AppleScript Click KM Status Bar Menu Item Too Slow

Questions & Suggestions
1

Hello,
I'm trying to use AppleScript to click the KM status bar menu item.
I don't know how to click the third level menu item yet. But with the code I already have, there is a problem. The first click is quick, but the 2nd click happens quite a few seconds later. I don't know why.

Here is the code:

tell application "System Events" to tell process "Keyboard Maestro Engine"
	click menu bar item 1 of menu bar 2
	tell menu bar item 1 of menu bar 2
		click menu item "Global Macro Group" of menu 1
	end tell
end tell
2

It's broken.

A certain class of menu widgets exhibit this behavior.

AppleScript is waiting for them to return an event after being clicked (AXPressed), and they don't. Instead they time-out after 6-7 seconds.

I don't know the in-depth details. I only know the problem from the outside – having observed it for years now.

Perhaps Mark Alldritt or Shane Stanley on the Script Debugger Forum would know.

Feel free to file a bug report with Peter.

But give up on trying to make it work.

-Chris

3

Thanks, Chris.
@peternlewis, do you have any thoughts about it?

I was trying to make it to work for a specific need.
I have customized the palette in the macro group settings and would like to trigger the palette with a script. I don't know any other way except simulating click on status menu entries.

Or, a better solution, is it possible to add a script trigger here?

image

4

You can use a Show Palette action in your script

image

5

This does not work for me, because I want a customized palette (just for this palette only):

6

Why not just give it a hotkey?

If you need to script it you could:

  • Set a hotkey for the palette activation.
  • Create another macro that presses that hotkey.
    • Keyboard Maestro doesn't like stepping on its own hotkeys.
    • Use System Events to press the hotkey.

Execute an AppleScript.kmactions (713 B)

-Chris

7

I want to avoid hotkey, because i might forget it and when it conflicts with other apps, its hard to debug...

8

How were you activating the AppleScript to activate the Keyboard Maestro Status Menu?

You could set the hotkey of macro 2 to something really esoteric, and use AppleScript to run that macro.

As far as I know that's the only possible way to use an AppleScript to activate the macro group palette with the custom options you've chosen for it.

-Chris

9

I was using touchbar trigger in bettertouchtool.

Well, i was trying the status menu bar click. If it works without delay, I won’t need a hotkey.

That’s also why I was asking if a script trigger could be added:

10

I've found a solution!

I saw it before but did not make it to work. I thought it wasn't the solution I was looking for. But after some attempts, it's working now.
I got the idea from here (including the status menu bar click):

There is a bug where clicking some status menu items causes scripts to be blocked for about 5 seconds. One workaround is to terminate System Events after the click command:

launch application "System Events"
delay 0.2
ignoring application responses
   tell application "System Events" to tell process "Time Tracker"
       click menu bar item 1 of menu bar 2
   end tell
end ignoring
do shell script "killall System\\ Events"
delay 0.1
tell application "System Events" to tell process "Time Tracker"
   tell menu bar item 1 of menu bar 2
       click menu item 2 of menu 1
   end tell
end tell

The only adjustment I needed to make is to switch the delay 0.1 and do shell script ... from

-- this will not work.
do shell script "killall 'System Events'"
delay 0.1

To

-- this works.
delay 0.1
do shell script "killall 'System Events'"

Here is the complete AppleScript code:

ignoring application responses
	tell application "System Events"
		tell process "Keyboard Maestro Engine"
			click menu bar item 1 of menu bar 2
		end tell
	end tell
end ignoring
delay 0.1
do shell script "killall 'System Events'"
tell application "System Events" to tell process "Keyboard Maestro Engine"
	tell menu bar item 1 of menu bar 2
		click menu item "Text Manipulation [Macro Group]" of menu 1
	end tell
end tell

Also, because I don't know how to simulate clicking the status menu bar item at the second level, I can only to click the status menu bar item at the first level, I need to set the items either "By Group" or "Alphabetically".

image

11

Hey @martin,

This works, but it's a nasty hack and slow – so I don't like to use it.

Try this.

-Chris

Open Keyboard Maestro Status Menu and Select an Item if Desired v1.00.kmmacros (8.5 KB)

Keyboard Maestro Export.png825×1203 128 KB

1 Like
12

Thanks, Chris.
It works great! Mine was not only too slow, it sometimes did not click the correct menu item when the cursor was inside the would-dropdown-menu area. Your macro does not have this issue.

1 Like