907 Whether you take to iKey will depend largely on how much you enjoy playing with and configuring software. iKey (formerly Youpi key) is a powerful automation utility for Mac OS X, but it requires a great deal of setup attention using an interface that I found neither intuitive nor especially user-friendly.

Fortunately, iKey 2.0 comes with an excellent and thoroughgoing PDF manual by Tidbits' Adam Engst to help walk you through the various configuration processes, and with this program, reading the manual is not optional.

For example, here is what was involved in creating a simple text macro for an email sign-off. Details will vary depending on what you want your shortcut to accomplish, but the basic steps are the same. All the tasks of creating and editing shortcuts take place in a separate application called iKey Editor. Follow these steps to launch iKey Editor: 1. If the iKey lightning bolt icon isn�t in your menu bar, double-click the iKey application icon. 2. From the iKey lightning bolt menu, choose iKey Editor. iKey Editor opens, displaying all your current shortcuts.

1. Open the shortcut creation dialog: Either click the Create button (+) in iKey Editor�s toolbar when the Shortcuts tab is selected, or choose Create > Shortcut. iKey Editor opens an empty shortcut creation dialog (Figure 5.1).

2. Add your first command: Using the + pop-up menu in the Commands area, navigate through the hierarchical menus to choose the New item for the command you wish to have executed first by your shortcut.

For this example: + > Keyboard > Type Text > New, and iKey has opened the Type Text command dialog. Enter some text here; I�m creating a simple email signoff. Click OK when you�re done.

3. Tell iKey what to do after it issues the first command: Back in the shortcut creation dialog, double-click the Pause cell in the row for the command you just created to display the Repetition and Result dialog. In the Pause field, enter 1 to make the shortcut pause for 1 second after the command executes, and then click OK.

4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 to add additional commands for the shortcut to execute in order. For this example, choose + > Sound > Play Sound > New and in the Play Sound command dialog, from the Sound pop-up menu choose Select. Then, select /System/Library/Sounds/[your choice].aiff and click Select.

5. Set the context for the shortcut: in this instance we could leave the Contexts area alone, since there�s probably no harm in having this shortcut work in any application (at this point the default Universal context is already set), but since it�s only meant to be used in email, we acn create an application-specific context: a. Using the + pop-up menu in the Contexts area, navigate through the hierarchical menus to choose the New item for the context you wish to apply to your shortcut. In this case, I chose + > Application in Front > New to open the Application in Front context dialog, where I chose Eudora (my number one email program) from the Application menu

Click OK when you�re done. Select the Universal context and either click the � button or press Command-Delete to remove it.

6. Set up a launcher: Using the + pop-up menu in the Launchers area, navigate through the hierarchical menus to choose the New item for the launcher you wish to use to invoke your shortcut. For this example, I chose + > Keyboard Event > New, and iKey Editor opened the Keyboard Event launcher dialog. Type the hotkey you want to use; for this example I used Control-Enter. Click OK when you�re done.

7. Set repetitions for your shortcut: For this example, we�ll leave the Repetitions alone; however, if you wanted the shortcut to run some particular number of times, you could click the Modify button and enter a number of repetitions and a delay between them.

8. Name your shortcut: Enter a name in the Name field, and then click OK to save it .

Once configured, the macro worked fine, but what a lot of hassle and rigamarole to go through in a creeating a result that I could have configured in the TypeIt4Me text macro utility with a couple of keystrokes and mouse clicks.

Of course, iKey can activate many more functions on your Mac than TypeIt4Me can, iKey enables you to create shortcuts for all manner of tasks, including Terminal commands, menu item selection, window control, and application and document launching, , but be prepared for a steep learning-curve climb and time investment to get it all set up.

For instructions on how, check out the manual.

iKey actions can be triggered by
� Keyboard shortcuts
� Inclusion in the iKey menu item
� Scheduling
� Various user-created interface options.

iKey can simulate both keydown events and mouse events, meaning iKey can control the computer as if someone were physically using the keyboard and the mouse. The keyboard commands also include the ability to type the date, type the contents of the clipboard or even the contents of a file.

Copying, Pasting and adding to the clipboard are all possible with iKey. iKey can open the System Preferences and switch to any one of the preference panes, tell the computer when to sleep, restart or shutdown. Using the power of Mac OS X, iKey can also execute UNIX commands. iKey is able to open Web Addresses, create new emails, pause, display folder hierarchy and show files within the Finder, play sounds, and execute Applescripts or itself be run by Applescripts.

iKey's versatility is what distinguishes it from the vast majority of its competition. You can configure floating menus that appear on a keystroke, floating palette windows with buttons commands, to be applied either in a universal context or dedicated to a specific application all with a wide range of customizability. However, I found the iKey interface almost perversely complex and confusing. Maybe I'm just getting old.

Another problem that I encountered was that iKey 2.0 conflicted with some of the F-key AppleScript shortcuts I have configured in Tex Edit Plus. Normal behavior returned when I quit iKey. This issue could no doubt be worked around by revising key assignments, but then one would have to unlearn a bunch of shortcut keystrokes, and such memorization has always proved a stumbling block for me with any sort of macro programming.

In order to get the full benefit from iKey it will be necessary to memorize a lot of shortcut triggers for various tasks. If you're good at that sort of memorizeation, you are going to enjoy using IT a lot more than absent-minded and forgetful folks like me.

