Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts provide the fastest way to control your lights without touching your mouse. We Love Lights supports both in-app shortcuts for navigation and global hotkeys for system-wide control.

Types of Shortcuts

In-App Shortcuts

Work when We Love Lights (Studio) is active:

• Navigation: Move around the interface
• Actions: Perform common tasks
• Selection: Select and multi-select items
• Editing: Modify devices and settings

Global Hotkeys

Work from anywhere in macOS:

• Scene activation: Trigger scenes instantly
• Light control: Quick on/off, brightness
• Room control: Activate room scenes
• Custom actions: Personalized quick actions

In-App Keyboard Shortcuts

Navigation Shortcuts

General Navigation:

• ⌘ + F: Focus search field
• ⌘ + [: Go back
• ⌘ + ]: Go forward
• ⌘ + W: Close window
• ⌘ + ,: Open preferences

Sidebar Navigation:

• ⌘ + 1: Jump to first section (Rooms)
• ⌘ + 2: Jump to second section (Scenes)
• ⌘ + 3: Jump to third section (Sensors)
• ⌘ + 4: Jump to fourth section (Switches)
• ⌘ + 5: Jump to fifth section (Settings)

List Navigation:

• ↑/↓ Arrow Keys: Move up/down in list
• Enter: Open/activate selected item
• Space: Toggle selected device on/off
• Tab: Move to next field

Selection Shortcuts

Multi-Selection:

• ⌘ + Click: Add/remove from selection
• Shift + Click: Select range
• ⌘ + A: Select all in current view
• Escape: Clear selection

Action Shortcuts

Common Actions:

• ⌘ + N: New item (scene, group, etc.)
• ⌘ + E: Edit selected item
• Delete or Backspace: Delete selected item
• ⌘ + D: Duplicate selected item
• ⌘ + R: Refresh from bridge

Copy/Paste:

• ⌘ + C: Copy color/brightness from selected light
• ⌘ + V: Paste color/brightness to selected light(s)
• ⌘ + X: Cut (if applicable)

Window Management

Window Control:

• ⌘ + M: Minimize window
• ⌘ + H: Hide application
• ⌘ + Q: Quit We Love Lights
• ⌘ + Tab: Switch to We Love Lights (system-wide)

Setting Up Global Hotkeys

Global hotkeys work from any app, providing instant lighting control.

Accessing Hotkey Settings

1. Open We Love Lights Studio
2. Go to Preferences (⌘ + ,)
3. Click "Keyboard Shortcuts" or "Hotkeys" tab
4. View existing shortcuts
5. Add or modify shortcuts

Creating a Global Hotkey

1. Click "Add Hotkey" or "+"
2. Choose action type:
   • Activate scene
   • Turn lights on/off
   • Adjust brightness
   • Toggle room
   • Custom action
3. Record shortcut:
   • Click in shortcut field
   • Press desired key combination
   • System captures the keys
4. Select target:
   • Which scene, room, or device
   • Configure parameters
5. Save hotkey

Hotkey Best Practices

Good Key Combinations:

• ⌘ + Option + Letter: e.g., ⌘ + ⌥ + L (Lights)
• ⌘ + Shift + Letter: e.g., ⌘ + ⇧ + M (Movie)
• ⌘ + Control + Letter: e.g., ⌘ + ⌃ + B (Bedroom)

Avoid:

• ❌ System shortcuts (⌘ + C, ⌘ + V, etc.)
• ❌ App-specific shortcuts
• ❌ Single key presses (no modifier)
• ❌ Function keys alone (F1-F12 often used by system)

Memorable Combinations:

• ⌘ + ⌥ + M: Movie scene
• ⌘ + ⌥ + W: Work lights
• ⌘ + ⌥ + R: Relax scene
• ⌘ + ⌥ + O: All Off

Common Hotkey Scenarios

Scene Activation Hotkeys

Example Setup:

⌘ + ⌥ + 1: "Bright" scene ⌘ + ⌥ + 2: "Normal" scene ⌘ + ⌥ + 3: "Relax" scene ⌘ + ⌥ + 4: "Movie" scene ⌘ + ⌥ + 0: All Off

Benefits:

• Numeric sequence easy to remember
• Quick scene switching
• No need to open app

Room Control Hotkeys

Example Setup:

⌘ + ⌥ + L: Toggle Living Room ⌘ + ⌥ + K: Toggle Kitchen ⌘ + ⌥ + B: Toggle Bedroom ⌘ + ⌥ + O: Toggle Office

Benefits:

• First letter mnemonic
• Room-by-room control
• Fast toggling

Brightness Hotkeys

Example Setup:

⌘ + ⌥ + ↑: Increase brightness 20% ⌘ + ⌥ + ↓: Decrease brightness 20% ⌘ + ⌥ + +: Maximum brightness ⌘ + ⌥ + -: Minimum brightness

Benefits:

• Intuitive arrow keys
• Quick adjustments
• No precise control needed

Work/Productivity Hotkeys

Example Setup:

⌘ + ⌥ + F: Focus mode (bright cool white) ⌘ + ⌥ + P: Pause/break (dim warm white) ⌘ + ⌥ + D: Done for day (turn off desk)

Benefits:

• Supports work routine
• Transitions between states
• Muscle memory develops

Advanced Hotkey Features

Conditional Hotkeys

Some configurations allow hotkeys that behave differently based on context:

Example: ⌘ + ⌥ + L (Living Room)

• If lights off: Turn on to last brightness
• If lights on low: Increase to medium
• If lights on high: Turn off

Context-aware behavior from single shortcut.

