Best Macro List

[JMichaelTX]

Best Macro List

UPDATED: 2021/09/23 13:41 CDT

The intent is for this to be a list of the best macros, as determined by you guys, the users of Keyboard Maestro.
I have set this topic/post as a "wiki", which means anyone can edit it. Of course, we would ask you to consider carefully before you make a change.

See related topic:
Best Examples of Keyboard Maestro Macros

To edit a "wiki" post, just click on the "wiki edit icon" in the top right of the post.

Macros are sorted first by Category, then alphabetically by Macro name.

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Short, Simple, Example Macros

We have a tag named example which is used to tag those macros that are written specifically to provide an example of some feature and/or simple (partial) workflow. If you post such a macro, please tag with example

• View List of Example Macros

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Macros by Category

Apple Mail

• Sending small attachments with Mail Drop – by @Tom

Clipboard Processing

• How to Detect When Clipboard Has Changed – by @JMichaelTX
• Multifunction (Clipboards, Case Change, URLs, Mail Variables) Paste Macro – by @Rather
• Paste and Delete from History – by @DanThomas

Date/Time

• Convert Date/Time String from One Format to Another [Example] – by @JMichaelTX
• Date From Typed String Macro – by @mrpasini
• Insert Time and Date Macro – by @peternlewis
• Timestamp Macros (with Swift scripts) – by @Tom

Debugging Keyboard Maestro Variables & Dictionaries

• MACRO: Variable Inspector Prompt and Dictionary Editor v3.2

Diagnostics and System Info

• Paste System & Hardware Info – by @Tom

File/Folder Processing

• A Few Favorites – by @mrpasini – New 2021/09/23
• Batch Rename files in the Finder – by @peternlewis
• [FILE] Process Lines in Text File – by @JMichaelTX
• [FINDER] Move Selected Finder Items to Choose Folder – by @JMichaelTX
• Get Selected Items from Finder or PathFinder [Example] – by @JMichaelTX

Image Processing

• Enhanced Screenshot – by @Tom
• Napkin v0.9k Text, Drawing & Photo Macro – by @mrpasin
• PNG Optimizer – by @Tom

Keyboard Maestro Tools

• Copy, Paste, and Batch-Delete Triggers (KM8 Only) – by @gglick
• Create Text Expansions Macro – by @peternlewis
• Delete List of KM Variables [Sub-Macro] - by @JMichaelTX
• Find All Broken Execute Macro Actions – by @DanThomas
• Find Macros that use Selected Sub-Macro – by @DanThomas
• Go To Macro by Name (Spotlight) – by @DanThomas
• Go To Executed Macro – by @DanThomas
• KMFAM Favorite Actions and Macros – by @DanThomas
• List KM Variables by Size With Option to Delete – @ComplexPoint
• Make Macro Alias – by @DanThomas
• Renumber Macro Prefix Numbers – by @DanThomas
• Run Current Macro – by @DanThomas
• Post Clipboard Image Macro Using Safari – by @peternlewis
• Put Selected Actions into Group Action by @JMichaelTX
• Toggle Between Macros and Maintain Scroll Position – by @DanThomas
• Trigger Option Using Long Press of HotKey [Example] – by @JMichaelTX
• Variable Inspector Prompt and Dictionary Editor – by @DanThomas

Mini-Apps

• Log It • quickly save plain text snippets to one or more log files – by @_jims
• Glossarium: Explore Simple Text-Based Glossaries by @mrpasini
• Mirror Mirror Macro – A Backup Utility by @mrpasini
• Napkin v0.9k Text, Drawing & Photo Macro by @mrpasini

Palettes

(Note: This is a draft list. You guys feel free to edit/add.)

• Global Palette – Display Contents & Move Mouse to It – by @ComplexPoint
• List of Macros Tagged with "palette"
• Make Macro Alias for use in Palette Group – by @DanThomas
• Pallets & Sub-Pallets make KM so easy – by @appleianer
• Palette Organizer – by @DanThomas
• Renumber Macro Prefix Numbers to Set Display Order in Palette – by @DanThomas
• Show/Hide Palette for FrontMost App – by @JMichaelTX
• Toggle palettes enable/display from global palette – by @Ken_G_Brown

Reminders

• Go to Note field in Reminders with shortcut – by @Tom

Search

• macOS Spotlight General Purpose Search – by @JMichaelTX
• Textcavator – by @mrpasini

Text Processing

• Abbreviations: States, Months Macro – by @mrpasini
• Brevis – Automating Text Expansions – by @mrpasini – New 2021/09/23
• Common Conversions – by @mrpasini
• Copy Tab-Delimited Lines as Markdown Table – @ComplexPoint
• Date From Typed String Macro – by @mrpasini
• Improved Title Case – by @mrpasini
• Improved Sentence Case Macro – by @mrpasini
• Literary Toolbox – by @mrpasini
• Napkin v0.9k Text, Drawing & Photo Macro – by @mrpasini
• Super Swap – by @mrpasini

User Prompts

• Custom HTML Prompt with Dynamic Size and Position – by @DanThomas

Web Site Authoring

• Minify/Unminify CSS/JS Files – by @mrpasini

Web Page (URL) & Web Browsers

• Create Web Archives (Download Web Page) from a List of URLs – by @ccstone
• Get Fragment URL in Safari – by @Tom
• Execute JavaScript in FrontMost Web Browser – by @JMichaelTX
• Open URL or Search Using Google Chrome – by @JMichaelTX

