Request: Make KM Master Palette Icon Smaller

Continuing the discussion from Resize palette shrink down to size:

I find the current icon for the KM Master Palette to be obstructive, often covering critical information being displayed on my screen.

@peternlewis, please change, or providing a Preference setting, to make the KM icon much less obstructive, more like the SnagIT control:

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Noted, but no promises.

Good option. Nicely presented. What’s missing (from my preferred flow) is location (we all know how important location is …location, location, location) and identification.

Popouts do not work from top of screen and its a LONG way (visually, and for the focus of my attention) from where I’m at and focused on on the screen (I consider the cursor to be virtual me) to locate and hit a 1/2” target somewhere on the edge of a screen then get back to where I was in cursor location and thought. Also if there is more than one palette popout you would need to wait for some id to show up and move thru possibly several buttons to find the desired one, activate it, navigate to select option, and click on the enfolded option then return to the scene of the crime. Way too many actions required (obviously IMO). It becomes an ad hoc menu bar. Again, nice to have for infrequent access but cumbersome (IMO) for frequent use.

I’ve been finding a keyboard trigger with a palette appearing below the cursor to be a really nice option. What would be helpful are some more formatting options for the list that appears to enable more rapid id of items in the list when the list begins to grow beyond five or so items. Options like spacers, bolding, colors, size, or dividers. To run with this a bit it’d be nice to go beyond horo./vert. list to a palette with the options like a finder window with icons that can be moved and organized in space or at least have a column view where items can be organized within columns to allow for some separation.

Thanks for forwarding the idea. :slight_smile:

I started another topic with some of my palette organization techniques:

How would that be better than "place palette under mouse"?

The KM Master Palette is always visible.
AFAIK, if you close it, you have to restart the KM Engine to make it appear again.

Just checked, and actually it is called the Global Floating Palette.

From Palettes:

Any macro with the Macro Palette trigger will be displayed in the Global Floating Palette. This palette appears whenever there is one or more active macros with this trigger, so it may appear and disappear depending on which macros are active (remember that Macro Groups control when a macro is active).

@JMichaelTX -

Below is a small KM palette (using current version of KM).
Would that be suitable size for your OP request?

Fewer icons could make it shorter in height.
But the width here is the minimum.

It won't pop-out/slide-out, but a click could open a larger, more usable size.

Close? Or not?

Thanks for taking the time to think about this, and provide a decent workaround.

So, would clicking on this palette, show the standard, expanded, KM Global Floating Palette, like this:

If so, that's great! How do I set this up?

@JMichaelTX -

This is rough prototype.
I haven't tested here, so may need work-arounds to the work-around.

The goal is can click anywhere on the thin strip to bring up the standard, expanded, Global Floating palette, as shown above.
Not necessary to click any specific icon, because they all do the same thing.

  • Set up several identical macros to open the KM Global Floating Palette.
    "Several" can be 3-4-5-6: up to you.
    The number of macros determines height of the skinny palette.


.

  • Use KM preferences to set color, size, etc. of the actual skinny palette.
    Key is minimize "size" = 8.
    [√] Icons only to keep it thin.


.

I'll keep my "thinking cap" handy until results are what you want.

Thanks. That's a great idea.
Actually, all I need is the "Show Global Macro Pallete", or even better the "Toggle Global Macro Palette"

Unfortunately, it does NOT expand the palette, until I move my mouse over it. It just shows this:

So this is what I have now, which will work great IF I can figure out how to auto-expand the palette:

Any ideas?

Below is what I've got working here now:
From the skinny palette, click any icon to toggle global palette in full expanded mode (not shown).

I don't get little square minimized button at all, and I don't know why.
Trying to figure out what is the difference between your set up and mine that gives you the little square button when you don't want it?

Could it be that you use status menu trigger, but actions here use global macro palette trigger?
I don't know.

To get this working at all I had to restart.
I read some old threads on the forum about palettes disappearing.
It has been a recurring problem with no clear reason why (that I found so far).
Just quitting/launching KM engine did not do it.
Needed full restart.
I don't know if that is important on your side or not, but it was here.

Also, this question:
Do you want to use the skinny palette, or just use hotkey: ^ ⌥⌘ G ??
If you want to use skinny palette, I have some ideas how to "dress it up".
But later for that, if you want it.
Must get it working first.

Let's continue.

Mark, thanks for all your work. Now that I know about the "Toggle Pallet" action, I think I will be happy with showing the Global Palette using just a hot key. So, I don't need the skinny palette. Sorry for the sidetrack.

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@JMichaelTX -

Thank you for the opportunity to learn and try some new ideas.

@peternlewis Plus one vote on having a resizable Shrink palette Icon. Even with two 30-inch monitor, the icon for my floating palette gets in the way of important onscreen application controls.

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