HNNewShowAskJobs
Built with Tanstack Start
Sendkeys: Command line tool for automating keystrokes and mouse events on macOS(github.com)
32 points by nateb2022 2 days ago | 12 comments
  • supersixirene2 days ago

    This is legend. I’ll be putting this to extensive use tomorrow.

    • robterrell2 days ago |parent

      You've always had this ability, but with more convoluted syntax:

        osascript -e "tell application \"System Events\" to keystroke \"whatever\""
      
      Specify the application too with multiple -e parameters. This will copy whatever is selected in Safari:

        osascript -e "tell application \"Safari\" to activate" -e "tell application \"System Events\" to keystroke \"c\" using {command down}"
      • eviks2 days ago |parent

        How do you stimulate delays, animation intervals, key down/ups a with System Events?

        • robterrella day ago |parent

          AppleScript supports the "delay" command. System Events supports both "keydown" and "keyup" in addition to keystroke.

        • bestham2 days ago |parent

          Apple Script is a programming language and you have full control flow at your disposal to wait and branch as needed.

          • eviks2 days ago |parent

            This is too generic to answer this specific question. Key down, for example, is not an inherent property of a programming language.

            (and neither is delay precision guarantees, which might be important for some key sequences)

  • pkoird2 days ago

    Wonder how this compares to Autohotkey on Windows.

    • eviks2 days ago |parent

      Ahk isn't cli, and also is a full-blown programming language, so not as limited in its input

  • lukaslukas2 days ago

    Nice. But why?

    • ivanche2 days ago |parent

      For example to automate what couldn't be automated otherwise.

      • supersixirene2 days ago |parent

        For example to deal with software designers that think web browsers are people

  • biomcgary2 days ago

    Now to finetune my local LLM on the sendkeys syntax, add kyutai for streaming voice recognition, and my mac will be fully voice operable.