Submitted by support on Tue, 2009-12-01 09:47

You can assign commands for specific applications by using Appleʼs Keyboard Shortcuts. The N, NE, E, SE, S buttons located around the touchpad when pressed concurrently with the Function Key send F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5 keystrokes to your Mac, as described by the diagram below.

mac_customize_buttons.jpg

Using System Preferences, you can assign these keystrokes to menu commands known as Menu Titles. To create a keyboard shortcut for an application (OS 10.6) simply:

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Keyboard.
  2. Click Keyboard Shortcuts, and then click the Add (+) button
  3. Choose an application from the Application pop-up menu. If you want to set the same key combination for a menu command that appears in many applications, choose All Applications
  4. If the application you want to select does not appear in the list, choose Other and locate the application using the Open dialog. Some applications may not allow you to set keyboard shortcuts.
  5. Type the menu command for which you want to set a keyboard shortcut in the Menu Title field.
    1. You must type the command exactly as it appears in the application menu, including ellipses and any other punctuation.
  6. Click in the Keyboard Shortcut field and press the key combination that you want to assign to the menu command, and then click Add.
  7. Quit the application for which you added or changed a keyboard shortcut.
  8. Restart the application to see the keyboard shortcut in the applicationʼs menu.

Suggested Shortcuts by Application

Any menu items can be programmed as a shortcut. Below are suggested shortcuts for media applications designed for Mac OS.

El Gato EyeTV

Menu Title Application Command Function Key
Go to Built-In Guide apple_command_key24x24.gifG F1
Go Live apple_command_key24x24.gifL F2
Start Recording apple_command_key24x24.gifR F3
Go to Beginning apple_command_key24x24.gifB F4
Enter Full Screen apple_command_key24x24.gifO F5

 

Apple DVD Player

Menu Title Application Command Function Key
Show Menu apple_command_key24x24.gifD F1
Actual Size apple_command_key24x24.gif1 F2
Double Size apple_command_key24x24.gif2 F3
Fit to Screen apple_command_key24x24.gif3 F4
Enter Full Screen apple_command_key24x24.gifF F5

 

Apple iTunes

Menu Title Application Command Function Key
Store Home Shift apple_command_key24x24.gifH F1
iTunes Option apple_command_key24x24.gif1 F2
Equalizer Option apple_command_key24x24.gif2 F3
Show Visualizer apple_command_key24x24.gifT F4
Switch to Mini Player Shift apple_command_key24x24.gifM F5
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