Quick Access Toolbar - keyboard shortcuts

[FrecklePaw]

I have some macros I've added to my Quick Access Toolbar, which are great to have handy up there, but I'm finding that because I'm using them so often I have to stop typing to click on their icons. In order to save me time, is there a way I can create keyboard shortcuts for these? If so, how? Thanks!

[DocAElstein]

Hi

is there a way I can create keyboard shortcuts for these? If so, how? Thanks!

I use shortcut keys directly very extensively to run macros in word. You can have lots of them
https://eileenslounge.com/viewtopic.php ... 31#p195431
( I think the image links might be broken there at that old post, if noone gives you some better pics/ links, I will make some more for you. What Office version are you using? )

Alan

Edit - see here
https://wordribbon.tips.net/T008058_Ass ... t_Key.html

[HansV]

There are built-in shortcuts:
Alt+1 activates the first button on the Quick Access Toolbar
Alt+2 activates the second button on the Quick Access Toolbar
etc.

S2194.png

If you have more than 9 of them, the 10th one is Alt+09, the 11th one is Alt+08, etc. (counting backwards)

[DocAElstein]

Ahh, I always wondered what those things meant after I accidentally hit the Alt key.
It works a bit differently for me
If I hit like Alt+1 , or Alt+2 etc something else happens
I have to do like Alt
,then let go , and then hit a number. ***

I get letters as well shown by the things the short cut reveals. Hit those keys after, and others show up meaning you can keep going. That’s useful if like the mouse breaks !



***( Something like that is how I slipped up at that old thread I linked. I have loads of macros running off short cuts. Typically for example I can hit
Ctrl+Shift+B
, and then take my fingers away. At this point I can either hit
B - , and that runs a macro I have that adds BB code tags for bold
Or hit
1 , and that runs a macro I have to add BB Code tags for blue
I use these to prepare all my forum posts in word rather than using the editor window )

[FrecklePaw]

Perfect - thanks Hans! This worked perfectly. Will save me time!
And thanks to Alan, I didn't notice your response until I scrolled up! Will have a look.
Thanks again guys.

[DocAElstein]

@ FrecklePaw You is welcome – If You look at those options I mentioned, remember the thing about sometimes taking your fingers away before you hit another key.
It might be me misunderstanding how we say things in forum posts. I think that Alt + 1 , means pressing those together, whereas like saying either of thes two things
pressing keys Alt, then 1
or
hit keys
Alt
1
means one after the other.

Im my word I often use these sort of things as short cuts
Ctrl+Shift+B – all pressed at the same time, then let go and hit, for example
B
that will set of one macro

If I do this
Ctrl+Shift+B – all pressed at the same time, then let go and hit, for example
1
that will set off another different macro

That way you can build a large amount of shortcuts. That was the tip I got from Charles
Alan

[Charles Kenyon]

The macro, the QAT modification, and the keyboard shortcut should all be stored in one template, probably a global template other than the normal template.

While you can use the ribbon Alt key shortcuts, in my opinion, keyboard shortcuts should have nothing to do with the Alt key ribbon tips.
The problem with these is they depend entirely on the position on the QAT and have nothing to do with the content of the macro. These positions can change.
Instead, attach a custom keyboard shortcut to the macro, itself.

You can have two-stage keyboard shortcuts where the first is something like Shift+Alt+M that signals a macro. Then you can follow that with any key you want to identify the macro. The key can be a letter, a number, or a symbol. In my article on creating keyboard shortcuts I call the first part the trigger.
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/mso ... 5883735330 If you do this, you have far more keyboard shortcuts available and they will not change if you add or subtract a macro. Further, the macros need not be on the QAT.

If they are on the QAT, it is possible, although not that easy, to add a tooltip to the QAT icon to tell you what the icon does and give you the keyboard shortcut. Here is one from my pop-up-text Add-In. This is a button for a macro, with an image not in the list given as an option. https://addbalance.com/word/download.htm#PopUp

00 deleteme 6.png

https://addbalance.com/word/download.htm#PopUp
Here is my page on QAT Modification.
https://addbalance.com/word/QATmodifica ... #PageStart
Here is Greg Maxey's page on using different images in the QAT from those given by Word. This also discussed how to change those tooltips.
http://gregmaxey.com/word_tip_pages/mod ... _text.html

[DocAElstein]

Some rich resources there Charles.
The first time I used these shortcuts, 2 things confused me for a while
_(i) I kept getting lost navigating to assign the short cuts. You have a nice clear 8 part pic at that first link to clarify that one.
_(ii) The exact combination of keystrokes one finally uses confused me for a while.

As you point out, it is like a two step process, and the first step could be thought of, as you say, as a Prefix or Trigger.
One assigns a macro to a short cut, ( at part 7 in your pic) , with the same keystrokes that you then use that shortcut.
The two steps are then shown separated by a comma , which also confused me for a while. ( you never yourself use a comma at any point in the whole business)

Example
So for assigning you would type like in separate steps:
_ First you click in the Press new shortcut key bar, ( your part 7 in your pic) , but don’t try to type anything in it. Instead you
_ type just as you would later when using the short cut.
So, as example, first type
Shift+Ctrl+B
, that is the “trigger” part
We take fingers off all keys at this point
, and then as the next step type a key you want to use, for example, hit
1
So that would all be done at your part 7 in your pic.

After you entered 1, before you do anything else , it then appears shown with the two steps separated by a comma. It appears in that bar at step 7 of your pic, the Press new shortcut key bar
This will appear : Shift+Ctrl+B, 1


When you then go on to your part 8 from your pic, by clicking on Assign , then that same text appears in the current key box

( Instead of selecting Assign , you could just hit Enter after adding the 1 , and it has the same effecxt )
_.___-__________________________________________________________________

I suppose we could think of the Alt key as a sort of step 1, or trigger, for the built-in shortcuts to the Quick Access Toolbar. Step 2 would be the numbers that appear,

, which are indicating the numbers you would hit after, to get the corresponding QAT shortcut.
So the Alt triggers the appearance of those numbers.

Or/Also step 2 could also be thought of as being in addition the letters that are also shown.

, although, if you hit a key corresponding to a letter shown, then you seem to go further and further.

Note , of course, you do not select a thing shown, you hit the key – it’s a key pad shortcut, that is the point of it all. The indication is a help initially, but I think anyone will soon have it in the memory without trying – since that is what happened to me, so there won’t be many people on this earth who don’t get it in their head quickly , Lol. **
(I note that also the Esc would let you go backwards, ( as generally the Esc key seems to do for many things ) )





_.____


** Initially , but only for a very short time, I found using the key strokes unusual. But I very soon got used to them and found them a very useful time saver, also allowing me to do very useful things. Well worth learning IMO if you have some macros you often use.


Alan

[Charles Kenyon]

Thank you for your kind words.

I currently have 32 items on my QAT and it would drive me nuts to try to remember those arbitrary shortcuts.

00 deleteme 1.png

I know that I can look at the screen but the whole point of touch typing is to not look at the screen.

Also, I have a number of templates that have their own QAT icons that may interfere with that numbering.

A quicker way to get to the Customize the Ribbon screen is to right-click on the ribbon and pick that.