macDevTools

Background app assisting with local development tasks

Windows keyboard shortcuts on mac OS

The application intercepts key stroke events on low level, if they are of interest modifies them and then they continue up the chain, reaching the focused application.

For example, if you press "Control + C", the event args are modified and it becomes "Command + C", issuing a copy command.

Currently implemented shortcuts (tested on Logitec`s MX mouse and K800 keyboard)

• For Logitec MX mouse the Back/Next side buttons work in Finder as Back and Next
• Control +
  • X/C/V = cut/copy/paste
  • B/I = bolt/italic
  • Z/Y = undo/redo
  • A/F = select all/find
  • W = only in Firefox, to close the current tab
• Options + D = shows desktop
• Options + E = opens Finder
• F2 = only in Finder, renames file/folder
• Control + left/right = in text editor moves cursor one word left/right
• Shift + Control + left/right = in text editor marks with cursor one word left/right
• Home/End = in text editor moves cursor to most left/right on the row
• Shift + Home/End = in text editor marks with cursor to most left/right on the row
• Command + Shift = switch keyboard layout

Problems this solves:

1. MacOS limitations: For example, I wanted System preferences -> keyboard -> "Input sources" to switch with "Command + Shift", but this is not allowed.
2. Flexibility: For example, it is made that "Control + W" is intercepted only in Firefox (to close the current tab), thuss not affecting this key combination in other applications.

Problems it creates:
In some edge cases, the combination of pressed buttons + modifications may invoke unexpected commands on the focused application.

Code quality and performance:
This is my "Hello swift and Xcode" application, so I don't know the language tricks. I wanted the code to be easiest posssible for reading, understanding and modification by total swift noobs like me. Finally, because we attach a bunch of logic on every key stroke, which is relatively frequent operation, the code is attempted to be fast.

How to run: (prepare yourself mentaly)

For now this is ment to be build and run locally.

1. Get Xcode from apple store
2. Git clone the repository and open it in with Xcode
3. Open in Xcode and try Product -> Run. You'll get a long error message, because we need to run it as root and/or give permissions to the keyboard events. To be honest, after hours spent, I don't remember how exactly I`ve enabled it. Relatively painfull process, but it is what it is. As of Jul 2022 you have to:
   • NOT RUN XCODE AS ROOT, causes pain
   • (if you don't have) create developer.apple.com account
   • Then, go to -> Xcode -> Preferences -> Accounts -> bottom left, click the "+" -> add the above mentioned account. It will automaticaly assign you in team (Personal Team)
   • In the Xcode Navigator left click the .xcodeproj file (top blue file) -> Signing and capabilities -> Team: the team from above; Signing certificates: Development
   • We continue by -> Xcode -> Product -> Scheme -> Edit scheme -> Run -> Info -> "Debug Process as" -> switch to root
   • Finally -> System preferences -> Security and privacy -> Privacy. Because
     1. I'm not sure which one and
     2. in the long term this application will mutate as local machine assisting dev tool
        I added the application in "Accessability", "Input monitoring", "Full disk access", "Files and folders", "Developer tools".
        The application location is /Users/[you]/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/devTools-[GUID]/Build/Products/Debug/keyboardHandler.app It will exist when you build successfully the app. Bare in mind, in future the app name might change, once I understand how to do it without braking the whole project.
   • Finalliest, build and run the program. Instead with an error, this time you should be prompted for passowrd/fingerprint. If everithing is fine on the top bar should appear a circle with "+" in it. On my machine I`ve added the app to start with the OS, it then does not require pass/finger.