I guess that just shows to go ya that everything comes with some kind of learning curve.
My last shortcut was only one action, but it got the job done and I had to use Shortcuts to do it. (it's on my phone)
My favorite shortcut allows me to dictate lists for any context into Omnifocus. That took quite a while to get right.
But I would ditch it all for KM on iOS!
Yes, though I struggled from scratch with Shortcuts on my phone and got nowhere and dropped it. I started from scratch with Keyboard Maestro and got a few macros going quite quickly. So I have a better comparison set than you do and really can compare both from the start position as it were. I do take your point though I think, objectively, Keyboard Maestro is more intelligible than Shortcuts.
In fact I have wondered what they were playing at with it. Same with their 'Automator', still there and totally unused by me though I tried at least as hard as I did with Keyboard Maestro initially. I feel there is no learning curve possible with the native apps: you have to have a lot of understanding of them from the get go is the feeling I get.
Inserting date and time were the first two macros I wrote. I will admit it took a little reading, but the more I read, the more I didn't have to read. It was a matter of getting used to the KM model of doing things.
I think I used the "insert token" pulldown.
Sometimes I use KM for "ad hoc" automation. Like a spreadsheet needing a lot of very similar fussing in a range of cells.
At work, I'm exiled to Windows, so I have a Genovation programmable keypad. It won't do any of the advanced things KM will do, but it's an amazing help, nonetheless.
Start simple, build from there. I'm happy I have KM.
Hey Carl,
Look at:
I've haven't used AutoHotkey in years, but 15 years ago it was insanely powerful if a bit difficult to learn. I can only imagine how much more powerful it is today.
I've never used Microsoft Power Automate, but the demos look quite interesting.
So – you have a couple of decent options for working with Windows.
-Chris
Hey, Chris - I looked at AutoHotkey. The problem is my work computer is a totally locked down system. The Genovation keypad presents to the system as a keyboard, so company restrictions don't apply.
Microsoft Power Automate is a lot more likely to be blessed. Thanks for the tip, I'm going to do some reading about that tonight.
Ha! I just found my own first post in this forum, and I was pretty much where the original poster in this thread is today.
Timbo, if you're out there, I found KM worth the investment in time it took to learn it. After a year or more of using KM, it's just natural, and the learning curve is nowhere near as steep as it appears to be.
Better getting-started documentation would probably be a good thing, but I'm not the right person to ask. I don't need documentation at this point, so I don't really know the current state of KM literature.
Be well, hope KM proves as useful to you as it has to me.
Actually, the answer to your problem has been here all the time.
[Keyboard Maestro Wiki Dates and Times]
c - If it's not a good fit for you, why are you still here?
Unlike operating systems, which end up being monopolistic there's nothing that requires you to use KM. I'll bet most Mac users have never heard of it! (That's a shame, but I'll bet it's true.)
I am definitely NOT a programmer, but I have created uses for KM that I literally use about a thousand times a day. Were some of them hard to create? Yes. Was every one of them worth it? Yes. Did the process of learning to make KM apps also teach me how to do other things more efficiently? Yes. Has this forum been friendly, encouraging and invaluable? Yes. Are there still things I'd like to do that I still can't figure out? Yes.
If you invest a little bit of time at a time to solve simpler and then more complex problems, you will gain experience and confidence and powerful tools that will pay off for you for the rest of your life.
Or don't.
It's just like playing the guitar. You either do or you don't. At some point you may look back and wish you had. But it's up to you always.
Oh, by the way: Do I wish it was easier to use? Yes. But I also wish my damn iPhone was easier to use too. No matter how great something is, there will always be room for improvement and always ideas for how to make it better.
I'm not a computer programmer, but my copy of Keyboard Maestro says it has saved me "40 years" of time over doing things manually.
I am definitely not a computer programmer--I don't know AppleScript, Javascript, or any other programming language. I'm a radio show host, Adobe software trainer, and former graphic designer. (I contributed the Evergreen palette color scheme to Keyboard Maestro! 
But that was picking colors and suggesting them to Peter.) I suspect my base level of computer skills is higher than yours, but still far, far from computer programmer level.
I learned to use KM through these forums and the very patient, generous people here, as well as spending time with the KM Wiki and Google to help me understand concepts mentioned here. In turn, I've even been able to help other KM users here from time to time.