Macro Hotkeys

Chain multiple actions:

Example: ⌘ + ⌥ + M (Movie Mode)

• Activate "Movie" scene in living room
• Turn off kitchen lights
• Turn off hallway lights
• Set living room to 5% after 10 seconds

Hold vs Press

Different actions for press vs hold:

Press: Toggle lights Hold: Activate scene

Depends on app support and configuration.

Managing Hotkeys

Viewing All Hotkeys

Preferences → Hotkeys:

• List of all configured shortcuts
• What each does
• Organized by type or alphabetically

Editing Hotkeys

1. Select hotkey in preferences
2. Click "Edit" or double-click
3. Modify:
   • Change key combination
   • Change action
   • Change target
4. Save changes

Disabling Hotkeys

Temporarily disable without deleting:

1. Find hotkey in preferences
2. Uncheck or toggle to disabled
3. Hotkey no longer responds
4. Re-enable anytime

Deleting Hotkeys

Remove hotkeys you don't use:

1. Select hotkey
2. Click "Delete" or press Delete key
3. Confirm deletion
4. Hotkey removed

Troubleshooting Hotkeys

Hotkey Doesn't Work

Problem: Pressing hotkey does nothing

Solutions:

• Check enabled: Verify hotkey is enabled in preferences
• System conflict: Another app may use same shortcut
• Accessibility permissions: macOS may require permission for global hotkeys
• We Love Lights running: App must be running (can be in background)
• Bridge connected: Verify bridge connection

Accessibility Permissions

macOS requires permission for global hotkeys:

1. Open System Settings
2. Go to Privacy & Security → Accessibility
3. Find We Love Lights in list
4. Enable if disabled
5. May need to restart We Love Lights

Conflicts with Other Apps

Problem: Hotkey conflicts with another app

Solutions:

• Choose different key combination
• Disable conflicting app's shortcut
• Use more modifiers (⌘ + ⌥ + ⌃ + letter)

Check conflicts:

• System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts
• Review app-specific shortcuts
• Choose unique combinations

Hotkey Sometimes Works

Problem: Inconsistent hotkey response

Solutions:

• Check if app is in focus matters
• Verify bridge connection stable
• Check for system sleep/wake issues
• Restart We Love Lights

Tips for Effective Hotkey Use

Learning Shortcuts

Start Small:

1. Choose 2-3 most common actions
2. Set up hotkeys for those
3. Use consistently for a week
4. Add more gradually

Muscle Memory:

• Use regularly to build habit
• Consistent patterns help
• Don't change once learned

Cheat Sheet:

• Print list of hotkeys
• Keep near computer
• Reference until memorized

Organization

Logical Grouping:

• Similar actions, similar keys
• Number scenes (1-9)
• Letter rooms (L, K, B, O)
• Arrows for brightness

Consistency:

• Same modifier combo for category
• ⌘ + ⌥ + [key] for scenes
• ⌘ + ⇧ + [key] for rooms
• Pattern makes remembering easier

Advanced Usage

Context Switching:

• Quick scene changes during video calls
• Instant lighting for different tasks
• Rapid room control

Productivity:

• Focus mode when starting work
• Break mode after Pomodoro
• End-of-day shutdown
• All integrated into workflow

Gaming/Entertainment:

• Gaming scene for immersion
• Movie mode for watching
• Music mode for parties
• Instant atmosphere changes

Integration with macOS

Spotlight Integration

If supported, launch scenes from Spotlight:

1. Press ⌘ + Space (Spotlight)
2. Type scene name
3. Press Enter to activate

Touch Bar Support

For MacBooks with Touch Bar:

• Custom buttons for scenes
• Quick access to favorites
• Visual feedback
• Contextual controls

Voice Control

Combine with macOS Voice Control:

1. Enable macOS Voice Control
2. Create voice commands
3. Trigger We Love Lights hotkeys
4. "Turn on movie mode" → presses hotkey

Next Steps

Master keyboard shortcuts? Explore more:

1. Shortcuts Integration - macOS Shortcuts automation
2. Studio Window - Master the interface
3. Organization - Organize for efficiency
4. Scenes - Create scenes to trigger with hotkeys
5. Automation Examples - Automated workflows

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Questions? Visit the FAQ or troubleshooting guide.