Sendkeys: Command line tool for automating keystrokes and mouse events on macOS

4 comments

• supersixirene 12 hours ago
  This is legend. I’ll be putting this to extensive use tomorrow.
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  • robterrell 10 hours ago
    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}"

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    • eviks 6 hours ago
      How do you stimulate delays, animation intervals, key down/ups a with System Events?
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      • bestham 3 hours ago
        Apple Script is a programming language and you have full control flow at your disposal to wait and branch as needed.
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        • eviks 2 hours ago
          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)
• pkoird 6 hours ago
  Wonder how this compares to Autohotkey on Windows.
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  • eviks 6 hours ago
    Ahk isn't cli, and also is a full-blown programming language, so not as limited in its input
• biomcgary 6 hours 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.
• lukaslukas 13 hours ago
  Nice. But why?
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  • ivanche 12 hours ago
    For example to automate what couldn't be automated otherwise.
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    • supersixirene 12 hours ago
      For example to deal with software designers that think web browsers are people