Send iMessage/Send SMS Actions Actually Do Work in Big Sur

Questions & Suggestions
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[This is incorrect. For some reason the AppleScript dictionary for Messages in the Script Editor Library was dimmed out in my Big Sur installation. However, after removing it and adding it back it is there, and after logging in the Messages with my iCloud account, I could successfully send an iMessage from Keyboard Maestro, so this was a false alarm - there are some other oddities, but the basic functionality works].

Just a note that as described on Daring Fireball, Apple has rewritten Messages in Big Sur as a Catalyst application, which does not support AppleScript.

As such, the Send iMessage and Send SMS actions will no longer work in Big Sur unfortunately.

If you rely on these actions, plan accordingly.

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I think I’m clutching at straws here and this is a slightly more general point:

Is a Catalyst app, such as Messages, UI scriptable?

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Maybe. And there may be ways to UI script Messages to send messages, but that's not something I can bake in to a native action.

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It is possible I am wrong about this, it does seem to have a dictionary after all, just the old one was greyed out.

So it may work after all.

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Right. I wasn't expecting you to. And let's hope that you're right in your next reply where there MIGHT be a workable dictionary.

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Speaking of Messages on Big Sur, does anyone have a Keyboard Maestro work-around for the shift-arrow text selection bug? (It only affects Messages, as far as I can see, but not being able to select text via the keyboard is maddening! Option-shift-left/right-arrow works as expected, but not Shift-arrow.)

I’ve tried the usual suspects in KM, but they seem to have no effect; presumably limited by the underlying issue.

Others cite this during macOS 11’s beta period, starting here: https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?p=39336078#p39336078

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Hey Christopher,

Try ControlShiftB and ControlShiftF

Those are EMACS style keyboard shortcut available in most macOS text fields.

If they work then you can remap Shift⇠ and Shift⇢ to perform those keystrokes.

-Chris

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Well, well. I’d forgotten about this, and hoped that macOS 11.1 would fix it (I thought it had, but not so much, as it turns out).

This seems to do the trick! :sunglasses::+1: Thanks.

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