New Stream Deck – KM Link Not Working

[flobach]

Hello!
Just received my Stream Deck XL. Very excited, after experimenting with the Software Version I wanted to to go the whole hog.

Unfortunately, the software version nor the hardware version works with the KM Link Plugin. I can trigger "regular" shortcuts (mainly via Hotkey), but nothing directly with KM. I have uninstalled an re-installed the plugin, restarted the SD software, all no help unfortunately.

If I close the KM Engine and trigger a Macro via KM Link the Engine does reopen, but still nothing happens. I figure that some information is sent to KM from the SD, but it isn't translated in to anything actionable. The StreamDeck App, KM & KM Engine all have full access in System Preferences - Security and Privacy - Privacy. I am running a Mac mini 2018 i3, 16GB RAM, macOS 12.0.1.

Any Idea where the problem may be? Thanks in advance!

[tiffle]

I use the KM Link plugin a lot and have had occasional issues with it in the past.

@flobach

Any Idea where the problem may be?

I think the problem is with your macro, not the KM Link. Since you've newly-joined this forum my guess is you're also new to KM.

My problem is I don't like having to guess as it's usually a waste of time - yours and mine.

So, post a copy of your macro as a reply - both the macro itself and an image of it and we'll take it from there. If you don't know how to do that, look here: Forum [Keyboard Maestro Wiki]

[flobach]

Thanks for the reply. Have had KM for approx a year, but use cases have been fairly superficial when compared to many users on the forum. Still, very helpful!

Here is a simple Macro that I would like to trigger via the SD: Hide applications, activate Word, and open my side apps (the keystroke triggers a saved layout on my 2nd display in moom).

Microsoft Word Macro (v9.2)

Microsoft Word.kmmacros (2.3 KB)

Do I need to add a trigger of sorts? Or has it got something to do with the remote access? I couldn't find any installation info for KM Link. here ist the shot of the SD application:

[tiffle]

@flobach

Thanks for the reply. Have had KM for approx a year

You’re welcome - I’ve had KM quite a bit longer but there’s always something new to learn or try!

Anyway - thanks for posting your macro. I see you first hide all the running apps and then activate Word but, if it’s already at the front, you hide it too (why would you do that? So you might want to change that.)

The end result, you say, is nothing happens or seems to happen.

I’m wondering if you’re running into a timing issue in that KM can actually run your macro faster than your Mac and its displays can respond. To test that idea, I would insert a Pause for 0.2 seconds action after both the Hide and the Activate actions. Can you give that a go and see what happens?

[tiffle]

@flobach

Do I need to add a trigger of sorts? Or has it got something to do with the remote access? I couldn't find any installation info for KM Link. here ist the shot of the SD application:

Forgot to address these questions: everything you’ve done on the SD configuration looks fine. Remote access is irrelevant and your SD is triggering your macro using its name, so no need for anything else… unless you have 2 macros called Microsoft Word?

[flobach]

If it's already at the front, I just won't use that button

After Adding pauses, more frustration, eating food, and a few other distractions I tried a Macro from a different folder...and realised the folder with the "Word" Macro had a funny black squircle on it. Turns out when show/hide palette with hot key is activated, KM Link no likey. After disabling that, all working well.

So, taking a closer look at KM itself helped. Thanks for the pointers!

[tiffle]

@flobach

realised the folder with the "Word" Macro had a funny black squircle on it. Turns out when show/hide palette with hot key is activated, KM Link no likey. After disabling that, all working well.

Well @flobach - I didn't quite understand what you meant by this until it just happened to me!

@corcules - I did not expect the KM Link plugin to fail to run macros when those macros are inside a macro group configured like this (for example):

Macros inside groups that don't have the palette showing by hot key work fine.

Is this a feature of the KM Link plugin? Or is it something you can work around?

Thanks for your excellent plugin and any time you can spend on this!!

[corcules]

Hello guys,

@tiffle well This is not a feature of kmlink… it’s a rather tricky use case and i need to investigate and do some tests around…
I’ll do that next week, stay tune…

[corcules]

Hi @tiffle

I guess there is an obvious reason for that behavior. See my answer to that other topic.

KM link broken? (Stream Deck 5.1.3)

And @cdthomer found the obvious solution, using the condition :

« Always activated and shows a palette for one action when »
Instead of
« Shows a palette for one action when »

[tiffle]

@corcules

Always activated and shows ...

That's the key and the solution! Thank you so much!

[corcules]

This kind of subtlety that make me fall in love with KM everyday

[JingleDjango]

I hope it's alright to revive this old thread.

I'm also a new Stream Deck user but I've been with Keyboard Maestro since 2016. I want to use KMLink to trigger a macro to Activate/Deactivate a macro group:

The macro group contains a single very simple macro:

Using the official KM plugin I the toggle macro works fine but I'm finding the way the KM plugin maps to buttons cumbersome and I'd prefer to use KMLink.

It makes no difference whether I leave the group set like this:

or like this

In any case, I have no need for a palette because I just want to enable a single macro and turn it off again when I'm finished what I need to do with it.

My issue seemed similar enough to the one presented in this thread to post this as a comment here. @corcules can you provide any insight? There are no other macros sharing this name.

Thanks.