Mac Create Shortcut Of App
Oct 12, 2016 Shortcuts are basically a quick way to make an app or perform some action. For example, in Chrome, pressing Cmd + D acts as a shortcut to add the current tab to bookmarks.Cmd + Shift + D adds all the open tabs to bookmarks, and so on. While there are shortcuts for a lot of the actions that Chrome can perform, what if you wanted a Mac keyboard shortcut for an action that doesn’t have a. This app makes it a whole lot easier to assign any keyboard shortcut to literally any command on your Mac. To configure the app, all you need to know is the keyboard shortcut you want to assign and the command that is to be executed. Download the free and open-source app on your Mac and move it to the Applications folder. Launch the app once it.
While macOS allows users to create their own keyboard shortcuts to perform functions in apps, there isn't a built-in way to launch the apps themselves using a similar maneuver. AppleInsider shows you one way to create app-launching keyboard shortcuts, using the included Automator utility.
Apple included a fairly simple way to create custom keyboard shortcuts within System Preferences, which can easily be used to produce shortcut combinations for app functions that do not already have one defined. While the Shortcuts settings also enables various other system functions to run, the extensive list simply doesn't have an option to run a user-defined app.
This doesn't mean it is impossible to launch an app by creating a shortcut, but handily it is possible to trigger something else that in turn can load an app. In this case, we will be creating a keyboard shortcut to trigger an Automator-produced event, which will open up the selected app.
First, we need to create an Automator service that, when prompted, will open our selected application.
Open Automator. It can be found in the Applications folder, accessible by selecting Go then Applications in the Finder menu or by using the keyboard shortcut Shift Command A.
If this is your first time in Automator, you should be presented by an initial window offering to start a new document, though if it doesn't appear, select File then New in the menu to start from scratch. At this point, select Service then the Choose button.
In the top section starting 'Service receives,' set the dropdown box to 'no input,' and check to make sure the second dropdown is set to 'any application.'
Click Actions in the top-right corner, scroll down the list of actions in the second column to find Launch Application, and drag it into the main workflow box to the right. This will add a new Launch Application section to the workflow box.
Select the application you want to open from the shortcut using the Launch Application dropdown box.
Select File then Save in the menu, enter an appropriate name for the command, and click Save. Close Automator.
Creating the shortcut
Select the Apple logo in the Menu, and select System Preferences then the Keyboard icon in the second row. Select the Shortcuts tab, which should be in the middle of the five tabs near the top of the window.
Select Services in the left-hand column, then scroll down to the service with the same name as the command created in Automator. If the side tick isn't visible, click it before clicking the command, then click the Add Shortcut button that appears.
At this point, select the key combination you want to use to open the selected application and press the buttons at the same time. If macOS accepts the combination, it will then show the keyboard combination in the listing.
Close the System Preferences window and test out the keyboard command.
Further Thoughts
While this tip largely centers around opening an app, the same principles can be used to create keyboard shortcuts to do a multitude of tasks. If a sequence of events is set up in Automator and saved as a service, it can be assigned a keyboard shortcut, and could be used to perform multi-stage tasks with a single collective key press.
Also, be aware of setting a keyboard shortcut that may duplicate one that is already in use by another system function or app, in case they conflict with each other or fail to perform an action at all. The last thing you want is to go to the trouble of setting up a key combination that ultimately doesn't do what you want.
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About the Shortcuts app
Shortcuts in iOS 12 let you get things done with your apps, with just a tap or by asking Siri. In addition to running shortcuts available on your iOS device, you can use the Shortcuts app to create custom shortcuts, simplifying everyday tasks by combining steps across multiple apps.
What's a shortcut?
A shortcut is a quick way to get one or more tasks done with your apps. The Shortcuts app lets you create your own shortcuts with multiple steps. For example, build a “Surf Time” shortcut that grabs the surf report, gives an estimated arrival time to the beach, and launches your surf music playlist.
This software provides support for the DisplayLink enabled video outputs. The audio and Ethernet support is provided by native macOS drivers from OS version 10.11 onwards.For early adopters, DisplayLink Manager is a new application that streamlines support for multiple displays up to 4K on macOS. Try it out and let us know what you think. Diamond driver download software for mac. DisplayLink macOS SoftwareFrom this page you can download a driver for your DisplayLink速 enabled USB graphics device that is incorporated in your dock, adapter or monitor.
What's an action?
An action—the building block of a shortcut—is a single step in a task. Mix and match actions to create shortcuts that interact with the apps and content on your iOS device, as well as with content and services on the Internet. Each shortcut is made up of one or more actions.
For example, a shortcut that posts an animated GIF to your Twitter account might have three consecutive actions:
- Get Latest Photos finds the most recent photos that you took on your device.
- Make GIF uses those photos to build an animated GIF.
- Tweet automatically posts the GIF to your Twitter account.
Add a shortcut from the Gallery
The Gallery features a curated collection of creative and useful shortcuts. Explore the Gallery to check out shortcut possibilities and to see how they’re built. When you find a Gallery shortcut you like, add it to your Library with a simple tap and customize it to suit your needs.
To find the Gallery, open the Shortcuts app and tap .
Swipe up or down to see categories. Tap See All to see more shortcuts in a category.
To add a shortcut, tap it, then tap Get Shortcut. Or tap Show Actions to see how that shortcut was built.
You can find the shortcut that you added in the Library tab of the Shortcuts app.
Create a new shortcut
- Open the Shortcuts app and tap the Library tab .
- Tap Create Shortcut or tap in the upper-right corner.
- Select or search actions to use in your shortcut. Then tap the actions that you want to add.
- To rearrange actions, press and hold an action, then drag it above or below the other actions.
- Tap to undo or tap to redo your steps.
- To delete an action, tap .
- To test your shortcut, tap .
- To give your shortcut a name, tap , then enter a name and tap Done.
- To save your shortcut, tap Done.
You can find your new shortcut when you open the Shortcuts app and go to the Library tab .
Edit or customize a shortcut
To edit actions in a shortcut:
How To Use Shortcuts App
- Open the Shortcuts app.
- Tap the Library tab .
- Tap in the upper-right corner of the shortcut to open the shortcuts editor.
To customize the name and appearance of your shortcut, tap in the shortcuts editor. Then you can do the following:
- Tap Name to change the name of your shortcut.
- Tap Icon to choose a Glyph and change its color.
- Tap Home Screen to choose an image from your camera roll to identify your shortcut when it's added to the Home screen.
Run a shortcut
To run a shortcut, open the Shortcuts app and go to the Library tab . Tap the shortcut.
You can also run a shortcut by asking Siri. Go to the Today View or Home screen, tap in the upper-right corner of the shortcut, then tap . You'll see several options to run your shortcut:
- Tap Add to Siri to record a personal phrase that you can say to Siri to run your shortcut.
- Turn on Show in Widget to access your shortcut from the Today View.
- Add to Home Screen to add the shortcut to your Home screen.
Mac App Shortcut
Learn more
You can find more information about the Shortcuts app, including comprehensive steps for creating and using them, in the Shortcuts User Guide.
Create Shortcut On Mac Desktop
Shortcuts aren't supported on Apple TV and macOS.