Better Touch Tool hyperkey / Keyboard Maestro issue: Something wrong in user account

Software
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I’ve been trying to track down a problem regarding using the Better Touch Tool hyperkey with Keyboard Maestro on the KM forum, and discovered that the problem goes away with a new user account. Since it appears there’s something wrong with my account, I thought I’d also post the issue on this forum.

What could be wrong with my account that would cause the problem described below? Should I reinstall Keyboard Maestro or Better Touch Tool? Or could it be something else in the system that’s broken, causing this issue whenever I use the caps lock key? Should I reinstall Catalina? Nuke and pave?

After a lot of experimenting last night, I’ve drafted this detailed description of what’s happening:

Regarding BTT URL triggers: The docs say, “The Hyperkey in BTT is only designed to work well with shortcuts defined IN BetterTouchTool.” I’m not sure what that means, because last year, I was told by the developer, Andreas, that you CAN trigger Keyboard Maestro using a url trigger. Hyperkey unusable - #12 by Andreas_Hegenberg - Bug Reports - BetterTouchTool Community

And I know the URL method really is triggering the KM macro, whether I use the “official” BTT hyperkey setup or the right control key method, because I added a “play a sound” action to the macro.

Once BTT has sent the URL to KM and the KM macro starts, BTT should have nothing more to do with it, right? But check out these four cases:

  1. When BTT sends a URL to KM using ANY modifiers, (including the hyperkey or right-control methods) a KM macro that doesn’t contain a “type a keystroke” action, it works fine. Perfect for KM conflict palettes.
  2. When BTT sends a URL to KM using the modifiers Ctrl Sh Cmd (or any other combination except cases 3 and 4), the macro and any “type a keystroke” actions run.
  3. When it uses the modifiers Ctrl Opt Sh Cmd with the BTT hyperkey setup, the macro runs, but the “type a keystroke” action doesn’t run and gives the system alert sound. (BUT if you just hold those four keys down, it runs.)
  4. When it uses the modifier Right Ctrl with the system keyboard caps lock mapped to right control, the macro runs, but the “type a keystroke” action doesn’t run and gives the system alert sound. (BUT if you just hold Right Ctrl down, it runs.)

So, “type a keystroke” fails when the macro is launched by BTT sending a URL IF the Caps Lock is used, either via the BTT hyperkey method or the Right Ctrl method. Caps Lock seems to be the common thread. (and it’s the same with my cabled and BT Apple keyboards)

It seems this is a Keyboard Maestro problem, unless the URL BTT sends is somehow breaking KM’s ability to run a “type a keystroke” action. Could it do that? It’s just a URL I copy from KM’s “by URL” trigger.

Thanks,
Russell

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Problem solved! Experimenting with a method of using Better Touch Tool’s ability to differentiate the left and right control keys (using right control as a hyper key) I had remapped the caps lock on my Bluetooth keyboard to be the control key, but was subsequently addressing the big, cabled keyboard.

I hadn’t noticed the “select keyboard” popup at the top OK modifier keys panel. Getting that straight fixed everything.

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