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Key Xing 2.6.2

http://www.lumacode.com/keyxing/
email: feedback@lumacode.com

Key Xing is a Mac OS X program that allows you to launch programs, files, system actions, AppleScripts, and URLs from the keyboard.

Features:

	∆ With a key stroke you can:
		Launch any type of file or program 
		Execute preset actions such as Sleep or Hide Others 
		Execute compiled AppleScripts 
		Open URLs such as web sites or servers
		Paste text into other programs
	∆ Google search window for searching the web, images, groups, directory, and news
	∆ Can control iTunes volume and track selection without having to bring it to the front
	∆ Contextual menu allows you to add and remove files from the Finder
	∆ Hot key to toggle listening on and off
	∆ Runs in the background and uses minimal CPU time 
	∆ Import and export of hot key lists for transfer to other computers
	∆ Tracks files even after they're renamed or moved 
	∆ Allows launch options like "hide after open", "hide others", and "open in background" 
	∆ Preset system action allows for clipboard copy of file paths in the Finder
	∆ Create keyboard shortcuts to Undo, Cut, Copy, and Paste
	∆ Create keyboard shortcut to force quit front-most program
	∆ Bring up Connect To Server window at any time
	∆ By writing your own AppleScripts, you can control other programs from the keyboard

What's new In 2.6.2:

	∆ Added new system action: "Activate Screensaver"
	∆ Fixed a problem where "filtered" hot keys would stop working
	∆ Status windows weren't showing up in the French localization

What's new In 2.6.1:

	∆ Fixed a launching problem on 10.1.x
	∆ Google buttons are now navigable with the keyboard

What's new In 2.6:

	∆ New Google search window designed by artist Rich Dellinger
	∆ Auto-version checking wasn't working
	∆ User interface improvements to pref pane
	∆ Hot keys can now be activated only when certain programs are front-most
	∆ Force quit is now disabled when the Mac OS X screen saver is active
	∆ Google searches with non-ASCII characters now work correctly

What's new In 2.5:

	∆ Contextual menu plugin allows you to add and remove files from the Finder
	∆ New "Text Paste" option to paste text into any application
	∆ New status window look that matches Apple's bezel services
	∆ New and improved graphics
	∆ New actions for undo, cut, copy, and paste
	∆ Added a shortcut to force quit the front-most program
	∆ Added a "Hide Current" shortcut
	∆ Added global "Connect To Server" window shortcut
	∆ Added option for web-based update checks
	∆ File extensions are now hidden where appropriate

System Requirements

Mac OS X 10.1.5

Registration

Key Xing is $7 shareware. If you continue to use it past the 20 day trial period, please pay the shareware fee by visiting http://store.eSellerate.net/s.asp?s=STR621345576.

Using Key Xing

Key Xing is so easy to use that you may be better off skipping this section and jumping into the program. But just in case something has you confused, we'll describe the features here.

+ Installation

You will download a file called keyxing.sit which will probably automatically get converted into a disk image called Key Xing.dmg which will probably automatically mount on your desktop as something that looks like a floppy drive titled Key Xing. I know, it's a little confusing but it's one of the most common ways to distribute programs for the Mac.

Run the installer from the mounted disk image and you'll see the following options:

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Install for all users on this system - If your computer is set up for multiple user accounts and you want to give all users access to Key Xing, check this box.
Install Preference Pane - If you've never installed Key Xing, leave this checkbox checked since the preference pane provides the core functionality.
Install Contextual Menu Plugin - Check this box if you want the ability to add and remove files from the Finder without having to open the preference pane. Mac OS X 10.2 is required for this functionality.

After installation has completed, the installer will offer to send you directly to the Key Xing preference pane. At any later time you can access this preference pane by selecting System Preferences from the Apple menu (or anywhere else) and clicking the Key Xing icon.

At any point after installing you can trash the keyxing.sit file and the Key Xing.dmg file on your desktop, although you might want to keep the .dmg file for future installations and uninstalls.

To uninstall Key Xing, launch the installer and click the Uninstall button. This will completely and permanently remove Key Xing from your system.

