User Tools
Table of Contents
**This is an old revision of the document!**
This is an advanced trigger — generally you should use a Hot Key Trigger if possible.
The USB Device Key trigger executes a macro when any device key is pressed — this includes modifier keys, mouse buttons, programable keyboards like P.I. Engineering’s X-Key, and even the brightness buttons on USB connected monitors.
The macro can be executed when the key is pressed, released or repeat continuously while it is held down. The trigger can also optionally be restricted to when certain modifier keys are pressed.
You can configure the trigger to execute when the key is tapped (press and released quickly) each time, the first tap, double tapped, triple tapped, or quadruple taped (v7.0+). Keep in mind that Keyboard Maestro cannot see the future, so “tapped once” will first even if you tap the key twice (“tapped” would fire both times).
For example, a macro could fire every five seconds while Control-Mouse Button 3 is held down.
Unlike hot key triggers, the pressed key is not removed or affected in any way. This trigger watches input devices at a low level, but it does not affect them, so any key presses continue to have their normal operation as well as triggering the macro. This is fine for modifiers, unused mouse buttons, programable keyboards and other unused buttons, but would likely be problematic for normal keystrokes which will continue to have some other, probably unwanted, affect.
