Keyboard macros save time and effort
Keyboard Maestro creates macros, or sequences of actions that can be saved and then invoked and played back with a single keystroke or other trigger. Version 8, released last year, adds several welcome improvements and interface enhancements.
If some of you oldtimers think Keyboard Maestro sounds like the late, lamented QuicKeys, you’re right. I loved QuicKeys for years, but since its untimely demise more than a decade ago, Keyboard Maestro is my go-to utility for automating multistep processes and executing them with a single keystroke or click.
It saves me tons of time and effort daily. For example, it’s never been easier to create macros by dragging and dropping actions in Keyboard Maestro’s drag-and-drop macro editor. Just string together actions such as: launching apps; moving or clicking the mouse; typing text; choosing a menu item; opening a file or folder; moving or resizing a window; and hundreds more.
Use Keyboard Maestro’s “Record” function to record what you do with the keyboard and mouse and then save it as a macro.
I’ll warn you that the Record feature isn’t perfect, and you’ll probably have to fine-tune your recorded macros in the editor to get them to work the way you like. But it’s not hard, and Keyboard Maestro 8 includes a builtin warning system that will alert you to many common mistakes.
Either way, once you’ve built a macro, you can trigger multistep processes with a single keystroke or click. It took me about five minutes to create a macro that:
1. Launches my word processor.
2. Presses the Return key twice.
3. Types today’s date.
4. Presses the Return key two more times.
5. Types “Dear.” Starting a new letter has never been faster.
Although I’ve used Keyboard Maestro for years, I found Version 8’s built-in Assistance more helpful than expected. With links to articles and tutorials to help you get started, plus links for when something unexpected happens or something expected doesn’t happen. It also includes links to quick start guides and in-depth tutorials on myriad topics.
You can and should spend hours learning new and old Keyboard Maestro tricks.
In closing, I’d like to highlight just three (out of more than 100) Keyboard Maestro features that save me tons of time and effort:
• Clipboard History: Remembers the last 100 items I’ve cut or copied to the clipboard.
• App launching/ switching: Lets me open or switch to my most-used apps instantly with a keystroke.
• Remap keys: Example — I never use the Forward Delete or Help/Insert keys, which are adjacent to the backspace key on my keyboard, so I used to press them accidentally until I remapped both to perform a backspace. Problem eliminated.
Download the free trial version and become more productive today.