The new transport key functions on the Apple aluminium keyboards are very nice, but they kind of screw with my preferred workflow and years of muscle memory triggered shortcuts. In order to make best use of the keyboard and my Wacom tablet’s pen buttons, the list of things which I need to make work (with a minimum of changes to what I already ‘know’):
- I want my Fn bound Photoshop actions to work (a set of custom actions I have used since time began) as I am used to the key combinations.
- I want to be able to control Exposé/dashboard etc from the Fn keys as I am used to those key combinations as well.
- I want access to some of the ‘audio’ key functions which you now get with the Aluminium keyboard (specifically the volume controls as they are now on the F10-F12 keys – they used to be separate keys on the old pro keyboards). I don’t actually need the ‘transport’ controlls as I use Butler shortcuts for this (and have done for ages) – again I am used to those key combos).
- The Wacom pen has a rocker button on the side – I want the front position to double click and the back position to do an ‘Exposé > Application windows’.
- I don’t really want to install any third party keyboard control applications.
What to do?
The best I have come up with so far is:
- System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Keyboard: tick the checkbox marked ‘Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys’ if it is unticked.
- System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Keyboard Shortcuts: under ‘Dock, Exposé and Dashboard’, assign:
- cmd-F9 to ‘All windows’
- cmd-F10 to ‘Application windows’
- cmd-F11 to ‘Desktop’
- cmd-F12 to ‘Dashboard’
- cmd-F8 to ‘Spaces’.
- System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Keyboard Shortcuts: under ‘Dock, Exposé and Dashboard’, untick the checkbox for ‘Application windows’ (the one you just assigned cmd-F10 to).
- System Preferences > Wacom Tablet: on the popup menu for the rear side-button, select ‘Keystroke…’. In the sheet which comes down, ‘clear’ the current selection and press cmd-F10. The ‘Keys’ box should now read show ‘Command(cloverleaf)Function Key(looks like a little house)10’.
- ‘OK’ the sheet and ‘OK’ the next one as well (which allows you to give the action a custom name if you want).
- System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Keyboard Shortcuts: under ‘Dock, Exposé and Dashboard’, re-tick the checkbox for ‘Application windows’ so it is ‘on’.
The results
- Fn (and shift-Fn) can now be assigned to actions in Photoshop.
- Cmd-Fn controls dashboard, Exposé etc. on the same keys I am used to (albeit while holding down the Command key now).
- Function-Fn controls the transport functions (as printed on the Fn keys)
- The rear button on the Wacom side switch Exposé‘s all windows for the frontmost application.
1 Comments
I searched and searched for this info! THANK YOU!!!! You’ve saved me many many headaches!
posted by Shana Hensley, Aug 22, 07:28 PM