I understand your frustration, @timbo . I think you probably started off with the wrong idea of what KM is, and you feel tricked by it. Am I right? If so, I can understand that frustration. However, if you take a step back, start fresh, and learn what KM is and does--which decidedly does NOT require computer programming skill unless you want KM to accomplish computer programming tasks--then I think you'll find it much easier to use than you currently think. AND, this community can help you.
To wit: Maybe we can be of direct help. What is a task you're hoping to accomplish with KM (in detail, please)?
I've never tried Shortcuts on macOS because I have KM. I looked at Shortcuts on my iPads, and built super simple things, but I don't do enough work for anything other than simple recipes others have already written (like copy my calendar availability and turn something into a PDF).
Just had to say that this is pretty cool.
True dat. Important too. And especially important in any discussion about UX, which of course involves the UI. One can't stick to facts there — the user's experience is their own — but in citing one's experience one must stick to one's own feelings and not project those onto an exterior framework such as a software program or a person. Something may make one feel "elitist" — or make one conclude that another is "elitist" — but in the interest of solving problems and providing useable feedback (which is a fine use of one's time on-line), these judgements must be stated as one's conclusion, and not stated as fact. The very title of this post — Keyboard Maestro Is Far Too Complicated and Elite! — (which I just used my KMacro "Paste from Clipboard as Text" to cite without linking 
) runs counter to being helpful or willing to sip the cool fresh water of a font of learning. Like most of those who have contributed to this thread, I came to Keyboard Maestro (inserted that with one of scores of text-substitution KMacros I've snapped together, trigger is ".km" – quotes bracketing done with another KMacro I have bound to one of the four programmable keycodes my ZSA Moonlander allows for each key 
) … I came to Keyboard Maestro purblind and green-horned, that is to say, with scant programming knowledge and no already-learned structure on which to hang its new concepts. I stumbled and scraped my face. I'm smart, I use computers, I teach people how to use computers — I couldn't get a single macro to work. There were two commonalities there — me and Keyboard Maestro — and only one was the problem.
The UI may be an elephant in the room, but it's the undigestible straw that went all the way through that is the important bulk of this thread: @timbo Tim — like me, you are the problem. Not your confusion, not your ignorance (we all start with both), but rather the two conclusions that seem to have driven you to post:
The forum responds to this with its opposite: kindness, sympathy, and wisdom. And yet your follow-up actions echo the same pattern — shout and call names:
If you would like to be helped using Keyboard Maestro, try to solve a problem. If the result is not what you expect, post here, tell us what the problem is, what you tried, what you expected to happen, and what happened. You will be guided towards a solution.
If you would like to help the developer improve the software, take notes about your experience, and when you have experience to reflect on, report your experience here. Specify what you did, why, what happened, and how it felt. Let your feeling serve to judge the software — don't judge it yourself (we who do not program are not qualified).
If you would like to be a jerk, be off.
Thank you @Damoeire !
Took a while to put together, one or two actions at a time. After 4-5 weeks, I’ve got a pretty decent setup.
I even have shortcuts to turn of monitors, camera, and lights when they are not needed.
Still toying with the idea of using motion sensors or some other presence detection to turn it all on without needing to press a button.
What about you? Got any neat, fun and interesting things you’re doing with (or without) KM?
—Shawn
I think part of the problem is that Timbo used Quickeys, Quickeys is dead, Timbo wants KM to be quickeys, KM isn't very QK-like. I too converted over to KM when QK died and was initially somewhat confounded at the process. It honestly would have been far easier not to have had any QK knowledge before I started. This happens elsewhere, as a musician I've experienced it being a Logic Pro user and then trying to use Ableton. They both "help you make music" but that's about where the usefulness of having used one app ends when you start on the other.
Timbo, if you're still listening, I have been totally converted to the KM process from originally lamenting the death of QK, and also being shocked at how differently the two approached the similar task of MacOS automation. I've found though that one of the greatest resources is this very forum. It's a major strength of KM - an enthusiastic and knowledgeable community with active feedback. On that front it seems like a good time to thank everyone here again. I'm so grateful for the help that I had right here when I was in Timbo's position – trying to convert away from QK. It really was a diametrically opposed philosophy. Ultimately though, if QK suddenly released a brand new version, I wouldn't move back.
I agree completely. The remedy for the old QK metaphors is to build a lot of macros in KM.
Yes! I feel seen.
Wow, overwhelming!
First, Tim, thank you for expressing yourself. While this Forum is exceptional in the 'space' it provides for contribution, it's still a public space and not what I'd call completely safe (only comatose is completely safe).
