- Understanding User, Project, and Site Settings
- Creating and Selecting a User Profile
- Creating, Naming, and Modifying Settings
- Using Toolsets
- Linking Toolsets to Your Custom Settings
- Using Workspaces
- Mapping Buttons to the Keyboard and Interface
- Customizing Your Interface Display
- Saving and Backing Up Your Work
- Retrieving Autosaved Versions of Your Work
- Configuring Other User Settings
- Configuring Project Settings
- Configuring Site Settings
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Mapping Buttons to the Keyboard and Interface
Everyone's brain and fingers work in different ways; fortunately, with Xpress Pro's mappable keyboard and mappable tool, the application adapts to your quirks and not the other way around.
On the Command palette, you can find all of Xpress Pro's functional command buttons; using this palette, you can map those buttons as well as menu commands to both your keyboard keys and areas of certain tool windows (such as the Composer).
The process of keyboard mapping is very simple: You just drag buttons from the Command palette or any menu choice and drop them on the Keyboard settings window or on the button area of a tool window.
When mapping buttons, you can expand the scope and flexibility of your keyboard command sets by adding the following to your keyboard set:
- Shift+key: You can create commands in which you hold down the Shift key while pressing another key.
- Modifier keys: You can add Alt (Windows) or Option and Control (Mac) to the basic keyboard commands.
To open the Command palette:
Do one of the following:
- Select Tools > Command Palette.
- Press Ctrl+3 (Windows) or Command+3 (Mac). The Command palette appears, featuring multiple tabs for the multiple button categories.
To open a Keyboard settings window:
- On the Settings tab of the Project window, double-click the name of the Keyboard setting you want to configure. A graphical representation of the keyboard appears.
To map buttons to a Keyboard setting:
- Make sure the Command palette and a Keyboard settings window are open.
- Find the button you want to map by clicking one of the category tabs on the Command palette.
- Select 'Button to Button' Reassignment at the bottom of the Command palette.
- Drag the button you want to map onto a key in the Keyboard window.
The key now displays the graphic for the button you assigned to it (
Figure 3.21
).
Figure 3.21 To map a button to a particular keyboard key, simply drag it from the Command palette and drop it on a key in the Keyboard settings dialog box.
- Close the Keyboard Settings window and the Command palette. Your new keyboard button mappings will be in effect whenever that particular Keyboard setting is active on the settings tab.
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To map a menu command to the keyboard:
- Open the Command palette and a Keyboard settings window.
- On the Command palette, select 'Menu to Button' Reassignment at the lower right of the window (
Figure 3.22
).
Figure 3.22 You can map menu commands to your keyboard by clicking 'Menu to Button' Reassignment, then clicking a key in the Keyboard settings dialog box, and then choosing the menu command you want to map to that key.
- Click a button on the keyboard, in the Keyboard settings window.
- Click a menu title at the top of the screen and choose a menu command.
The command is mapped to the chosen key on the keyboard (
Figure 3.23
).
Figure 3.23 Xpress Pro abbreviates menu commands in the Keyboard settings window. In this case, MC stands for Media Creation. To find out exactly what an abbreviation means, rest the mouse over the keyboard key in the Keyboard settings window and its name will appear.
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)
To add a modifier key to a button assignment:
- Map a key to the keyboard using the Command palette and a Keyboard settings window as described in the preceding task.
- On the Command palette, click the Other tab (
Figure 3.24
).
Figure 3.24 The Other tab contains the Add Option Key and Add Control Key buttons.
- Drag a modifier button, such as Add Option Key, to a key in the Keyboard settings window that already has a button assigned to it. Now whenever that key is pressed, a single press of the key will act as if you have also pressed the modifier key. (See the following sidebar, "A Modifier Key Mapping Example," for more information.)
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To remove a command from a keyboard key:
- Select 'Button to Button' Reassignment at the bottom of the Command palette.
- Click the Other tab of the Command palette.
- Drag the
Blank key to the key that you want to unassign on the keyboard map.
The key now appears blank in the Keyboard settings window and has no keyboard command assigned to it.
)
Using the Tool Palette
The Tool palette is a special mappable button window that you can access from the Composer, a source clip monitor, or the clipboard monitor. The Tool palette caters to those who prefer to perform many of their functions using the mouse instead of the keyboard.
You can map as many buttons and menu commands to this floating window as you desire (
Figure 3.25
). Accessing it from the Composer, a source monitor, or the clipboard requires you to map the
)
Fast menu button (found on the Other tab of the Command palette) to the bottom of the window.
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Figure 3.25 The Tool palette can potentially contain a hundred buttons and menu commands, but it's probably best to use it for only the most essential functions.
To open the Tool palette:
- Open the Fast menu in the Composer, clipboard, or source monitor.
- To keep the palette open and floating on your desktop, drag the mouse away from the attached window and click the mouse. The palette, which you can enlarge to any size, remains open until you close it.
To map buttons and menus to the Tool palette:
- Open the Tool palette from the Composer, Timeline, clipboard monitor, or source monitor.
- Choose Tools > Command Palette.
- On the Command palette, select either 'Button to Button' Reassignment or 'Menu to Button' Reassignment, depending on what you want to do.
- Drag buttons or assign menu items to the buttons on the Tool palette (
Figure 3.26
).
The mapped button or menu command appears on the Tool palette whenever you open it. Click the button to perform the mapped function.
Figure 3.26 With the Command palette open and 'Button to Button' Reassignment or 'Menu to Button Reassignment' selected, you can drag and drop buttons on the Tool palette.
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