It is very interesting what different perspectives we all have. No one right or wrong -- just different.
I never used QuickKeys, so I don't have any expectations from that app.
My first encounter with the Conflict Palette was by accident, when I assigned two different macros the same trigger that were used with the same app.
Later, I have learned what a great feature Conflict Palettes are.
Now, I have designed multiple macros with the same trigger, but with carefully designed Macro names. For example, I have these two Evernote Macros:
They both have a trigger of "āā§S"
The "S" in the trigger is a mnemonic to me for "Style" and "Search".
When the Palette shows, I simply type either "A" or "S" to select the macro I want.
I use the Search macro the most, and I already have muscle memory for typing:
āā§S (then a very brief pause, and then) S
So, curiously enough, I don't view the Conflict Palette as a nuisance, but as a great tool.
@mortilla, hang in there with Keyboard Maestro. Keep using it, experimenting with it, learning about it, and before you know it, you will have become very comfortable with it, and think of it as one of your best Mac tools.
As always, feel free to post your questions in the KM forum.
I'm a keyboard shortcut guy and used to absolutely HATE palettes.
Over time I've found very handy uses for them and realized the conflict palette isn't just an annoying error-notification ā itās a bonafide and very practical tool (once you grok how to use it).
So we're in agreement (now), but the darn thing just rubbed me the wrong way to begin with.
I can't explain why my reaction to it was as intense as it was, but this was many years ago and memory fades.
As I work thru this, Iām seeing some of my errors. You guys have been very helpful. The majority of what Iāve used KM for is launching apps and some minor stuff, like retrieving mail, etc. As a long time Finale user, I can tell you it is DEEP with menus at times. Some folks hate that but it never bothered me much until the current orchestral score. The reason being that I recently abandoned the use of my MX Revolution mouse, which I could program with Steer Mouse to do a lot of the heavy lifting. So thereās that learning curve (more of an adjustment really, and Iāll never use a mouse again).
On top of that, what I didnāt notice was that when Finale has a particular menu active, the menu position change, so where the TOOLS menu heading was before might be a different item. This made for unreliable macros if you werenāt careful about what tool was active when you set the macro. I figured that out and can easily get to the main menu in a couple of clicks of the esc key. Now that Iāve set that properly, the macros are 100% reliable. So it wasnāt KM that was the problem. It was that Finale keeps changing the menu positions. I just never noticed how far off they were from the previous position. Iām certain this is why I got wonky results. So yes, KM works well and I am grateful for it, especially when scoring.
As for the conflict palette, I do see the logic behind it, but it does add an extra key tap. Not a big deal, but it would be nice to have the option to NOT have that pop up in an app.
Which begs the next questionā¦
When the palette pops up, the macros are listed in a particular order every time. Is there a way to change that order? IOW, when Iām in Finale, it would speed things up considerably if I knew ahead of time that the Finale macro I wanted would always be a specific key.
Quick update. I also now understand the rationale with Groups better. If I place the macro in a specific group, I can have that macro NOT be in other apps I specify. That solves the problem with the Conflict Palette.
Steep learning curve there that is not all the intuitive, but I get it and Iām not only back to where I was with QK but far beyond it now.
THANK YOU ALL, especially for putting up with my drama at timesā¦ LOL
Just a meta comment about āsteep learning curveā. Itās always a challenge for me choosing exactly how to implement something and how best to make things work (and balancing that with the amount of time anything takes to implement, etc).
But I am always amazed at the variety of responses Keyboard Maestro gets from new users. Just today (and regularly) I got an email that said āIāve tried a lot of other macros software, but Keyboard Maestro was by far the easiest and most consistent!ā, and yet, there are also regular experiences like @mortilla (often stemming form previous use of Quickeys which has a very different philosophy to Keyboard Maestro). Similarly I get regular comments about how ugly Keyboard Maestro is, and regular comments about how much people like the look of the UI.
It does make it clear that no on e program will ever please everyone, and certainly not on first viewing! Clearly it is highly dependent on a personās previous experience as to how they get on in Keyboard Maestro at the start. Itās probably just a shame more people donāt follow @mortillaās example and come here and get help to get past their initial experience when something is frustrating.
In any event, I get a lot of QuicKeys refugees and Keyboard Maestro and QuicKeys are very different, and can be a bit jarring initially, but I frequently get the comment along the lines of āWhy didnāt I switch soonerā. Hopefully your experience will be similar.
Please read the wiki page on transitioning from QuicKeys for some tips, and also read the Quick Start (menu Help -> Quick Start) to understand the different parts that make up Keyboard Maestro and how they work together, as well as to become familiar with the terminology used in Keyboard Maestro.
Ugly?! Thatās a laugh. I know people who wonāt use certain programs just because they donāt like the GUI. THatās ridiculous, especially for professionals. When a carpenter buys a hammer I doubt he cares what it looks like. Will it work. Will it survive abuse. Bottom line: will it get the job done. KM has done that and Iāve come to depend on it in other areas. Programming it for Finale was a challenge. Iām over it. I got work to do and donāt have time to keep moving the damn cursor all over the place! LOL
at the top right of the Action, and select "Help"
