Help! Cannot use the W key anymore!

[Peter_Panino]

I have created a macro that is triggered by tapping TWICE the W key:

NoW I cannot type anymore the loWercase W character ONCE (only uppercase W With Shift+W)!

This happens also even if I activate another app - e.g. Finder or Safari -

WHY?

[Peter_Panino]

The only remedy I have found, was to create a macro that types the letter W when pressing the W key:

But that blocks my previous macro to activate the app - so it's a no-go!

[hello]

the issue is that KM doesn't know when are you going to type the second W.
It can't see ahead.

Try adding a modifier to your first macro.

[Peter_Panino]

So my only option was to add a modifier key:

Now it works perfectly.

[Peter_Panino]

@hello

the issue is that KM doesn't know when are you going to type the second W.
It can't see ahead.

Shouldn't KM be able to intercept a key that is tapped twice in a short period of time?

@hello

Try adding a modifier to your first macro.

Thanks, that's what I have done.

[hello]

The issue is that KM, with your first macro, it is remapping the W key to wait for it to being tapped twice.
So, you need to have some sort of way to also timeout your new macro, to be able to type the W as usual.

There are some threads with macros that do this, let me see if I can find them

[hello]

Check this thread:

Controlling Which Macros Are Fired When Tapping Once, Twice, Thrice, or Four Times

Hey Ernest, hkmpKeypressCount is a variable name made up by @DanThomas for this particular macro – so there's no reason you would find it in any of the Keyboard Maestro documentation. How Are Multiple Tap Triggers Possible? Keyboard Maestro Wiki ⇢ USB Device Key I think you are misunderstanding what “key swallowing” means. Your device key is essentially a keyboard chord – when you press that chord Keyboard Maestro will eat it – e.g. it will not be output anywhere else. No matter how many …

[Peter_Panino]

@Controlling Which Macros Are Fired When Tapping Once

when you press that chord Keyboard Maestro will eat it

Thanks for the explanation. When I eat a Christmas cookie then nobody else can eat it anymore. I have empirically verified this hypothesis. Maybe quantum mechanics will come to another conclusion.