Windows: Access, Analysis, Diagnostics, & Control

• Front Window Analysis Tool – by @ccstone
• Get Index to Front Screen [Sub-Macro] – by @JMichaelTX
• List All Windows and Properties of App – by @JMichaelTX
• List Every Window Visible to AppleScript, by Application – by @ccstone
• List Properties of Front Window – by @JMichaelTX
• Manipulate KM"s Display Text Window – by @Tom
• Move and Set Window Size Per App & Win Name – by @JMichaelTX
• Desktop Spaces • Macros for Navigation and Window Management – by @_jims

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Other Macros

Best Macros by Author

• @ccstone (Chris) – Example Macros
• @DanThomas – Best Macros & Scripts on GitHub
• @JMichaelTX – Best Macros
• @peternlewis – Comprehensive List of Example Macros

All Macros by Popular Authors

The below links will list all macros posted by the indicated author to the KM Forum "macro" section.

• All Macros by @ccstone (Chris Stone)
• All Macros by @ComplexPoint
• All Macros by @DanThomas
• All Macros by @iNik
• All Macros by @JMichaelTX
• All Macros by @mrpasini
• All Macros by @peternlewis
• All Macros by @radiator
• All Macros by @Tom

Tips

• Find ALL macros posted by an Author (forum member) using this Search:
  @MemberName #macro in:first

[DanThomas]

Must… resist… urge… to list my own macros here.

[JMichaelTX]

Here's a cool benefit / side-effect, of having your macro listed here, in the "Best Macro List": The link to "Best Macro List" shows up at the top of your macro topic:

[JMichaelTX]

I changed the listing of macros from a numbered list to a bullet list.
I think just being on the list is good enough, without trying to debate/select the precise order.

[DanThomas]

Should you pin this?

[JMichaelTX]

We could, but unfortunately the way Discourse forum software works, it doesn’t stay pinned for each member, after that member has read the topic.

Unless @peternlewis knows of another way to make it always stay on top in the “macro” category?

[DanThomas]

Can this topic include Plugins also, or just Macros?

[JMichaelTX]

My preference would be just for macros.
Let’s see how this idea goes.
If it works well, then we could add a similar topic to the “plugin” category.

I’m trying to look at this from the perspective of a new KM user.
If a user is trying to find/select a macro they need, how do they do it?

We have a mixed blessing: We have a lot of macros published/shared, but they are a variety of usefulness and quality. The “Best Macro List” is just one way of highlighting those that the user community have found most useful.

Plugins are a complicated subject, and they deal with KM Actions, not Macros.
So, to keep things simple for now, I’d rather stick with just Macros here.

[DanThomas]

OK, that’s cool.

[JMichaelTX]

Custom HTML Prompt with Dynamic Size and Position – by @DanThomas

Just added this one, from Dan the Macro Man

[JMichaelTX]

Macros are sorted alphabetically within the group

List updated, and sorted.

[JMichaelTX]

Best Macros by Author

Each link is to the topic created by the author.

Just added this group.

Feel free to create your own list of your best macros, and then add a link to it in the above group.

To make it consistent, please use this format for topic name:
Best Macros by @[your forum ID]

[JMichaelTX]

Feel free to create your own list of your best macros, and then add a link to it in the above group.

Hey guys, I'd like to encourage each of you to build and post your list of macros.

Two benefits:

1. Get listed on this topic
2. Get a link to your list on all of the macro topics listed in it, so users can easly find all of your macros once they have found one of them.

Example:

[radiator]

Gotta list my own!!

DateTime puts the full date and time. I use this all the time. The result is as follows:
Wednesday, July 6, 2016 5:40:59 PM

If I just want the date, I just delete the day and time.

Type Date and Time

This is probably too simple to bother to post. But I figure it’s useful. I wanted something that, when I am on with customer service being forever handed off from one service support person to the other, I can quickly mark the date and time. Obviously the format can be adjusted by digging into the various KM commands. But for me, this painted the picture I needed. datetime.kmmacros (3.7 KB) Usage Type “datetime” and you get the date and time, in a format as follows: Sunday, October 5, 201…

[radiator]

Guess this is a 1 item list!

[JMichaelTX]

Run Current Macro – by @DanThomas

Just added another great macro by @DanThomas

[DanThomas]

@JMichaelTX - I just added your macro:

[KM] Put Selected Actions into Group Action

###MACRO: [KM] Put Selected Actions into Group Action ####EDIT: ~~~~~ VER: 1.1.1 2016-05-05 ~~~~~ ####DOWNLOAD: [KM] Put Selected Actions into Group Action.kmmacros (11 KB) See Peter’s original macro at: Peter, many thanks for this excellent macro. I have modified it a bit to: Create the Named Clipboard (“KM Group Action”) if it does not exist Fix an issue which did not put the Group at the end of the macro when the Actions were all at the end of the macro. Author: @Peter…

How the heck I forgot about it I don't know, because I use it all the time. In fact, that may be why I forgot about it - it's second nature.

Occasionally I feel like taking a stab at redoing it so it runs slightly faster, but "better is the enemy of good enough", as someone famous once said! And this one is way more than just good enough.

Thank you!

[JMichaelTX]

Clipboard Processing

Paste and Delete from History – by @DanThomas

Just added this great little macro that I use many times a day.

Also, added a new macro category: “Clipboard Processing”

[JMichaelTX]

Global Macro Search with Spotlight-like UI – by @DanThomas

Just added another great macro by the macro master.