Create keyboard shortcuts for impossible items
Previously we looked at how we can find menu items only by their name with the help of the search feature of the Help menu item, available in every application.
Today we will find out how we can use a feature of Butler to imitate us, pressing keys on the keyboard. Doing so, will allow us to open menu items that you can’t create a shortcut for, using the built-in methods of creating keyboard shortcuts, described in this post.
Most applications have container menu items (containing sub items). One that is present in almost every application that can open files (TextEdit, QuickTime Player, Office, …) is called Open Recent, which presents a list of recently opened files. We will use it for this tutorial.
Since these container items are not commands by themselves, going into the System Preferences > Keyboard preferences and assigning a shortcut to it is a no-go.
Previously we learned that pressing control-F2 put the focus in the menu bar, allowing us to navigate the menu bar, only by keyboard.
Another thing we need to know: If you have a menu open, you can start to type the name of the command and it will get highlighted.
For example, say you have the File menu open; start to type Open File and the selection will jump to Open File.
Let’s summarize:
- Control-F2 puts the focus in the menu bar
- Using the arrow keys to navigate the menu bar
(two times to the right to select File) - Pressing the enter/return key will open an item
- Writing the name of a menu item highlights it
This list of commands is exactly what we will make Butler do for us, using its Keystrokes feature.
Let’s dive into it.
1) Open up Butler’s preferences.
To open up Butler’s preferences window, click the computer icon in the menu bar, select Butler > Preferences.
Alternatively, you can bring up Butler’s abbreviation window, by pressing control-space. Once the window is visible, press command - , (comma) to bring up the preferences (as you bring up the preferences in any other application).
2) Go to the Configuration tab and click the plus sign in the lower left corner to add a new Smart Item.
3) Pick Smart Item > Keystrokes
4) A new Keystrokes item is created and its details are displayed in the right pane of the Butler window.
5) Give it a name, e.g. “Open Recent menu item” and assign a shortcut to it. Since the control key is a relatively unused modifier key we suggest using it, so the chance of interfering with other shortcuts gets minimized. A tutorial on all modifier keys on your Mac keyboard is here.
Let’s use control-R to display the Open Recent menu item. Click into the hot key field and press control-R to assign the keyboard shortcut to this function of Butler.
6) Now switch over to the Keys tab. There you’re presented with a blank field. Click inside it, so the blinking input cursor shows up in the top left corner (this input field seems a bit faulty, so you might have to click multiple times into the field until it accepts inputs).
7) Now press the keys (and combinations) we want Butler to “press” for us. These are:
- control-F2
- right arrow (2 times)
- press enter/return to open the File menu
- write “Open Recent” (without the quotes)
- press enter/return again to display the sub item
Note, that every single key that’s pressed is displayed, so the outcome might look a bit confusing. If you do everything right, you end up with this:
In case you pressed the wrong keys, delete them one-by-one by clicking the delete button (pressing the delete key won’t help, since Butler is recording every key we press).
8) Done.
Try it out by opening the text editor TextEdit and press the assigned shortcut, control-R. The Open Recent menu will pop up for you, waiting for you to choose a file you opened previously.
Obviously you can use this tutorial for any container menu item, as long as you know how to get there, using only the keyboard.
An idea: You could also assign a shortcut to the Services menu, for quick access of a lot of handy functions. If you wonder what the Services menu is, please read this post.
Creating shortcut combinations like this makes using your Mac faster, which means you spend less time navigating the menus and more time getting work done.
Just what we like!
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Tags: Butler, freeware, keyboard, keyboard shortcut, menu bar, shortcuts
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