Jumping to an input method in OS X

June 9, 2013 1:12 AM

I type in multiple languages on Mac OS 10.6.8, and I need to be able to use keyboard shortcuts to jump immediately to specific input method rather than cycle through them with Command-Space. (For example, I'd want to be able to hit, say, Command-Shift-1 to switch to U.S. Extended no matter what the current input method is.) How can I set this up?
posted by John Raskolnikov Gilson to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

This page shows how to set up keyboard shortcuts for automator workflows (well, automator 'services' really), so you should be able to record your change with automator, and assign away.

NB I have not tested this.
posted by pompomtom at 1:53 AM on June 9, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestion, but it doesn't work well enough for me. I did set it up successfully, but when I use the new keyboard shortcuts I have to watch my mouse cursor go up to the little "Language & Text" menu bar item and change the language. Even sped up, it doesn't end up being faster than Command-Space. I need a better way.
posted by John Raskolnikov Gilson at 2:26 AM on June 9, 2013

I think the only other option would be applescript - which should be much faster, but I'm buggered if I can work out how to get the right prefpane to open ("language & text" I think).
posted by pompomtom at 5:18 AM on June 9, 2013

Here's an applescript solution, which coupled with pompomtom's link might do it. (I haven't tried any of this.)
posted by hoyland at 5:22 AM on June 9, 2013

This page appears to have a solution which might work for you. I haven't tested it.
posted by blob at 6:29 AM on June 9, 2013

Response by poster: Sounds like Applescript + pompomtom's link is the way to go, but I have zero familiarity with Applescript and I have no idea what to change in the code in hoyland's or blob's links.

Here is the code from hoyland's link. Can anyone tell me what I should change in this code so that I can use it to, for example, switch input to "U.S. Extended" (in Automator as detailed by pompomtom's link)?

on run argv



set layoutName to item 1 of argv

tell application "System Events" to tell process "SystemUIServer"

tell (1st menu bar item of menu bar 1 whose description is "text input") to {click, click (menu 1's menu item layoutName)}

end tell

end run

posted by John Raskolnikov Gilson at 1:09 AM on June 12, 2013

There's a Quicksilver and Applescript combination; it looks like it's pretty specific about what to change in the Applescript they show.
posted by kristi at 9:02 PM on June 13, 2013