Click in the Label field and title the button “Take a Picture”.
Click in the Cue text field and type Take a Picture. If “Speak the key or suggestion below the cursor” is selected in the Audio & Visual Feedback section of the KeyStrokes preferences, KeyStrokes will speak this text when the cursor is over the button.
Now for the fun part: assigning the button’s Text Macro. Click in the Text Macro field and then click the key list pop-up menu situated directly above it. From there, select Command from the list and then press “Add Key”. A bracketed command down and command up instruction is added to the Text Macro field.
Click in between the command down and command up instruction. From the key list pop-up menu, select Shift from the list and then press “Add Key”. A bracketed shift down and shift up instruction is inserted between the command down and command up instruction.
To complete the Text Macro, click in between the shift down and shift up instruction and type “3″.
Right below the Text Macro field, make sure the option for “Allow auto repeat” is unchecked.
Choose File > Save to save your panel. Please note that if you are editing a read-only panel, such as those that come preinstalled with KeyStrokes, you will have to choose File > Save As to save your panel and give it a new name.
From the KeyStrokes Keyboard menu, select the panel that contains the new Text Macro button.
To test it, click “Take a Picture”. If you hear a camera sound and see a new file titled “Picture 1″ appear on your desktop, voila, you have correctly made a Text Macro button that simultaneously activates multiple keys!
- Joe Barnick
Michael September 30, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Great post Joe! Im a C3-C5 Quad, I use KeyStrokes and LayoutKitchen 24/7! I was happy to see this post. So many people have no idea this software is available. I have several Photoshop shortcuts setup on mine, saves me a lot of time. I even setup a Automator action with LayoutKitchen. It works great!
Ricky Buchanan September 30, 2008 at 1:47 pm
@Michael: I’d love to know about the Automator action and LayoutKitchen – that’s not a combination I’ve tried before. Feel like writing a Joe-style article for ATMac about it?
Kati January 3, 2009 at 1:46 am
I’m having probs with this one. Im trying to get it to do command control S to speak text.
I pressed command and add key and i get the command up/down line, but when i go inbetween them and click to add key control the menu doesnt pop up again to let me choose control, it just repeats the command line.. where am I going wrong?
I’m using Rickys colour block plus but changing the word endings to keys that operate multiple presses like read text, screenshot, Force Quit etc.
Whats an automator by the way?
Joe Barnick January 3, 2009 at 2:36 pm
@Kati: Unfortunately, I cannot reproduce your problem and I really have no idea what could be causing it. if quitting and restarting LayoutKitchen doesn’t solve the problem, I would suggest you contact AssistiveWare support with the issue.
Automator is an application included with Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5 that allows users to create complex Applescript workflows through an intuitive drag n’ drop interface. You can read a little about it here: http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/300.html#automator
Kati January 4, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Does anyone already have a keyboard they could upload that has keyboard shortcuts for multiple button sequences?
I was thinking of just the most frequently used like ‘Force Quit’ as I use that alot when firefox freezes! ‘Speak Text’ would be useful for me with also using it as communication aid
‘full screenshot’ and ‘select shot’ (command, shift 4 i think)is a good one for taking pics of my panels.
Apart from email, chatting and browsing I mainly use Word and iPhoto. I’m trying to learn iWeb and I used to like Desktop Publishing on the PC using Publisher if there’s a similar program on the Mac?
I would be interested in learning something like that to do flyers/business cards/Newsletters for people etc.
Anyone got existing panels they use with these programmes you could upload to give me a few ideas on where to start?
Ricky Buchanan January 5, 2009 at 8:28 pm
You can find “force quit” in the Apple menu (top left corner of the screen) Kati, you don’t need it in the keyboard. Just switch to a program that’s still working and select Force Quit from there.
I don’t really use different panels for different programs – almost all the commands are in menus which are mouse accessible and I use KeyStrokes not SwitchXS so I don’t need to duplicate menus.
Joe Barnick January 7, 2009 at 1:59 pm
@Kati: I’l send you my keyboard in an email.
Regarding desktop publishing software on the Mac, the standard apps most designers use are Adobe InDesign (expensive) or QuarkXpress (even more expensive), though I believe you can also do simple newsletters and brochures in Pages ’08 (part of iWork ’08) and Word 2008.
Kati January 7, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Thanks Joe. You’re a Star! I had been debating whether to upgrade office 2004 which I have a copy of or try iWork but someone pointed me in direction of a free program on the Avery site called Design Pro for Mac which has basic templates for flyers and business cards. (my brother is starting his own business so I just needed to make some basic business cards and flyers for him). Anyway that’s sorted just waiting for the blank labels/cards etc to arrive now.
@Ricky: I relaise Force Quit is in the menu at top left, but I’m trying to learn how to make all these different types of buttons in Layout Kitchen, so I practise in a ‘button bar’ with a different type of each button so far the Text Macro is proving the most difficult as I find the middle bit confusing cos mine doesnt seem to be doing the same thing.
I sent an email to someone at assistive ware but havent had a reply yet. I thought if I copied someone else’s button design into my ‘button bar’ so the correct instructions were present for the Macro to see if it would work that way.
At the moment I’m just having fun with learning it and designing different panels, my idea is by the time I need them I will be able to use them to type at a fairly reasonable speed via some type of head pointing system.