I'm testing a new keyboard for my Mac Studio, and it doesn't have a numeric keypad. But I rely heavily on the numeric keypad for KM shortcuts, so I'm using a Bluetooth keypad/calculator thing that I've had for eons as a substitute. I added new triggers to my keypad-based macros; they look like this now:
The first trigger is my old keyboard, the second is for my laptop, and the last is the new keyboard. And this works fine, with one very annoying issue: In many apps, I hear a beep before the macro loads. It took a lot of testing to figure out what was happening, but I finally found the cause.
By testing in TextEdit, I discovered that Control-Option-Numpad6 (on the old keyboard) simply runs the macro. But Control-Option-BluetoothPad6 (on the new keyboard) actually sends the "6" to the app, then the macro runs.
If it's an app that ignores typing outside of text boxes (as the KM Editor seems to do), then the macro just runs. If it's an app that processes typing outside of text boxes (Mail and others), and it doesn't know what to do with single-key "6" detected, I get the beep and then the macro runs. If I'm in a text box, or an app that accepts text, I get a 6 in the text box or the app, and then the macro runs.
And while the beep is annoying, I could live with it…but sending keystrokes to apps when I don't want them sent is a bigger issue.
Does anyone have any idea why the Bluetooth keypad is sending the 6, while the numeric keypad is not? I'm guessing it's just the nature of the beast, and I'm not going to be able to use the Bluetooth keypad as a stand-in for the built-in numeric keypad. But just in case ... any ideas?
No, it's just a standard Bluetooth device that the Mac detects and recognizes as a keyboard device. It's a Satechi Wireless Smart Keypad, and it's very very old.
I found the manual for that device which says it does come with software. I read parts of the manual and couldn't find any options that would solve your problem.
It came with Windows software, but nothing for the Mac. I tried removing it from Bluetooth and syncing again fresh, but it still sends the keys. Thanks for the help, though!
You probably know this, but with some external devices you can re-program the device using Windows and a Windows PC and then reconnect it to a Mac with the changes taking effect.
Yea, I'm just not sure it's worth the hassle — it doesn't look like there's anything there that would change this behavior. I'll either go back to the other keyboard or find another keypad to use.
I gather that the hot key you had set up for the old keyboard did not also work with the keypad. Is that right? It's not obvious to me why it wouldn't.
It's your opportunity to try a programmable keypad. Failing that, one that isn't just aimed at the Windows market – they always seem a bit eccentric from a Mac point of view!
The keypad appears just like the numeric keypad on my old keyboard: If I set a macro to trigger on Keypad 0, it works. And I guess I could change them all to that, but I like having multiple keys available there, so I use them with modifiers.
And that's the failure, and it sort of makes sense to me: If I hold the modifier keys on the keyboard and press a key on the external keypad, only the external keypad key is seen by KM—so it's just like I pressed the key by itself.
I assume this is happening because they're separate devices, but I don't really know,.
Is there anything out there other than x-keys, which looks powerful but expensive?
Ah yes, I guess it's to do with the way the keys are scanned within the device.
Yes, personally I would look for one that is programmable using a widely used standard such as QMK. Since I am in the UK, I am not best informed about specialist/niche keyboard suppliers in the US, but of course feel free to contact me if you need more input (er, no pun intended).
Failing that, one that isn't just aimed at the Windows market – they always seem a bit eccentric from a Mac point of view!