RE: MIDI Foot Pedal Wizardry
Hi all,
I know this is an old thread, but I've been fantasizing about this for years because I have an automation fantasy: Being able to use a foot pedal as an additional modifier key or "context toggle/clutch". Anyone who plays piano or drums will understand the motivation behind this. And anyone who uses Vim can probably imagine the benefits. That said, I'd like to use my MIDI keyboard's foot pedal as a "modifier" or – at the very least – see how other KM users are leverage MIDI in their setup.
Do you know of any examples, successful implementations, or use-cases?
Per the existing discussion here, I'm including a post I made elsewhere on the KM Forum. It might prove pertinent...
One system I've set up with Keyboard Maestro that I'm particularly proud of is the use of faux-modifier keys. It opens up a great deal of potential for more keystrokes and more specific contextual uses. For example, I have a macro that when I'm holding down
[ALT + ;], temporarily enables certain other macros triggers until I release[ALT + ;]. This macro (see below) takes the text selection (or lack thereof) and wraps it with bookends (a 'pre' variable and a 'post' variable). What makes it special is that it's triggered by this key combination:
[ALT + ;]+[ALT + 2]
The reason for depicting the keystroke like this is because[ALT + 2]isn't enabled unless[ ; ]is down. And since[ALT]is already down, it's not necessary to include with the[ ; ]. It all sounds very convoluted, but is actually quite simple; If you've driven a manual/stick-shift automobile, it's a lot like a clutch.
Here's a handy example macro...which you can also use as a template:
DOWNLOAD KM MACRO: Text Wrapper - PHP Multiline Comment Selection - KMmacro.zip
