QuicKeys X3 (Mac)

Other products by CE Software Inc.

Product Features

• Automation utility specifically designed for Mac OS X
• Turns daily time-consuming tasks into simple one-step shortcuts
• Newly redesigned interface; new triggers; better accuracy and recording hints
• Administrators can publish shortcuts users can easily subscribe to
• Option of subscopes for different parts of a selected application

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0007IQGIU
• Item model number: 4X30EU01
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 12, 2005
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,807 in Software (See Bestsellers in Software)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

QuicKeys X is the first automation utility specifically designed for Mac OS X. It takes the daily tasks that would normally require you 5, 6, 20, or more steps and turns them into simple one-step shortcuts. Automate anything from launching programs, mounting servers, selecting menus, and running UNIX commands to typing text or shutting down your Classic environment. Whatever you do, however many steps, QuicKeys saves you time and increases your productivity.

How does it work?
Shortcuts are a snap to create with either the easy-to-use QuicKeys Editor or the built-in recording feature. Shortcuts can be scoped to work in all applications or limited to only work in a specific application. QuicKeys provides a wide range of ways to trigger your shortcuts, including hot keys, timers, date and time, application events, time range, toolbars, USB device, and speech triggers. QuicKeys is the ultimate utility for streamlining your digital lifestyle.

What can QuicKeys do for me?
Once you simplify your daily computer tasks with QuicKeys, the benefits are obvious. Primarily, you'll save time. Every shortcut, whether saving you 10 seconds or 10 minutes of attentive work at your keyboard, will give you back some of that most precious commodity. And accuracy is another bonus. Humans are prone to error, but with some care, QuicKeys shortcuts can be built to be bullet-proof, performing a task thousands of times, each iteration exactly like the last. With QuicKeys X, all the different parts of your Mac can be customized to work together, the way you want. Once you've experienced this kind of power, you won't want to use a Mac without QuicKeys.

Powerful new features enhance QuicKeys for both the novice and expert user.

A New, More Intuitive, User Interface
QuicKeys X3 features a newly redesigned interface which allows users to see all their shortcuts steps at once. The ability to drag-and-drop steps between shortcuts has also been added.

New Speech, Time Range, Application Event, Mouse, and Device Shortcut Triggers
In addition to the Hot Key, Timer, Menu, Repeat, and Toolbar triggers that were available in QuicKeys X2, the following new triggers have been added giving users an even wider range of ways to trigger shortcuts.

• Application event: shortcuts can be triggered automatically after a specific application opens, quits, becomes front-most, or leaves the front.
• Device: with this trigger type, users can directly assign shortcuts to buttons on a USB mouse, trackball, joystick, and even keys like Eject and Mute on a keyboard.
• Speech: if a user has a microphone attached to their Mac, they can assign a unique phrase for any QuicKeys shortcut, which when spoken will activate that shortcut.
• Time range: This option is technically a qualifier rather than an actual trigger, it will not directly trigger a shortcut. But if this qualifier is grouped with another trigger, users can limit that trigger's operation to specified time ranges.

Public Shortcuts
With previous versions of QuicKeys users had the ability to export and import shortcuts to share their shortcuts with other users. A new way to share shortcuts has been added, giving a whole office the ability to be efficient together. Using Public Shortcuts, administrators can now publish shortcuts that users can easily subscribe to. Plus, any changes made to these Public Shortcuts will be updated on each user's machine automatically whenever QuicKeys is launched.

More Logic and Variables
Now users can use variables and simple equations in their QuicKeys Shortcuts. They can even write their own functions--giving more power and control to sequences. Put this together with the much-improved Wait shortcut and the new Decision shortcut and you'll have control of your Mac like never before.

Shortcuts as Files
QuicKeys Shortcuts can now be used in any toolbar application--even on the dock. Or Shortcuts can be played by other applications like iCal or FileMaker.

Improved Recording and Playback
Better accuracy and recording hints help users record exactly what they want to, making shortcut creation easier than ever.

Subscopes
In addition to being able to set the scope (whether the shortcut will run in all or only selected applications) for each shortcut, users can now assign subscopes for the different parts of the selected application. For example, have the F1 hot key do one thing while editing a document and have it do something else when doing print layout.

