Can You Change the Default Action Timeout?

Questions & Suggestions
1

Is there any way to change the action timeout by default? For a found image, it is 99 hours, but I would prefer to have it be around 10 seconds when the action is simply created.

2

AFAIK, you can change the default for ALL Actions, but not for a specific Action.

It is for that reason, and many others, that I use this great macro by @DanThomas to store all of my customized Actions:

MACRO: [KMFAM] Favorite Actions and Macros

3

No.

There is different timeouts for different actions, but you cannot change their defaults.

I'm not sure what action you are referring to. The Find Image on Screen action does not have a timeout. Perhaps the Pause Until action with the Found Image condition? The Pause Until action does default to 99 hours.

4

Golly, I'd sure like it if this could be baked in. I don't like having to remember to change a time out on every action. 99 hours doesn't work for my use case (RSI injury). Thanks for considering!

5

Not gonna happen. See the developer's response in post #3.

You can set up your own defaults using the favorites system though.

You can save preconfigured actions as favorites for reuse. (See manual.)

-Chris

1 Like
6

Yeah, I need to do that. I have such a large library at this point, it will be very painful. Perhaps I can automate it with KM, lol sigh...

7

Yes. There are all kinds of ways.

You can make your own templates in a group and access and insert them with AppleScript.

You can insert customized raw XML via AppleScript.

You can use @DanThomas' marvelous KMFAM, which is the most mature and customizable favorites tool available for Keyboard Maestro. It predates and is superior to KM's own favorites.

-Chris

2 Likes
8

I came here with the same question :slight_smile: I assumed that there is a default for all which is 99 hours, but I mostly use pause until with an image, that is why I thought that. Making my own default reusable actions makes sense.

Changing from 99 hours could probably be a breaking change so some, but a more reasonable default would also make sense.

9

Different actions have different default timeouts.

Actions that are known to happen relatively quickly typically have a 10 or 20 second timeout.

However an action like Pause Until is specifically designed to pause for an arbitrary amount of time, and so the timeout is essentially infinite to allow for that.

10

Got it, I was looking at it only from one perspective. This makes sense, thank you