KM Inspiration Gallery

[iampariah]

I often find inspiration in just seeing lists of others’ macros or how they’ve organized their palettes or the KM Status Menu. Plenty of times I’ve run across screenshots in posts on the forum where something that wasn’t the point of the screenshot caught my interest. Maybe someone was showing off a custom palette color scheme or explaining to a new user how the Global Palette works, and some macro listed in the screenshot sparked an idea in me or made me realize KM could do something I hadn’t yet thought to try.

What might seem academic to you, what might seem like it would only be applicable to your unique work and not of interest to others, might actually be the spark that inspires something very helpful to others.

I’m hoping this thread can become a place for such inspiration. Post a screenshot. Post an idea. Post a list of your macros. Post whatever you think might interest or inspire other KM users. And then, if someone asks what that macro does, how you did that technique, answer it (here or in a new thread). The point of this thread is to post inspiration.

There is already a Best Macro List, but this thread isn’t for the best macros. It’s for anything KM you want to show–macros, palettes, macro organization examples, or what have you.

[iampariah]

I’ll start things off. Here’s my list of “workflow” macros, most of which I launch from the Dock via AppleScript applications. Most launch all the applications, Chrome tabs, and Finder windows I need for a particular task or job. The PariahRocks ones, which are for my “Hard, Heavy & Hair” streaming radio show, open a series of links in Opera instead of Chrome.

[iampariah]

My QuickTools palette opened with ⌃+Q for one action. Recently I made a copy of the palette to appear in a shrunken state at all times to encourage me to use it more often (the vertical version). Because it’s always on screen, I had to remove the keyboard shortcuts if I ever wanted to be able to type a L, T, or U.

[iampariah]

More of my common palettes, most containing macros I’ve downloaded from the forums here or created because I was inspired by something I found on the forums.

[iampariah]

My other palettes. Some, like the Evernote, Metanota, and Word ones are always visible when those applications are, using @DanThomas’s amazing Snap Palette to Front Window Plugin Action; others, like Finder, Chrome, and the KM Editor, are the application-specific macros displayed in an ad hoc palette when I press a global hotkey.

[tomslug]

What might seem academic to you, what might seem like it would only be applicable to your unique work and not of interest to others, might actually be the spark that inspires something very helpful to others.

I believe very strongly in this principle. It’s why I watch screencasts and browse this forum.

Your pictures have already made me realize that I’m sorely under utilizing the pallet feature (read: not at all) At current, everything is either a hotkey, a typed string, or triggered from the command prompt. You just gave me my next project!

[tomslug]

In the spirit of the thread, here’s my modest contribution.

I like keeping my fingers as close to the home row as possible, so I made a few macros for moving the cursor and using the delete without flailing my hands about the keyboard.

Note that ⌃⌥⇧⌘ is just holding down the caps lock because I gave myself a Hyper Key

Traversal & Remapping

[ALYB]

And here’s mine:

[appleianer]

A very good idea @iampariah

I work 98% only with macro group / pallets. Therefore I created a macro group for each app. The advantage is that you only need one shortcut for all pallets.
I have also abolished this shortcut, because I open the palettes with a Swype gesture using BetterTouchToolTool.

So that these pallets are not overloaded and remain clear, I also work with sub pallets.

If I want to work only with the keyboard, I also use a shortcut and then the first letter to trigger the macro

Of course, I don't neglect minimalism too much
It does not always have to be a meaningful palette. It also only works with palette buttons.

[Xacto]

Very nice... how do you create the "blank" icon for your menu divider?

[rcraighead]

All these posts are inspiring!

I use KM to automate production art workflow for a personalized jewelry company. The macros are used by six staff artists and rely mostly on keyboard shortcuts and conflict menus. The workflow connects Chrome, Finder and several Adobe CC products. Some of these posts may help me find ways to utilize more palettes in our workflow. I'm also interested in implementing "Macro Syncing". The challenge is that some artists need to maintain their own custom macro groups. As I understand "Syncing" would delete those custom groups.

[appleianer]

Very nice... how do you create the "blank" icon for your menu divider?

Do you mean organizing the macro group palette like in this example?

That's what the great @DanThomas posted here in the forum. Without the plugin I would be stuck. It should also be something for the eye

MACRO: Palette Organizer

#MACRO: Palette Organizer Requires OS/X Yosemite or later Palette Organizer.v1.0.kmmacros (145.8 KB) ##PURPOSE: [image] [image] ##USAGE: ###Select the macros you want to organize: [image] ###Launch the Palette Organizer, and move macros where you want them, like this: [image] ###Add Separators, like this: Click this button [image] to add a separator below the selected Macro. Enter whatever you want as separator text: [image] Click OK, and you’ve not got a separator: [image] (…

[DanThomas]

LOL. Thanks for the compliment. You wouldn't be lost. It would just take you awhile to get home.

[appleianer]

I'm also interested in implementing "Macro Syncing". The challenge is that some artists need to maintain their own custom macro groups. As I understand "Syncing" would delete those custom groups.

This is very easy to solve @rcraighead.
You can manage all macro groups in one sync and simply disable the macro group that are not relevant for person A / Mac A.
This will then not appear on the Mac of person A but will still be active and visible on Mac B.

[appleianer]

LOL. Thanks for the compliment. You wouldn't be lost. It would just take you awhile to get home.

It is and remains an ingenious plugin, as well as its creator Before, it looked more like this with me organizing...

On this way again many thanks for your work @DanThomas

[DanThomas]

Actually, that reminds me a lot of myself, any day of the week.
And thank you, I'll take it.

[rcraighead]

Ok. I'll have to try it. I was scared off by the KM Sync message: "Your current macros will immediately be discarded and replaced with the ones in the file you select." Are you saying I can "protect" certain groups on each computer from being discarded?

[appleianer]

Are you saying I can "protect" certain groups on each computer from being discarded?

Here is a description about the Sync Workflow in KM @rcraighead:

https://wiki.keyboardmaestro.com/manual/Macro_Syncing

Since there is a lot attached to it, please ask @peternlewis directly. As a developer he can certainly answer your questions exactly.

[rcraighead]

Thanks. I've read the wiki on Syncing and am not convinced it will work for our environment. I'll evaluate on 2 non-production Macs and see what questions I have.

[peternlewis]

Ok. I'll have to try it. I was scared off by the KM Sync message: " Your current macros will immediately be discarded and replaced with the ones in the file you select. " Are you saying I can "protect" certain groups on each computer from being discarded?

No, Macro Syncing is all or nothing, and whichever creates the original macro sync file will be definitive and all others will be erased.

However, you can export your extra macro groups first, then you can turn on syncing (which will delete all your macros), then you can import your extra macro groups (which will be synced to all other Macs). On the other Macs, you can turn on the option Disabled on this Mac in the macro group. Any changes to that macro group will be synced between all Macs, but if it is only enabled on one Mac, and only that person edits the macros, then that should not be much of an issue.