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Hi,

I use keyboard shortcuts a lot - you can say I'm a keyboard freak :o)

(I'm a Windows 7 user.)

However I note a couple of things:

- I can set shortcuts natively from different applications

- I can set shortcuts from Start Menu > Right-click > Properties

However, this leads to a lot of shortcuts all round the OS without a centralized place.

What I'd like to find is a configurable "centralized" shortcut manager, which 'realizes' which shortcuts are currently set and allows me to set new shortcuts from there.

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A few (more) observations:

1. I thought of using emergeDesktop's command software. However since I stuck to the Windows shell in Windows 7, maybe that's not the best way to go. Also I'm not sure whether it looks up shortcuts not set from within it.

2. There's a program (reviewed on MUO) called Qliner. However, it has a native shortcut Win-Z ... is this changeable? It was also reviewed a few years back and I don't know if it's compatible with Windows 7 (their website seems not to have been updated recently and only mentions Windows up till Vista).

(review here http://qliner.com/hotkeys/overview.htm)

3. Finally (this is another question): I use FARR (Find and Run Robot - it's an awesome program). Maybe there's an addon/plugin/hack to use FARR to manage shortcuts to launch other programs?

peace and 'armony to all

ska

el tio ska
2010-07-07 11:40:00
update:I just discovered a program that tells you which hotkeys/shortcuts are currently assigned:http://www.donationcoder.com/Forums/bb/index.php?topic=18189.msg162881(Found this by on Lifehacker.com through a google search)Features:It tells you WHICH keys have been assigned.It is portable. Just unzip & double click on the exe file.But:It doesn't tell you what the hotkeys/shortuts currently active do ... so you'd have to remember / press and discover :o) / keep a note(!)Also it doesn't offer a function to actually set/save hotkeys/shortcuts but at least it does the trick I was looking for.So I resolved to work like this:- ActiveHotKeys to keep track of active hotkeys/shortcuts- emergeDesktop's emergeHotKeys to set them- a text file to keep note of them :o) (I'm using a sticky note on the desktop for quick reference)hope this is usefulcheers and beers!
Aibek
2010-07-07 15:01:00
Hi el tio skaThanks for letting us know and the link. DonationCoder is a great resource/community for little known and extremely handy apps.Aibek
el tio ska
2010-07-07 16:26:00
Yeah DonationCoder's a cool resource. I got FARR (Find And Run Robot) from there (recommended by MakeUseOf) and it's a great tool. And now I find ActiveHotKeys ... swell :o)Thanks MUO for all the recommendations and for this Q&A space.
Aibek
2010-07-08 09:53:00
Are you aware of a DonationCoder's monthly newsletter? I highly recommend to subscribe to it (if you haven't done so already).
2010-07-05 21:33:00
Hello ska,I don't know if you are looking for a free program, but I found a list of programs that might help you.http://www.windows7download.com/free-win7-keyboard-shortcut-manager/Thanks,Smokey99
el tio ska
2010-07-07 11:08:00
Thanks for the tip. I took a look at the programs listed there and it doesn't seem to do any more than a free program does :o)I tested Qliner hotkeys ... and deleted it. Comments on Qliner:The shortcut key it comes with to launch Qliner can be modified (phew!).It doesn't do much, just shows you the shell's shortcut keys and gives you the possibility to add yours (with some shortcuts already done for you - you can change these).The idea of a visual keyboard is really neat and it's a cool idea. Just pop up the visual keyboard to see which key has a shortcut assigned and what it is. Easy on the memory -your own, not the computer's :o)HOWEVER:It does not show other assigned shortcuts, through a program's own interface for example. This is mainly what I'm looking for, to have a centralised keyboard shortcut place.FARR does check if a key combination is available or in use when you try to set its shortcuts, so this can be done somehow...Qliner only offers the ability to set shortcuts using the Win (or Super-L) key, no key combinations.Also, Qliner seems to have been stopped in development, with most recent news being December 2007. Has the project been abandoned? I wonder.So for the time being I'm gonna use emergeDesktop's emergeHotKeys which is light and allows key combinations. However it doesn't check what hotkeys/keyboard shortcuts are currently assigned.