+ Adding Items

In the Hot Keys tab, the buttons on the right allow you to do any of the following:

Add File/Folder  - Add a file, folder, or program. You can also drag an item directly from the Finder directly into the hot key list. For these type of items you can use the options in the top-right corner of the item options window to choose to open them in the background, hide them after opening, and hide other application after opening.
Add AppleScript - You can add any kind of AppleScript file - compiled scripts, AppleScript applications, resource-based scripts, or even entire apps that happen to have an 'scpt' resource. If the AppleScript you are adding displays windows of any kind, you should check the "has dialogs" option to ensure they come to the front. Key Xing stores a local copy of the script data so if you edit the AppleScript in a script editor, you can click the "Reload AppleScript" button in the item options window to reload your changes.
Add Action Preset - Here you will find a collection of useful actions such as controlling iTunes, doing Google searches (Google is a powerful Internet search engine), sleeping your computer, and many others. In the item options window there's a button labeled "Auto-populate all actions". Clicking this button will add ALL the action presets using pre-defined key combinations.
Add URL - Here you can add Internet URLs. You can use any protocol that Mac OS X understands. http, mailto, ftp, afp, etc. The URL will open using your preferences set in the Internet preference pane. If no protocol is specified (e.g. "www.lumacode.com"), http is used (i.e. it is considered a web address and your web browser will open the address).
Add Text Paste - Here you can add some text that will get pasted into other applications when you press a hot key. For example, you might enter an email signature, the current date and time, or other commonly typed phrases. Note that this will only work in programs where the paste command is mapped to the keystroke Command-v (the vast majority of Macintosh programs).

About the custom formatted date & time strings: by entering specially formatted character sequences you can have the Text Paste function create the current date & time in a formatting of your choosing. For example, %e is the current day of the month, %B is the current month, %Y is the year, and %X is the current time. To make a normal "%", enter "%%" instead.

You can find all the formatting options on this Apple web page - <http://developer.apple.com/techpubs/macosx/Cocoa/TasksAndConcepts/ProgrammingTopics/DatesAndTimes/Tasks/DatesToStrings.html>

Change - Click to change the settings for any of the items in the Hot Key list.
Remove - Remove an item in the Hot Key list.
Reveal in Finder - Show and select the chosen item in the Finder.

+ Hot Keys

After selecting the item to add, you will be asked to press a hot key. This will be the key combination you use to open or execute the item. Any key or key combination is allowed, as long as it is not already taken by another program on your system or the system software. While choosing single letters is allowed, this is not advisable for obvious reasons. All "F" function keys are allowed, except for F14 and F15 which is reserved for display brightness on some keyboards. See the FAQ for more info on "F" keys. To dismiss the Hot Key window without entering a hot key, press Escape or Command-Period.

+ Filters

In the item options window for any type of item you will find a list where you can add "filters." A filter can be either programs for which you want the Key Xing hot key to be deactivated with, or programs for which you only want the Key Xing hot key enabled. For example, you might have a game that utilizes the function keys that you normally use to launch applications, so you can disable Key Xing when this game is being played. To apply the filters you've added to all the items in your list, click the Apply checkbox below the list. To clear all filters from all hot keys, click the "Clear all filters" button in the Options tab.

+ Import/Export of Key Xing Lists

If you click the Options tab you will find some other useful controls, the first of which is importing and exporting of Key Xing file lists. This can be useful if you want to use your existing Key Xing hot keys on a different computer, or with a different user on the same computer. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click the Export Key Xing List button and save the list.
2. Email or file share the list to another computer.
3. Click the Import Key Xing List button in the Key Xing prefs pane on the other computer.
4. Select the file that you exported and transferred.

If possible, all items will be added to the existing list. Files, programs, and folders will be linked to their equivalents on the local computer. You will be warned if there are duplicated items or if some of the items can't be found on the local computer. Warning: If the computer that you exported this list from is currently mounted on the computer that is doing the import, and you launch a file that was imported, it may try to launch the file from the original computer! This can only happen the first time the file is launched. To avoid this, unmount the server first.

+ Toggle Listening Hot Key

Next in the Options tab you'll see an option to choose a hot key to turn listening on and off. To do so, click the Choose button and press the desired key combination. This key combination will then turn listening off and on. When listening is off, all your hot keys (except the one for turning listening back on!) are freed up for use in other applications such as games and Microsoft products. Click the Remove button to remove and turn off the toggle key.

+ Status Window

Last in the Options tab are controls for the status window. This is a window that briefly appears when executing any of the Key Xing hot keys (except AppleScripts with dialogs and the Google search window) and tells you what's being done. This can be a useful reminder to users who are still becoming familiar with their keyboard shortcuts. The slider can be used to control how long the window remains on screen. The status window is multithreaded and does not slow down the operation of Key Xing or the launching of any programs.

