"Only on the first/second/third tap" with USB Device Key Trigger

Questions & Suggestions
21

Exactly. Or to put it another way: You can see the action happen. Then you release the key.

There are apps that offer a slightly absurd additional option. Long press when releasing. You can set up several long press actions.

So, hold for 1 second and release = action 1.
Hold for between 1 and 2 seconds and release = action 2
Hold for between 2 and 3 seconds and release = action 3

Theoretically, you only need one key for the whole alphabet. :rofl:

If you want that, fine. Otherwise I don't see any advantages. :man_shrugging: That's why I'm curious to see what @troy says.

1 Like
22

OK, so something else is going on for you.

Are other macros triggering? Perhaps you have something that is sending spurious USB events?

23

Sure - If I choose, I can follow the long press with other modifiers to trigger various other macros.
a small .1 or .2 delay after release and I can tap the modifier of choice.
ie. Long Tap followed by Control or Long Tap followed by Option etc. etc.
This approach is not reasonably possible when the Long Tap is triggered after a certain 'time out'. Your timing would have to be perfect. =)

But I also do use the nice macro that @noisneil has developed, that has the long tap triggering after a certain 'time out'.

I use both of them for different approaches.

24

Thank you, @troy. Not sure I understand. You press and hold eg ⌥a, then press and hold ⌘ and then release all keys together?

25

I use a Kensington Expert Mouse that has 4 buttons. I primarily us it and modifier keys as my triggers. It's quicker than modifier + key combinations since I don't have to move my hands.

To use your example of ⌥a.

I long press ⌥a then release, there is then a .15 sec delay in my macro.
If no other modifier key is pressed in that time then it executes the ⌥a + no modifier section.
But I can press ⌃ within the .15 sec and run the ⌃ section of the macro, or press ⌥ within the .15 sec and run the ⌥ section of the macro etc etc.

The grid is extensive and works great for me.

26

Do you mean are the wrong macros getting triggered? No.

I could see this being a USB issue if it was just my mouse or external keyboard, but the fact that my MacBook Pro keyboard is having this same issue seems to suggest that it's not a USB issue, though I could be wrong.

Also, I'm having no issue with basic "is pressed" triggers, whether from my mouse or external keyboard or anywhere else. They all work correctly.

27

OK, this is getting a bit too hard for me to follow on here, and probably requires some debugging turned on to figure out what is going on.

Please email support@stairways.com with:

  • Keyboard Maestro version
  • macOS version
  • The simplest case you have where a macro triggers with tapped but not with tapped once only. Ideally using a simple keyboard. Action for the macro should just be something simple like Log action.
  • Include the two macros.

Thanks.

1 Like
28

Sounds good, Peter. Just e-mailed you. Thanks.

1 Like