Modify keyboard shortcuts and command sets

Modify keyboard shortcuts and command sets

Customizing keyboard shortcuts in the Command Editor is fast and easy. By default, Aperture uses a standard set of commands and keyboard shortcuts. To modify the keyboard shortcuts assigned to those commands, you must first make a copy of the default command set. After you’ve duplicated and saved a new custom command set, you can export it to create a backup or to share your personalized keyboard shortcuts with others. You can also import command sets created by other users or applications.

Choose a command set

Do one of the following:

  • Choose Aperture > Commands, then choose a command set from the submenu.

  • If the Command Editor is already open, choose a command set from the pop-up menu in the upper-left corner.

    Figure. Pop-up menu with command set options in the Command Editor.

After you choose a command set, the keyboard shortcuts in the set become active in Aperture.

Add or modify a keyboard shortcut

You can customize a command set by adding, modifying, or reassigning specific keyboard shortcuts.

  1. Using the search field (or browsing the Command list) of the Command Editor, select the command you want to assign a new keyboard shortcut to.

  2. Using your physical keyboard, press the combination of keys you want to use as a shortcut for the command (for example, Option-Shift-T).

    If the key combination is already assigned to a command, an alert prompts you to confirm the change. If you’re using the default command set, an alert prompts you to make a copy of the default set.

  3. Do any of the following:

    • If the key combination is already assigned to a command, and you want to reassign the key combination, click Reassign in the alert that appears.

    • If you are using the default command set, click Make Copy in the alert that appears, then enter a name for the new command set and click OK

The new keyboard shortcut is added to the new command set and appears in the Key column of the Command list. The virtual keyboard updates to show the new key assignment, labeled with a gray dot and a color if the command belongs to a color-coded command group.

Note: When you assign a key combination to a command, the Delete key becomes an assignable key when one of the modifier keys (Control, Option, Shift, or Command) is held down. For information about deleting a command set, see “Delete a command set” below.

Manually duplicate the currently active command set

You can manually duplicate any command set that’s available in the Command Editor.

  1. Choose Duplicate from the pop-up menu at the top of the Command Editor.

    A dialog appears and prompts you to name the new command set.

  2. Type a name for the new command set in the dialog, then click OK.

The new duplicate command set is saved and appears as an item in both the pop-up menu in the Command Editor and the Commands submenu of the Aperture menu.

To modify individual key assignments in the duplicate set of keyboard shortcuts, see the following steps.

Save a command set

  • Click the Save button in the lower-right corner of the Command Editor.

If you close the Command Editor with unsaved changes, Aperture prompts you to save the command set.

Delete a command set

  1. Make sure the command set you want to delete is the active command set, then choose Delete from the pop-up menu at the top of the Command Editor.

    A dialog appears.

  2. Click Delete.

The command set is removed, and the default command set becomes the active set of commands.

Export a command set

  1. Make the command set you want to export the active set by choosing it from the pop-up menu in the top-left corner of the Command Editor.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Choose Aperture > Commands > Export.

    • In the Command Editor, choose Export from the pop-up menu.

  3. In the dialog that appears, navigate to the location where you want to save the exported command set, then type a name in the Save As field.

  4. Click Save.

The file is saved in the location you chose, with an .apcommands file extension.

Import a command set

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Choose Aperture > Commands > Import.

    • In the Command Editor, choose Import from the pop-up menu.

  2. In the dialog that appears, navigate to the location where you have stored a command set file, select it, then click Open.

The imported command set is added to the Commands submenu of the Aperture menu and to the pop-up menu in the Command Editor.

If you are already using a command set with the same name, a dialog appears and prompts you to rename the imported command set.