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You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > macOS > Customize hotkeys for system volume and iTunes controls?

Customize hotkeys for system volume and iTunes controls?
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Atheist
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Jul 20, 2010, 08:58 AM
 
My beloved Apple wireless keyboard died (several keys have quit working) about 2 weeks prior to the warranty expiring but I didn't make it back to the States in time to exchange it. I'm now stuck with an old Dell keyboard and I'm missing my play/pause/next/previous keys for iTunes and the system volume up/down/mute keys. There must be a way to program those functions into the F1-F12 keys on the Dell but I can't figure it out. My attempts at googling and searching OS X help have been fruitless... I must be searching the wrong terms. I've even considered writing a little program that would do this for me.

Help!?!

edit: I found this in System Preferences but haven't figured out how to make it work.

( Last edited by Atheist; Jul 20, 2010 at 10:46 AM. Reason: my grammar sucks)
     
P
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Jul 21, 2010, 04:19 AM
 
Not too hard, but it's hard to make the shortcuts general - you have to make them one app at a time. Take iTunes, for instance: The command to switch to the next song is in a mneu, and it's called "Next". Hit the plus button in that menu, select "iTunes" instead of "All applications" or whatever it says to begin with. At menu name type "Next" exactly the way it is written in the menu, and enter your favourite command key in the last box. Keep doing this with all the commands you want to add.

Note that the volume key and next/previous/pause keys are standard on keyboards. If you buy a new Windows keyboard, they will work. The only real issue is that command and option will have swicthed places, but you can take care of that with DoubleCommand.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Atheist  (op)
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Jul 21, 2010, 02:07 PM
 
Originally Posted by P View Post
Not too hard, but it's hard to make the shortcuts general - you have to make them one app at a time. Take iTunes, for instance: The command to switch to the next song is in a mneu, and it's called "Next". Hit the plus button in that menu, select "iTunes" instead of "All applications" or whatever it says to begin with. At menu name type "Next" exactly the way it is written in the menu, and enter your favourite command key in the last box. Keep doing this with all the commands you want to add.
Not having any luck. I've tried a zillion different combinations of modifier key(s) + function key but all I get is a system beep when I hit the key combo.



Note that the volume key and next/previous/pause keys are standard on
keyboards. If you buy a new Windows keyboard, they will work.
The only keyboard I'm interested in buying is a replacement Apple wireless keyboard next time I'm in the States. In the interim, I just wanted an easy solution to control iTunes and system volume.

The only real issue is that command and option will have swicthed places, but you can take care of that with DoubleCommand.
This can be accomplished without any third-party software:

     
gradient
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Jul 21, 2010, 10:26 PM
 
For the iTunes control part, I recommend Synergy.

https://wincent.com/products/synergy

It does a lot more then just iTunes hotkeys and is well worth the $10 or whatever it costs.

For System volume, if you just want basic control you should be able to use Automator to create a 'Set Computer Volume' Service that would be accessible in all applications, and you could then assign a hotkey to it in the Keyboard Shortcuts preference pane. I haven't actually tried this, mind you, but it should work.
     
Atheist  (op)
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Jul 22, 2010, 02:52 PM
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys... I ended up just writing a program to do it.
     
   
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