I have a NewerTech bluetooth keypad that I use with my MacBook Pro. But I also use it at home with a monitor and a keyboard that has its own built-in keypad. I can program macros to operate so that, for instance, the “Page Up” key will trigger a string, but that string is triggered identically by both the blue tooth keypad as wall as the onboard. They function identically.
Is there a to trigger a macro using the outboard keypad alone, while leaving the onboard keypad unaffected and vice versa?
Generally no. Either you can use hot keys (which treat both the same and swallow the keystrokes), or you can use USB Device Keys, which can differentiate between the keys, but does not swallow the keystroke (so the key will be typed as well as triggering the macro).
Ah, but I love an unqualified response! It’s not so critical but it would have been a convenience. It does occur to me that I have a small desktop midi keyboard that I only use diligently a month or so out of the year, and I can use that to do any number of odd jobs via macro. So I may consider all this again with that frame of reference.
Hello - A bit late for an answer but hoping it helps. I’m new to the forum but have been using macros for Mac since the last century. yes - I’m old. I just recently tested a separate numeric keypad - get this - purchased from Walmart for $8. It’s the ION brand keypad. Oddly enough I did not find this keypad on their web site but it’s in all my local stores (Tampa, Florida). As a side note, iHome offers a numeric keypad very very similar in appearance to the ION brand.
Using Keyboard Maestro, I can assign any of my macros to this keypad using “DEVICE TRIGGER”. Keyboard Maestro recognizes the keypad as a separate device and does not see it as a numeric keypad once I assign a macro to it.
Here are my specs. I use this same keypad on two different computers running different OSX versions.
Mac OS X 10.7, KM version 5.3.2
Mac OS X 10.9, KM version 6.4.8
A lot cheaper than any other macro keypads I have come across. If you have a label machine, you can use a 3/8" label to create labels for the keypad.
I see a link where it indicates that KM will not work with a numeric keypad but as of 3/2018 this is no longer the case. The ION brand keypad appears to work just fine as a separate device and does not interfere with the rest of my mac operations. As a side note, I use a regular extended keyboard on my Macs with this keypad.
My NewerTech Keypad died maybe a year after that note, and NewerTech was in no way helpful. It’s good to have definitive disregard from a manufacturer–it helps save future monetary outlay. I then bought a keypad from LMP, and abandoned my keyboard so the basic issue–having different macros operable for two different number pads, vanished.
Nevertheless, my current Apple Magic Keyboard has no FKey F13-F17, but the numeric keypad does. Thus these four keys manage to provide me some remote options in operating Logic and a few other programs. Now programmed to do my bidding, I use them a total of about 3 times a year…
Thanks for the feedback. I just noticed I made a typo in my original post. The brand is not ION, it's "ONN".
Also I am including a link. It will not last forever but hopefully it will help those looking for a macro keypad solution. ONN brand 19-key keypad
The image I uploaded is that of the keypad on my mac with KM opened on screen to a macro assigned to the keypad.
