As longtime Mac Gems reader have probably deduced , I eff keyboard shortcuts . If I can get at a procedure more chop-chop or more easily , I ’m all for it . I ’m also a big rooter of contextual menu plugins — being capable to add useful feature to Mac OS X ’s omnipresent “ right - click ” menu is a boon to my productivity . But until now , I have n’t been able tocombinethe two features . That is , I have n’t been able to impute keyboard shortcuts to my contextual computer menu item .
Now , it ’s quite possible that I ’ve just lost half the readers of today ’s column , who are shaking their heads thinking , “ OK , you ’ve just proceed one stone’s throw too far in the following of efficiency . ” But for those still with me , the latest Mac Gems discovery will be a neat addition to your scheme - tweaking toolbox . Abracode ’s freeShortcuts 1.0 ( ) lets you perform just such contextual - menu magic .
After launch Shortcuts , its Assign Hot Keys screen presents you with a list of current contextual menu items , separate into the type of action each performs : actions on textbook ( Spotlight searches , third - part textual matter - munging tool ) , on filing cabinet ( Automator actions , third - party file manipulation tasks ) , or on folders ( alike to files ) . To assign a keyboard shortcut to a contextual menu action at law , you but choose it from the bug out - up menu ; a duologue will appear asking you to press the desire shortcut . ( An item displayed in bolshy in one of the belt down - up card have in mind you ’ve already assigned a shortcut to that item . )
In the above example , I ’ve assign Shift+Command+/ ( basically , Command+ ? ) to Mac OS X ’s “ Spotlight ” contextual menu point . Now , whenever I have textbook highlighted , I can press Command+ ? to forthwith open a Spotlight windowpane with a search for that text already lead up . I ’ve also ascribe Control+Option+Command+C to the third - party CalculateSizeCM , which calculates the bit of single file and folder in , and the total size of , a leaflet , along with the precise equipment failure of datum - branching and resource - fork sizes — essentially a more informative variation of the Finder ’s Get Info windowpane .
( Note that , like contextual menus themselves , Shortcuts ’ alternative are also contextual , and are based on the the Example files on the Assign Hot Keys screen . For object lesson , by default , the File example file is a PNG picture ; the contextual card alternative useable from File pop out - up card are thus actions available for figure file cabinet . If you habituate the Choose Other File button to pick out a different type of file , the options may change . )
When you ’re done assigning shortcut , click the Start button on the Setup screen makes them available . ( The Add push adds Shortcuts ’ backcloth process to your Login Items so your shortcuts are usable each time you sign in . ) A inclination of your assigned shortcuts is available on the Shortcut List covert .
Two other options are also available on the Setup screen . If you plan on using Shortcuts with contextual fare plugins that work with text in Cocoa practical app , the Install button instal a helper InputManager that give it possible for Shortcuts to work with such plugins . And if you enable one of the bezel window notification alternative , Shortcuts will flash , onscreen , the name of any contextual fare item you trigger via a keyboard shortcut . I advocate using this option , as it can be utilitarian in site where you incidentally press a shortcut — rather of wonder what happened , you know on the nose what command was just executed .
The bounteous caveat to Shortcuts , and why it does n’t find a higher rating , is that it act only with contextual menuplugins . That is , it does n’t go with contextual menu item added by applications themselves . For representative , BBEdit ’s contextual menus let in several items , such as Set Marker and Find In Reference , specific to BBEDit ; you ca n’t assign keyboard shortcut to these contextual menu items via Shortcuts . ( The effective news is that many of these practical app - specific items are also uncommitted via the practical app ’s own menu , so you could impute keyboard shortcuts to them via Mac OS X ’s own Keyboard & Mouse preference pane . ) And even some contextual menuplugins , because of the path they ’re write , wo n’t work with Shortcuts .
On the other hand , some of Mac OS X ’s own contextual menu items — Automator items , for example — are made useable by built - in plugins , so theyareavailable to Shortcuts .
Now , granted , the matter about contextual menu is that , well , they ’re contextual . Which means that the mouse cursor is often right on top of the target of the desired action , and you ’re oftenholdingthe computer mouse in your script . So would n’t it be comfortable to just right - click ( or controller - click ) ? If you ’re a mouser , perhaps . But I ’m a keyboard person , and there are clip when I use the keyboard for “ mouse - like ” things . For example , in the Finder , I often type a few letter of an detail ’s name to take it , and in a school text editor or word processor , I use keyboard instruction to play up schoolbook . In such situations , contact for the mouse is what I ’m trying toavoid .
There are also other context in which this feature comes in handy . For example , I antecedently review NuFile ( ) , a contextual bill of fare plugin that lets you create a new written document for whatever coating you desire by right - clicking in a Finder window . you may actually use Shortcuts to assign keyboard shortcuts to each document character listed in NuFile ’s contextual menu — I’ve assigned Control+Options+Command+B to make a unexampled BBEdit document in the current leaflet .
In other words , if , like me , you favour to use the keyboard to a mouse , Shortcuts is a dandy pecker .
