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Frequently_Asked_Questions [2023/10/10 06:18] – [Can I use a second keyboard solely to trigger macros?] peternlewisFrequently_Asked_Questions [2025/10/03 09:53] (current) – peternlewis
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 ==== How do I get started? ==== ==== How do I get started? ====
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 * If you purchased Keyboard Maestro after 1 March 2023 you have received a free upgrade to Keyboard Maestro 11. * If you purchased Keyboard Maestro after 1 March 2023 you have received a free upgrade to Keyboard Maestro 11.
-* If you *purchased* Keyboard Maestro version 10, you can upgrade for $18 until 15 December 2023. 
 * If you own any previous version of Keyboard Maestro, you can upgrade for $25. * If you own any previous version of Keyboard Maestro, you can upgrade for $25.
 * Otherwise you can purchase a new version for $36. * Otherwise you can purchase a new version for $36.
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 Yes, Keyboard Maestro version 11 is fully compatible with Mojave. In fact, Keyboard Maestro versions going back as far as version 2.x still work fine on Mojave. Yes, Keyboard Maestro version 11 is fully compatible with Mojave. In fact, Keyboard Maestro versions going back as far as version 2.x still work fine on Mojave.
  
-Mojave has bugs with its Accessibility System Preferences which may require toggling the Accessibility permissions of Keyboard Maestro Engine off and on again.  Generally this is only required once when upgrading to Mojave. See the [[assistance:Accessibility_Permission_Problem|Accessibility Permission Problem assistance]] for more information.+Mojave has bugs with its Accessibility System Settings which may require toggling the Accessibility permissions of Keyboard Maestro Engine off and on again.  Generally this is only required once when upgrading to Mojave. See the [[assistance:Accessibility_Permission_Problem|Accessibility Permission Problem assistance]] for more information.
  
 Note that Mojave adds some nagging for security permissions that can be tedious when first using Keyboard Maestro or when first controlling a specific facility or application. Note that Mojave adds some nagging for security permissions that can be tedious when first using Keyboard Maestro or when first controlling a specific facility or application.
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 Yes, Keyboard Maestro version 11 is fully compatible with Catalina. In fact, Keyboard Maestro versions going back as far as version 4.x still work fine on Catalina. Versions of Keyboard Maestro prior to version 4.0 will no longer run on Catalina due to it dropping support for 32-bit applications. Yes, Keyboard Maestro version 11 is fully compatible with Catalina. In fact, Keyboard Maestro versions going back as far as version 4.x still work fine on Catalina. Versions of Keyboard Maestro prior to version 4.0 will no longer run on Catalina due to it dropping support for 32-bit applications.
  
-Catalina continues with the bugs with its Accessibility System Preferences introduced in Mojave which may require toggling the Accessibility permissions of Keyboard Maestro Engine off and on again, and/or deleting the Keyboard Maestro Engine preference from the Accessibility system and having it re-added.  Generally this is only required once when upgrading to Catalina. See the [[assistance:Accessibility_Permission_Problem|Accessibility Permission Problem assistance]] for more information.+Catalina continues with the bugs with its Accessibility System Settings introduced in Mojave which may require toggling the Accessibility permissions of Keyboard Maestro Engine off and on again, and/or deleting the Keyboard Maestro Engine preference from the Accessibility system and having it re-added.  Generally this is only required once when upgrading to Catalina. See the [[assistance:Accessibility_Permission_Problem|Accessibility Permission Problem assistance]] for more information.
  
 Note that Mojave and later add lots of nagging for security permissions that can be tedious when first using Keyboard Maestro or when first controlling a specific facility or application. Note that Mojave and later add lots of nagging for security permissions that can be tedious when first using Keyboard Maestro or when first controlling a specific facility or application.
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 Yes, Keyboard Maestro version 11 is fully compatible with Big Sur. In fact, Keyboard Maestro versions going back as far as version 4.x still work fine on Big Sur. Yes, Keyboard Maestro version 11 is fully compatible with Big Sur. In fact, Keyboard Maestro versions going back as far as version 4.x still work fine on Big Sur.
  