Here are some things you might configure iKey to do:

Applications & Documents
Use iKey to tell your computer to launch, switch, show, quit and relaunch software applications, or to open specific documents even in other applications than their creator application. Includes access to recent applications and the currently running applications. iKey is even able to control the actual windows & menus of running applications.

Keyboard & Mouse & Menu & Palette
iKey can simulate both keydown events and mouse events, meaning iKey can control the computer as if someone were physically using the keyboard and the mouse. The keyboard commands also include the ability to type the date, type the contents of the clipboard or even the contents of a file.

Clipboard & Window & System & UNIX
Copying, Pasting and adding to the clipboard is all possible with iKey. iKey can open the System Preferences and switch to any one of the preference panes. iKey can tell the computer when to sleep, restart or shutdown. Using the power of Mac OS X, iKey can even execute UNIX commands

Internet & Script & Sound
iKey is also able to Open Web Addresses, Create new e-mails, Pause, Display folder hierarchy and show files within the Finder, play Sounds, and execute Applescripts or itself be run by Applescripts.

New in this version:

iKey 2.0 is a complete rewrite of the previous versions that enables to control much more of commands and how they are run, and has many new options.

The application has been structured with the following objects:
- command: the based object to do a task (each command is based on a type that define the task it can do - command types are grouped by family)
- context: it controls when a shortcut, a menu or a palette is available
- launcher: it run shortcuts, display menu and palettes depending on events (key, date, application or system event)
- shortcut: it groups one or more comands, and controls how they run
- menu: to run shortcuts and commands (including in submenus)
- palettes: to run shortcuts and commands (many new options)

iKey application:
- can check automatically for new version (preferences)
- improved applescript support: run command, run shortcut, display floating menu, show/hide palette

Editing iKey:
- new interface with brushed metal windows and toolbars
- all settings can be defined for one user and for all users of a Mac
- integrated help (nof fully implemented in beta 6)
- preferences inside (not in a preference pane)
- preferences include default settings for new objects (commands, shortcuts, menus and palettes)
- preferences include delay before a palette is deactivated
- many examples of commands, shortcuts, contexts, launchers, menus and paletted for new users

Commands:
- one command can be used in several shortcuts, palettes or menus
- any change in a command is transmitted to all objects that use it (shortcuts, palettes and menus)
- each command can be tested inside the editor
- a list of non valid commands can be displayed
- new command types: family iKey (new): Quit iKey, Launch Editor, Open iKey Preference Pane, System Keys (sound, eject)
- all commands of iKey 1.0.7

Shortcuts:
- each shortcut can be ran with several launchers (key combo event, date/time events, application events and system events)
- each launcher can be deactivated temporarily for a specific shortcut (for test purpose for example)
- each shortcut can be activated in several contexts (when various applications are on the foreground)
- each context can be deactivated temporarily for a specific shortcut (for test purpose for example)
- can run several commands by default
- each command inside a shortcut can be deactivated temporarily (for test purpose for example)
- each command inside a shortcut has result parameters to specify what to do if the command succeeds and if the command fails: continue, show a message, add to a report, stop or ask
- each command inside a shortcut has its specific run parameters: the number of times to run, the delay to pause after each run
- commands can be shared with other shortcuts (like aliases), so that if changes are made in a command, all shortcuts linked to it will be also changed
- each shortcut can be tested inside the editor
- can define how many times all the commands inside a shortcut need to be ran (one time, several times, by infinite) and the delay between each run
- result of each command in a shortcut can be viewed in a report

Contexts:
- add new context types: when an application is on the background; when an application is running; when an application isn't running
- ability to deactivate all key combo when a context is activated (for example: a specific application is on the foreground)
- easier to deactivate one or more specific key combo when a context is activated (for example: a specific application is on the foreground)

Launchers:
- one launcher can fire an unlimited number of objects (shortcuts, menus, palettes)
- for each key based launcher, specify if the event occurs the key combo is pressed or released
- for each key based launcher, specify if the event is repeated when the keys remain pressed, and the delay between each event
- key based launcher: more pertinent title of the key combo
- for each date based launcher, specify if the next planned date is exceeded (the Mac and/or iKey wasn't running) what to do (fire, nothing or ask)
- system based launcher: before go to sleep: now really run shortcuts before going to sleep

Menus:
- each menu has new specific settings:
. to display in the menu bar, with an image and/or a name
. to display image of items
. to display key combo of items (shortcuts with key based launchers)
- several menus can be displayed in the menu bar
- menus can be used as submenus, with unlimited number of levels

Palettes:
- each palette has new specific settings:
. the origin of the default location (top/left, top/right, bottom/right or bottom left of the screen)
. the type of buttons (image only, image top, image bottom, image right, image left, image over, no image)
. the size of the image
. the size of the font to display the name
- palettes can be previewed from the editor

Preference Pane:
- now just for launching/quitting iKey and launching iKey Editor in case it cannot be found

As I said at the beginning of this review, if you like messing aroung with software configurations, iKey is an app. for you.

System requirements:
� Mac OS X 10.2 or higher

iKey is $30.00 shareware, so you can try it out before making a cash commitment.

For more information, visit:
http://scriptsoftware.com/ikey/

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