FEATURE REQUEST: Change Text Frame columns with keyboard modifier

[Bryce]

I would like to request a keyboard modifier option to increase/decrease the number of columns of a text frame by holding down Option+up or down arrow. This would allow faster pace of working instead of having to go up and click each time to change the number of columns.

 

thanks!

[loukash]

3 hours ago, Bryce said:

a keyboard modifier option to increase/decrease the number of columns of a text frame by holding down Option+up or down arrow.

Huh?

On Mac, once the Columns field has focus, you can increase/decrease on the keyboard with arrow-up/down. Increase/decrease in 10 steps with shift-arrow up/down.
(Huh? 20 columns on an A4 page?! Say what…? )

[Bryce]

On 5/26/2021 at 1:16 PM, loukash said:

Huh?

On Mac, once the Columns field has focus, you can increase/decrease on the keyboard with arrow-up/down. Increase/decrease in 10 steps with shift-arrow up/down.
(Huh? 20 columns on an A4 page?! Say what…? )

I agree with you, but that's not what I'm asking. I would like to be able to have a text frame selected and from the keyboard, WITHOUT having to move the mouse to the column field and click, change the number of columns.

[loukash]

2 minutes ago, Bryce said:

I would like to be able to have a text frame selected and from the keyboard, WITHOUT having to move the mouse to the column field and click, change the number of columns.

I see.
You can target the input field in the context toolbar with UI scripting and save that as a global shortcut using a macro utility.
Works on Mac.
No idea on Windows.

 

[garrettm30]

3 minutes ago, loukash said:

You can target the input field in the context toolbar with UI scripting and save that as a global shortcut using a macro utility.
Works on Mac.

I assume you have Keyboard Maestro in mind. If so, would you target that field using the "Click at found image" action, or is there some better way to get into the field. I ask because I am new to Keyboard Maestro, and perhaps there is an important point in this regard that I have missed.

[loukash]

Just now, garrettm30 said:

I assume you have Keyboard Maestro in mind

KM is great, but it would also work as an Automator Service via keyboard shortcut.

1 minute ago, garrettm30 said:

would you target that field using the "Click at found image" action, or is there some better way to get into the field.

Actually I'm currently trying to figure out which context toolbar UI element it is so that I can target it hierarchically via AppleScript's System Events.
I'm not very skilled in scripting though, so I'm proceeding more by trial and error…

(Paging @catcat who has already posted a few System Events scripts here and who seems to be more skilled than me.)

 

[loukash]

On 5/28/2021 at 11:57 PM, garrettm30 said:

is there some better way to get into the field

The bad news:
The Affinity UI elements structure is such an utter mess that some elements can only be targeted by mouse click coordinates.
In the Text Frame context toolbar, the only elements that can be targeted directly by name is the font weight popup menu, the color well "button", and the decorative "a" and "¶" images (no, not the buttons that open the respective panels!)
What a mess.

Same goes for the Text Frame panel. The only element that can be directly targeted is the… *drum roll* … brand new scroll bar in the 1.9.4 beta.

Example:
A text input field can be addressed by a "hierarchical" call like «click text field 7 of splitter group 1 of splitter group 2 of window 1 of application process "Affinity Publisher"». The problem is that this "text field" object has neither a number nor a clear parent object. When a text frame is selected, "Window 1" has only one "text field 1" active and that's the page number field at the bottom left of the window. (Means: "go to page n" is scriptable!)

The somewhat "good" news is that since the context toolbar is "monolithic", the target element will always be at the same position from the window's left bounds. So it will be clickable by mouse click coordinates scripting. As long as the corresponding object type as well as one of the appropriate tools are active, that is.

That means, I wouldn't want to target a UI element by coordinates to activate it with a shortcut if there can be a completely different element in a different context at the same location.
Oh well…

[loukash]

Anyway…
Back on topic:

2 hours ago, Bryce said:

I would like to be able to have a text frame selected and from the keyboard, WITHOUT having to move the mouse to the column field and click, change the number of columns.

There is another way to quickly change the number of columns: object styles
Save text frames with n columns as styles.
Caveat: it also saves text formatting, so don't apply it at already formatted text.

Or use assets.

But then again, you can just as well click in the toolbar/panel Columns field…