There are a lot of discussions about setting up manual automation triggers: Keyboard Maestro macro palettes, hotkey, Elgato Stream Deck of virtual alternatives, Siri shortcuts widgets, voice commands, etc…
I tend to forget about hotkeys combination and I do not like to get my hands off the keyboard. I also use actions/automation from various places: keyboard maestro macros, Alfred workflows, or just obscure menu items that often do not have a keyboard shortcut.
Thus, my current approach to triggering manual commands organically came to be centralized in Alfred search bar by typing a few keywords to reach the desired action:
- Keyboard Maestro actions are launched via Alfred Maestro by typing: km + a few keywords about what I am trying to achieve
- Alfred workflows are either launched directly if I can remember the shorthand or I rely on Alfred Keywords workflow by typing: ? + keywords
- Menu items from the current application are found using Menu Bar Search workflow by typing: m + keywords
All in all, it is a very forgiving system as I do not need to remember hotkeys or workflows keywords by heart. I also use the same concept within Sublime text and its Action palette (CMD + SHIFT + P) or Jetbrains tools using “Find action…” which I mapped to the same.
Workflows executed hundreds of time a day would be better initiated by a dedicated hotkey combination, and I also use these, but both are not incompatible, as the action palette merely search in hotkeys items instead of replacing them.
Furthermore, it allows me to refresh my memory about which hotkey combination to use and I often end up using it, if using the workflow several times in a row.
See the image attached to visualize the concept in action. Are you also using the same? Do you see other applications for it?
