Simulate keystroke not respecting option key

Questions & Suggestions
1

I'm working on a KM macro that right-clicks in the app (Digital Performer) to reveal a popup contextual menu, then hits keystrokes and arrow keys to navigate to the desired choice, then, to confirm the choice, I need KM to press option-return.

When I test it, KM sends a plain return (not opt-return). If I use my keyboard manually to press opt-return, that works properly.

Any thoughts on why KM isn't respecting the modifier when doing a simulated keystroke?

This is on v9.0.5.

(Another viable option would be to opt-click on the desired choice, but I don't know how to accurately tell KM to move the mouse to that exact location. The app draws the contextual menu in a slightly different way depending on its position on-screen, so I'm hesitant about using Found Image.)

3

I'm curious why the app does not use the standard "Return" key to trigger the context menu selection. At least that's what all the apps I run use.

Aside from that, in some instances I use a "Found Image" to move the cursor to the correct location. This seems to work fine. Use "Shift+Cmd+4", select area and hold Control before letting up mouse to save to Clipboard.

I also use "Enter Text by Typing" to select the desired context menu item, but this would not resolve the "Opt+Return" issue.

4

The app does accept a standard return key, but does a different behavior if you press opt-return, and I need the different, opt-return behavior.

I could try Found Image but it's more problematic because of the way the program varies the way it draws the menu, depending on zoom, skin, etc...

5

Are you simulating the Option-Return with a Keystroke?

image

It may be that the app is not properly processing the events, and instead is testing the state of the option key directly when it gets the return.

6

Thanks Peter. Yes, I was simulating option-return with the exact keystroke you posted above.

That theory sounds likely. I'll contact the developer, but I'd be willing to bet it'd be a major change on their part since they use modifiers for a lot of things, so it'd require a lot of testing for a huge app.

Any suggested workarounds from the KM side? Is there any way to emulate the state of the option key?

7

You could try:

image

Or maybe try simulating the keystroke with AppleScript (should product the same result, but who knows).

I really have no idea. Other than that, the only possibility would be if there is some alternative way of making the action happen that Keyboard Maestro could simulate.

8

That almost worked, then after considerable testing, I found the solution. I had to use press and hold modifier, then type return, then pause for 0.4 seconds (anything shorter would fail), then release the modifier. This was my solution:

Screen Shot 2020-05-31 at 2.40.42 PM

Thanks so much for the help in finally figuring this out!

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