-Big Sur continues with the bugs with its Accessibility System Preferences introduced in Mojave which may require toggling the Accessibility permissions of Keyboard Maestro Engine off and on again, and/or deleting the Keyboard Maestro Engine preference from the Accessibility system and having it re-added.  Generally this is only required once when upgrading to Catalina. See the [[assistance:Accessibility_Permission_Problem|Accessibility Permission Problem assistance]] for more information.+Big Sur continues with the bugs with its Accessibility System Settings introduced in Mojave which may require toggling the Accessibility permissions of Keyboard Maestro Engine off and on again, and/or deleting the Keyboard Maestro Engine preference from the Accessibility system and having it re-added.  Generally this is only required once when upgrading to Catalina. See the [[assistance:Accessibility_Permission_Problem|Accessibility Permission Problem assistance]] for more information.
  
 Note that Mojave and later add lots of nagging for security permissions that can be tedious when first using Keyboard Maestro or when first controlling a specific facility or application. Note that Mojave and later add lots of nagging for security permissions that can be tedious when first using Keyboard Maestro or when first controlling a specific facility or application.
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 Yes, Keyboard Maestro version 11 is fully compatible with Monterey. In fact, Keyboard Maestro versions going back as far as version 4.x still work fine on Monterey. Yes, Keyboard Maestro version 11 is fully compatible with Monterey. In fact, Keyboard Maestro versions going back as far as version 4.x still work fine on Monterey.
  
-Monterey continues with the bugs with its Accessibility System Preferences introduced in Mojave which may require toggling the Accessibility permissions of Keyboard Maestro Engine off and on again, and/or deleting the Keyboard Maestro Engine preference from the Accessibility system and having it re-added.  Generally this is only required once when upgrading to Catalina. See the [[assistance:Accessibility_Permission_Problem|Accessibility Permission Problem assistance]] for more information.+Monterey continues with the bugs with its Accessibility System Settings introduced in Mojave which may require toggling the Accessibility permissions of Keyboard Maestro Engine off and on again, and/or deleting the Keyboard Maestro Engine preference from the Accessibility system and having it re-added.  Generally this is only required once when upgrading to Catalina. See the [[assistance:Accessibility_Permission_Problem|Accessibility Permission Problem assistance]] for more information.
  
 Note that Mojave and later add lots of nagging for security permissions that can be tedious when first using Keyboard Maestro or when first controlling a specific facility or application. Note that Mojave and later add lots of nagging for security permissions that can be tedious when first using Keyboard Maestro or when first controlling a specific facility or application.
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 Yes, Keyboard Maestro version 11 is fully compatible with Ventura. In fact, Keyboard Maestro versions going back as far as version 4.x still work fine on Ventura. Yes, Keyboard Maestro version 11 is fully compatible with Ventura. In fact, Keyboard Maestro versions going back as far as version 4.x still work fine on Ventura.
  
-Ventura continues with the bugs with its Accessibility System Preferences introduced in Mojave which may require toggling the Accessibility permissions of Keyboard Maestro Engine off and on again, and/or deleting the Keyboard Maestro Engine preference from the Accessibility system and having it re-added.  Generally this is only required once when upgrading to Catalina. See the [[assistance:Accessibility_Permission_Problem|Accessibility Permission Problem assistance]] for more information.+Ventura continues with the bugs with its Accessibility System Settings introduced in Mojave which may require toggling the Accessibility permissions of Keyboard Maestro Engine off and on again, and/or deleting the Keyboard Maestro Engine preference from the Accessibility system and having it re-added.  Generally this is only required once when upgrading to Catalina. See the [[assistance:Accessibility_Permission_Problem|Accessibility Permission Problem assistance]] for more information.
  
 Note that Mojave and later add lots of nagging for security permissions that can be tedious when first using Keyboard Maestro or when first controlling a specific facility or application. Note that Mojave and later add lots of nagging for security permissions that can be tedious when first using Keyboard Maestro or when first controlling a specific facility or application.
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 Also, Sonoma restricts access to the wireless information unless you grant the application Location security permissions, but unfortunately Apple do not request those security permissions when the API is used, and there is no way to manually add Location permissions. In Keyboard Maestro version 11 you can poke the system to request this permission by executing the [[action:Get_Location|Get Location]] action once. Hopefully Apple will resolve this in upcoming versions of Sonoma. Also, Sonoma restricts access to the wireless information unless you grant the application Location security permissions, but unfortunately Apple do not request those security permissions when the API is used, and there is no way to manually add Location permissions. In Keyboard Maestro version 11 you can poke the system to request this permission by executing the [[action:Get_Location|Get Location]] action once. Hopefully Apple will resolve this in upcoming versions of Sonoma.
  