+ "Enable Key Xing" Checkbox

At the top left of the preferences pane you'll see a checkbox labeled "Enable Key Xing". There's really no reason why you'd want to disable Key Xing as long as it's installed, but this is a good indicator that the background listener is operational, and might sometimes be useful as a troubleshooting measure (by turning the listener off and on again).

+ "Launch At Login" Checkbox

Also at the top left of the prefs pane is the "Launch At Login" checkbox. Make sure this checkbox is enabled if you want the Key Xing listener to open automatically when you log in or turn on your computer.

+ Using the Contextual Menu Plugin

If you installed the contextual menu plugin, then you can conveniently add or remove shortcuts to files from the Finder without having to open the preference pane. To create a keyboard shortcut to a file from the Finder, control-click (or right click) the file and select "Key Xing: Add Item". You'll then be prompted to select a keyboard shortcut, and that's it! To remove the keyboard shortcut for a file, just control-click (or right click) a file that has already been added and you will see "Key Xing: Remove Item". Note: You can only add or remove one file at a time this way.

FAQ

Q. Sometimes the other launch options, like hide after open or hide others, are ignored.
A. Those options only apply to programs that are being launched. If a program is already open, the hot key will always bring the program to the foreground without using any of the launch options. 

Q. The Key Xing listener doesn't launch at startup even though the "Launch at Login" checkbox is set.
A. You may have moved the preference pane and thus broken the path stored in the Login Items file. To reset it to the new location, toggle the "Launch At Login" checkbox (turn it off and on).

Q. Nothing happens when I type the hot key I just entered.
A. Open the Key Xing program and make sure the "Enable Key Xing" checkbox is checked. If it's an AppleScript, run the script from Script Editor to make sure it works. Also make sure that toggle listening isn't off in the Options tab of the prefs pane.

Q. Swapping the hot key combinations for two existing items in the list is a pain.
A. It might be frustrating trying to do this because any existing hot keys will get sucked up by the listener when you try to type them. To avoid that, just uncheck the "Enable Key Xing" checkbox before swapping the two items, and then enable it when you're done.

Q. I have a PowerBook (or iBook) and I'd like to use the F keys but they seem to be locked to hardware functions like brightness and sound volume. Is there any way around this?
A. Why yes there is! Just boot into Mac OS 9 and open the Keyboard control panel. Click the Function Keys button and under Hot Function Key Settings check "Enable Hot Function Keys" but uncheck "Use F1 through F15"... Then boot back into Mac OS X and you should be set. (Note that this doesn't work for the F12 eject key)

Q. Can I use F14 and F15 on my external keyboard?
A. Most Apple keyboards reserve F14 and F15 for controlling brightness on Apple monitors. Unfortunately, Apple reserves these keys even if you don't have an Apple monitor.

Q. How does the AppleScript support work?
A. You can attach AppleScripts by clicking the "Add AppleScript" button. From there you can choose any AppleScript application or a compiled AppleScript. This feature puts the power of AppleScript at your fingertips and allows you to accomplish normally tedious tasks with a keystroke. For example, controlling iTunes without bringing it to the foreground, opening a program and setting its windows just the way you like, accomplishing Finder tasks like copying or renaming files, and anything else that might make your workflow easier. If you're not familiar with AppleScript, take a look at the example scripts on your hard drive in /Library/Scripts. You might also want to visit http://www.apple.com/applescript/begin/pgs/begin_00.html.

If you've written AppleScripts to control other programs from the keyboard, I'm interested in knowing about it and might be interested in adding them as preset actions. So drop me a line at scalo@mac.com.

Q. The Finder Copy Path action isn't working
A. The Finder Copy Path action will have no effect if the current selection is a folder in column view. I'm not sure why, but the Finder does not return any information about the path in this situation. Just switch to icon or list view and it should work.

Q. When I "switch to Finder and hide others" a window from another program remains
A. This appears to be a bug with process management in AppleScript that Apple introduced with Mac OS X 10.2. Hopefully it will be fixed in a future OS update.

Q. How do you pronounce the "Xing" in Key Xing?
A. However you like, but we say "crossing".

Distribution

If you wish to distribute Key Xing on a CD or through a web site, you have my permission to do so as long as the original package (including this help file) remain intact and unmodified.

Credits

Brought to you by John Scalo

Beta testing by Rich Dellinger, Ethan Lowry, Roman Traycey, and Jeff Stearns.
Icons and other GUI guidance by Rich Dellinger.
Special thanks to Jen Scalo and Chris Clayton
Embedded AppleScript Widgets source code library by Michael Kisor (Carbonization by John Scalo).