Keyboard Maestro feature requests

[benlandis]

1. Ability to use separate windows for Actions, Groups/Macros, and the editor.
   • Bonus: ability to toggle “Keep On Top” for any/all of these windows

2. Ability to open a second editor window to better facilitate viewing/editing two macros at once

3. Tool for helping identify which keyboard shortcuts are currently valid hotkeys for triggering macros and which are free and should be considered.
   Maybe show separate pictures of a keyboard for each combinations of modifiers, with the keys colored for those that are currently assigned to macros. Maybe color keys differently by macro group (with optional ability to assign colors to something specific).

4. Ability to import macros from a kmsync file as though it were a kmmacros file

5. Condition for whether a specified macro is currently running. This would be an essential, loved, constantly-used tool.

6. Ability to click on specified text in the browser regardless of whether it’s a link. Often interactive web elements neither qualify as links nor are possible or practical to try to identify using XPath.
   What would make this an even better, breathtakingly useful tool would be some options for narrowing down what text to click on. My two favorite options would be 1) using regex on the page HTML source code, 2) using regex on the page text content (as though the user had clicked Select All and Copy and then used regex on the clipboard contents).

[peternlewis]

@benlandis

Ability to use separate windows for Actions, Groups/Macros, and the editor.

I doubt this will happen - it runs counter to the direction the Mac UI is heading, which is generally for more single-window systems.

@benlandis

Ability to open a second editor window to better facilitate viewing/editing two macros at once

I would like to do this, and have even tried to do it previously, but because of how Keyboard Maestro is architected (because of choices I made long long ago), it is incredibly difficult to do. It might happen, but it would definitely be a major version upgrade to do it.

@benlandis

Tool for helping identify which keyboard shortcuts are currently valid hotkeys for triggering macros and which are free and should be considered.

Because of the many different ways macros can be activated and deactivated (even ignoring the ability to enable/disable specific macros on the fly), there is no sensible way to answer this question.

@benlandis

Ability to import macros from a kmsync file as though it were a kmmacros file

Why?

@benlandis

Condition for whether a specified macro is currently running.

It's plausible, although because a macro is copied when it is executed, the information would be somewhat stale even before it starts. You can set a variable when you start and finish a macro to track it yourself (although if the macro fails for any reason that would get out of sync with reality).

When specifically do you want to do this? I have never had the desire myself (otherwise it probably would have been implements ;- ), and it's not a particularly common request.

@benlandis

Ability to click on specified text in the browser regardless of whether it's a link. Often interactive web elements neither qualify as links nor are possible or practical to try to identify using XPath.

If it is not a link, and not identifiable by XPath, how would Keyboard Maestro identify the text to click on?

Was there a specific page you were trying to control that I could investigate to see what options were needed?

[JMichaelTX]

@peternlewis

I doubt this will happen - it runs counter to the direction the Mac UI is heading, which is generally for more single-window systems.

Peter, I am not seeing this in any of my apps, except for KM. Where do you see this trend/direction?

BTW, if you are referring to Apple developed apps, I personally would not use them as a guide. I, and others, find that may Apple apps are poorly designed. IAC, don't let Apple constrain your imagination!