-Sonoma may continue with the bugs with its Accessibility System Preferences introduced in Mojave - we will see as more people use Sonoma.+Sonoma may continue with the bugs with its Accessibility System Settings introduced in Mojave - we will see as more people use Sonoma.
  
 Note that Mojave and later add lots of nagging for security permissions that can be tedious when first using Keyboard Maestro or when first controlling a specific facility or application. Note that Mojave and later add lots of nagging for security permissions that can be tedious when first using Keyboard Maestro or when first controlling a specific facility or application.
 +
 +==== Is Keyboard Maestro compatible with Sequoia? ====
 +
 +Yes, Keyboard Maestro version 11 is fully compatible with Sequoia. In fact, Keyboard Maestro versions going back as far as version 4.x still work fine on Sequoia.
 +
 +The Tesseract OCR library that Keyboard Maestro uses frequently fails with a memory corruption in Sequoia. It is unlikely we will be able to fix this, however the Apple Text Recognition supported by recent versions of Keyboard Maestro generally works better in most cases. Note that it currently supports English-only, so if you use OCR on non-English text, this may be a problem for you.
 +
 +Similar to previous versions there are endless little niggles in the security system which may cause issues when first getting Keyboard Maestro permission.
 +
 +Also, Sequoia tends to re-request Screen Monitoring permissions periodically which may be a nuisance, and for headless or unattended Macs may be a serious problem.
 +
 +==== Is Keyboard Maestro compatible with Tahoe? ====
 +
 +Yes, Keyboard Maestro version 11 is fully compatible with Tahoe. In fact, Keyboard Maestro versions going back as far as version 4.x still work fine on Tahoe.
 +
 +Tahoe seems to have some sort of bug with where it places status menus, so they may move around or have gaps between them. Hopefully Apple will resolve the issue promptly.
 +
 +The Tesseract OCR library that Keyboard Maestro uses frequently fails with a memory corruption in Sequoia, and likely in Tahoe too (unverified). It is unlikely we will be able to fix this, however the Apple Text Recognition supported by recent versions of Keyboard Maestro generally works better in most cases. Note that it currently supports English-only, so if you use OCR on non-English text, this may be a problem for you.
 +
 +Similar to previous versions it is likely there are endless little niggles in the security system which may cause issues when first getting Keyboard Maestro permission.
 +
 +Also, Tahoe tends to re-request Screen Monitoring permissions periodically which may be a nuisance, and for headless or unattended Macs may be a serious problem.
 +
  
 ==== Reporting a bug ==== ==== Reporting a bug ====
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 ==== Can I use the Fn key as a modifier? ==== ==== Can I use the Fn key as a modifier? ====
  
-Basically, no. The Fn key is not a modifier, it is a hardware toggle that toggles whether the physical key behaves as a function key (eg F3) or a hardware key (eg increase brightness).  Its behaviour can be toggle in the System Preferences, Keyboard preferences.  You can use a function key as a trigger as long as it is behaving as a function key (that is either with or without the Fn key depending on your system preference setting).  But the Fn key does not affect the hot key per se, it changes whether the key on the keyboard acts as a function key (needful for hot keys) or a hardware key (which cannot be used with a hot key).+Basically, no. The Fn key is not a modifier, it is a hardware toggle that toggles whether the physical key behaves as a function key (eg F3) or a hardware key (eg increase brightness).  Its behaviour can be toggle in the System Settings, Keyboard preferences.  You can use a function key as a trigger as long as it is behaving as a function key (that is either with or without the Fn key depending on your system preference setting).  But the Fn key does not affect the hot key per se, it changes whether the key on the keyboard acts as a function key (needful for hot keys) or a hardware key (which cannot be used with a hot key).
  