Text Tools
Text Tools Shortcuts are a collection of useful text formatting operations. They allow users to quickly clean up superfluous white space, turn styled text into plain, change case, and more.

Printer Switching
Users can save time by letting the Switch Printer shortcut select the right printer for them rather than having to do so manually in the print dialog.

Product Description

QuicKeys X3 lets you automate the tasks that may take several steps, reducing them to a simple keystroke. Whether you're launching programs, mounting servers, selecting menus or running UNIX commands, QuicKeys saves you time and increases your productivity. Transfer your shortcuts to another computer or user

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic time-saving marvel!, March 2, 2005

By	RG Arrington (Anchorage, Alaska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Quickeys 3 by Startly Technologies is a powerful utility to help the computer user create an endless variety of shortcuts that automate everyday, repetitive tasks, resulting in increased productivity.

Quickeys can:

* Launch and manage files, folders, servers and applications (ex. launch your documents folder, switch hard drives, copy or move a file automatically to another location for quick on-the-fly backups)
* Launch web addresses and automatically enter passwords (ex. Check e-mail accounts, review bank statements, pay bills online)
* Write automatic e-mails, documents and any other application requiring text entries (ex. Send an automatic reply to an e-mail, write an invoice,, automatically write your grocery list each month)
* Calculate formulas and mathematical data
* Select menu items including context-sensitive items
* Select items based on single, double, triple and right mouse clicks
* Launch apple script and UNIX commands
* Combine shortcuts you have created into single click power shortcuts.

Quickeys builds these shortcuts into the system interface and allows the user to:
* Create hot keys and key combinations to launch shortcuts
* Select shortcuts from a drop down menu on the menu bar
* Enable shortcuts by speech commands
* Launch shortcuts from the finder or only in specified applications (scope)
* Launch shortcuts based on a specified day or time
* Map any function or application to a key, dater, time or device.


The program does for the Operating System what the actions palette can do to automate steps in Photoshop.


Installing the program was as easy as dragging the icon into the Applications folder and launching the program. Quickeys comes with an indispensable 216 page user guide which requires some careful study before mastering the program, but if you give it some time at the beginning it will be worth your while. And if you are truly stuck, Startly Technologies offers a variety of support options including phone numbers, e-mail addresses and best of all, an online forum called "Quickeys Community" which is compromised of Quickeys users throughout the world. Best of all a link to the Community is built right into the Quickeys interface.

The Quickeys 3 interface operates similarly to that of the finder. Customizable icons are available on a special menu to help the user become comfortable with the variety of tasks.

I began the Quickeys learning process by creating a list of desired shortcuts I wanted to have automated and then approached the software to determine if they could be done. The first item I selected was to create a single shortcut that would launch Entourage, check for new e-mail, apply rules and spam filters, and move unwanted e-mail to the trash. I also wanted QuicKeys to log into my instant messaging accounts, and go online to check my bank balance... all with a simple one-time keyboard combination.

This is where I really became impressed with Quickeys. Not only did Quickeys launch Entourage, but the built-in added options of selecting drop down menu items allowed QuicKeys to retrieve new mail, apply the filters and dump my spam into the trash.

Quickeys also launched Yahoo Instant Messenger, logged into my account and hit the ok button and in a flash I was chatting with mom in Texas.

Finally Quickeys launched my Internet browser, typed in the address for my bank institution, added my user name and password in the proper fields and logged me into my bank account.

I was able to combine all three of these shortcuts together into a final single masterstroke. So now when I wake up in the morning, I hit a single key on my keyboard and have my morning coffee while Quickeys performs my morning computer ritual for me... and mom waits for me to wash the dishes and get back to my computer.


As I began to write this review I had noted that the more shortcuts I created the greater the number of keystrokes - and resulting key combinations - I had to memorize. I was going to suggest that the software developers create a way to have the list of shortcuts available in a drop down menu on the Finder's menu bar. But last night as I was digging deeper into this program, I discovered exactly that feature. You beat me to the punch guys.


Quickeys requires

Mac OS X v10.3 or later
128 MB RAM
20 MB of free disk space
Certain features require an Internet connection