I believe everything comes from a 'Source' and Peter is the source of KM, and it is from him, and within his 'space' that we get to have these interactions and produce whatever. More conventionally, Peter, like any company head, sets the company's tone and provides the opportunity to produce the company's value.
I'm now going out on a limb (kids, please leave the room, this is for adults). Peter, don't misunderstand; I love you, I love what you contribute. You, and by extension, this Forum, are a massive contribution to me and my life. It takes real courage to walk out of the stands and onto the floor, create from nothing, offer it to the world, and take whatever comes. You've done that well. Well done!
And Peter, art hasn't yet shown up. I've read many posts here, and I've never once seen you blow your horn about your obvious, serious programming chops. Modesty has shown up. Still, art is missing.
I do not think you'd claim to be an Artist, graphic or otherwise. There's a lot of dancing around and avoiding here. Tim is right while perhaps a bit awkward with expressing what I think is the core of his communication. I don't see you disagreeing. The interface is practical, functional, gets the job done well, and ease of use isn't the FIRST consideration in your design choices. If you were committed to making a KM that 'Just Works,' was 'Plug and Play,' that embodied the 'It's a Mac it's supposed to be fun', design mandate, AND be beautiful to look at as well, it'd be a whole different game.
Given we all have limited resources, choices get made. You continually take the route that works for you with your particular access, which gives KM as it is today and has been trending for a long time. I deeply appreciate the self expression that KM is. You have made a lasting difference for me, and I know for others. Thank you!
I'd love to see a 'KM Lite' modality designed and offered. An entry-level version with a straightforward interface and function set that has a bunch of presets like moving windows to screen halves or quarters, some text manipulating, a premade palette or two with a couple of modifications, keyboard shortcuts, and a single premade menu item (you know, something you could whip up in a couple of hours ;). Then, more functionality would be available along a pricing tier until you've paid the current full price for the current feature set. Then, folks could get their feet wet while staying in the shallow end of the pool WITHOUT fear of getting into deep water like being overwhelmed by unfamiliar words, concepts, images, or anything unfamiliar. This would cost considerable resources, be harshly criticized, and, you know, be a fun stretch.
I buy Helen Keller's words, "Life is either a DARING adventure or nothing." Unfortunately, I see for many, it's nothing.
It's foolish to poke sleepers as they're often cranky upon awakening. So I'm a fool, and some are cranky.
Thanks again for the difference you are!
I was the first to comment on the OP's message. I didn't have much to suggest then. But I've watched the cut-and-thrust of the subsequent discussion and I now want to add a bit more to the melting pot...
I used to be employed to audit technological stuff and highlight everything that was bad; the second part of my job was to swap out all the bad bits and replace them with better stuff. (I'm talking about software systems and business systems - not hardware.)
In this thread I can see a lot of the first bit going on but not much of the second part. I think the reason for that is it's easy to trash something but much harder to come up with an improvement on it.
That's a start, but really only proposes a staged progression of functionality; and what is a straightforward interface?. Nobody has suggested how for example the user interface might be changed and improved. That's funny because Apple's own automation contenders - Automator and now Shortcuts - have very similar user interfaces to KM. Apple's other automation offering (AppleScript) is a coding product designed to make coding easy by having an English-like way of expressing things; sadly it's neither British nor American nor any other kind of English which in my view makes it more difficult to use.
If you've ever wondered how you can program a computer without ever writing a line of code, have a look at this website and scroll through that massive page I've linked to:
It's hardly up to date but it does show a huge number of examples that try to make code-free programming a real possibility. I'm not saying any of these approaches would be suited to KM; I am saying there are real alternatives to how KM could be.
None of this really matters of course since KM is driven by the master architect @peternlewis and quite rightly, he has the final word. In my opinion, the only way to change KM is to keep it the same and provide an over-arching toolbox that augments it somehow (by automating KM).
In conclusion, personally I am content with the way KM is and I think it is those who are not content with KM who are the best-placed to suggest how KM could be improved. I think those with the loudest critical voices may also be those with the loudest progressive ideas! @BernSh has made a start: who else will step up to the plate?
[Note to Moderator: this may be better suited to the Outback Lounge.]
I have to chime in here....
I was a Quickeys 'power user' for 20 years.....
I was completely intimidated when I first switched over (a few years ago) to KM....
Now I could not do without it and absolutely love it....
I needed to spend time working with it and asking questions on the forum, which by the way, is the best forum on the net.