 Think of your keyboard as have two rows of keys, one row of function keys and one row of hardware keys - the Fn key toggles which row is “visible”. Think of your keyboard as have two rows of keys, one row of function keys and one row of hardware keys - the Fn key toggles which row is “visible”.
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 ==== How can I select Status Menus? ==== ==== How can I select Status Menus? ====
  
-Selecting status menu items is difficult primarily because there is no easy way of specifying them - they don't have names so its hard to identify them.+Selecting status menu items (sometimes known as menu bar items) is difficult primarily because there is no easy way of specifying them - they don't have names so it is hard to identify them.
  
-You can use a Click at Found Image, although even that can be difficult as they often animate or change icons based on various states.  If the icon does not animate or change state (or has a known state when you want to select from it), then this can be a good solution, followed by Insert Text by Typing "Menu Name%Return%"+You can use a [[action:Move_or_Click_Mouse|Click at Found Image]], although even that can be difficult as they often animate or change icons based on various states.  If the icon does not animate or change state (or has a known state when you want to select from it), then this can be a good solution, clicking to open the menu and then followed by [[action:Insert_Text_by_Typing|Insert Text by Typing]] "Menu Name%Return%"
  
 To click relative to an image, you use the Mouse Click action, configure it to be relative to a found image, and take a screenshot of the desired area of the screen using Command-Control-Shift-4, and paste it into the image well on the action.  The image has to be unique (which includes not being visible in the action if the image is small enough not to be shrunk in the image well) otherwise Keyboard Maestro will not know where to click.  The Display option in the action will allow you to see where Keyboard Maestro is matching. To click relative to an image, you use the Mouse Click action, configure it to be relative to a found image, and take a screenshot of the desired area of the screen using Command-Control-Shift-4, and paste it into the image well on the action.  The image has to be unique (which includes not being visible in the action if the image is small enough not to be shrunk in the image well) otherwise Keyboard Maestro will not know where to click.  The Display option in the action will allow you to see where Keyboard Maestro is matching.
  
 +You may also be able to use AppleScript to click the menu bar, something like:
 +
 +```
 +tell application "System Events" to tell process "Adguard"
 + click menu bar item 1 of menu bar 2
 +end tell
 +```
 ==== How should I name my variables? ==== ==== How should I name my variables? ====
  
-Keyboard Maestro 5 introduced [[manual:Variables|Variables]] to its set of features. These variables are really great for scripters. They are implemented in a way that a variable can be initialized from within a Keyboard Maestro macro (A Prompt for User Input, Set Variable to Text, or a Set Variable to Calculation action.), which can then be used in other actions, including Shell and AppleScript scripts.+Keyboard Maestro 5 introduced [[manual:Variables|Variables]] to its set of features. Variables can be initialised in a wide variety of ways, including by asking you for values using actions like [[action:Prompt_for_User_Input|Prompt for User Input]], [[action:Set_Variable_to_Text|Set Variable to Text]] or [[action:Set_Variable_to_Calculation|Calculation]] and can then be used in other actions, including [[action:Execute_a_Shell_Script|Shell]] and [[action:Execute_an_AppleScript|AppleScript]] scripts.
  
-Variables can be used with the [[token:Variable|%Variable%]] token syntax in Text Fields. [[manual:Calculations|Calculations]] , such as screen coordinates and frames, whether the Mac is online, Safari tabs, etc, can also be used for some nifty things, and they can set variables. There’s a lot to check out with calculations. Calculations, can even have two elements, in which case the variables can be accessed as array. (eg, ''%Calculate%variable name[2]''). In Shell and AppleScript’s this looks similar. Please refer to the [[manual:Variables|Variables]] user manual section for more information. A [[action:Execute_a_Shell_Script|Execute a Shell Script]] action can access variables like so: ''$KMVAR‗variable‗name'' or so ''$_ENV["KMVAR‗variable‗name"]''.+Almost every field in Keyboard Maestro actions can optionally include a variable. In [[/Text_Fields|Text Fields]], variables can be used with the [[token:Variable|%Variable%]] token, while in [[/Text_Fields|Numeric Fields]], calculations can be used containing variables directly. 
 + 
 +[[manual:Variables|Variables]] can also include an array of elements.
  
 Which brings us to the point of this article: *naming best practices*.  Which brings us to the point of this article: *naming best practices*. 
  
-Variables that start with "Local " (v8+) will be local to the macro in question, and that start with "Instance " will be local to the macro instance (ie, that macro and all the macros that it executes).  Consider availing yourself of these local variables if appropriate.+Variables that start with "Local" (v8+) will be local to the macro in question, and that start with "Instance" will be local to the macro instance (ie, that macro and all the macros that it executes).  Consider availing yourself of these local variables when appropriate. 
 + 
 +Other variables are global and so can be used between different macros and retain their values over time, thus allowing you to store information for later use.
  
 Keyboard Maestro variables can have whitespace characters in their name. This is good for human readability. It also makes for better user experience in User Input dialogs. Whitespace characters are converted to underscores in scripts. Keyboard Maestro variables can have whitespace characters in their name. This is good for human readability. It also makes for better user experience in User Input dialogs. Whitespace characters are converted to underscores in scripts.
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 You can learn more about regular expressions in various places: You can learn more about regular expressions in various places:
  
-* The BBEdit or TextWrangler Help has extensive documentation on regular expressions.+* The BBEdit Help has extensive documentation on regular expressions.
 * gskinner’s [RegExr](http://gskinner.com/RegExr/) provides a live testing field for regular expressions (requires Flash). * gskinner’s [RegExr](http://gskinner.com/RegExr/) provides a live testing field for regular expressions (requires Flash).
 * [Beginning Regular Expressions](http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Regular-Expressions-Programmer/dp/0764574892/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339154441&sr=1-1) book. * [Beginning Regular Expressions](http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Regular-Expressions-Programmer/dp/0764574892/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339154441&sr=1-1) book.
 * [Mastering Regular Expressions ](http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Regular-Expressions-Jeffrey-Friedl/dp/0596528124/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339154441&sr=1-2) book. * [Mastering Regular Expressions ](http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Regular-Expressions-Jeffrey-Friedl/dp/0596528124/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339154441&sr=1-2) book.
 * [Regular Expressions Tutorial](http://www.regular-expressions.info/tutorial.html) online resource. * [Regular Expressions Tutorial](http://www.regular-expressions.info/tutorial.html) online resource.
 +* [Regular Expression 101](https://regex101.com) online regex tester (but note that it has different settings and different flags so just because a regex works there does not mean it will work the same in Keyboard Maestro).
 +
  
 ==== How can I close the Keyboard Maestro editor window? ==== ==== How can I close the Keyboard Maestro editor window? ====
  
-You can (v8+) click the close box on the editor window and it will quit the editor for you.+You can click the close box on the editor window and it will close the editor window.  
 + 
 +If the last window is closed, the editor will quit. The Keyboard Maestro Engine will continue running and processing your macros after you quit the Keyboard Maestro editor. Read the [Quick Start](http://wiki.keyboardmaestro.com/Quick_Start) for more details about the difference between the editor and the engine. 
 + 
 +Note that while you can have more than one editor window open, it can quickly slow down Keyboard Maestro so it is generally best to only have one editor window open unless you need to refer to two macros at the same time. Also, it is generally a good idea to quit the Keyboard Maestro editor when you are not editing your macros and leave just the Keyboard Maestro Engine running. 
  
-The Keyboard Maestro Engine will continue running and processing your macros after you quit the Keyboard Maestro editor. Read the [Quick Start](http://wiki.keyboardmaestro.com/Quick_Start) for more details about the difference between the editor and the engine. 
  
 ==== What does Keyboard Maestro use the Contacts for? ==== ==== What does Keyboard Maestro use the Contacts for? ====
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 ==== Should I buy from the Mac App Store or Buy Direct? ==== ==== Should I buy from the Mac App Store or Buy Direct? ====
  
-Keyboard Maestro is no longer available from the Mac App Store, so you cannot buy from the Mac App Store.  +Keyboard Maestro is no longer available from the Mac App Store, so you cannot buy from the Mac App Store.
  
 You could never buy any version from version 6 onwards from the Mac App Store. You could never buy any version from version 6 onwards from the Mac App Store.
  
  
Frequently_Asked_Questions.1696918681.txt.gz · Last modified: by peternlewis
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