Tip: Quicksilver Without the Enter Key

Hey, that's my tip! I'm Conlan27. I'm famous!

But seriously, I find it most useful if I'm typing with one hand--for instance if I'm carrying my MacBook and trying to launch app or something. It's just easier and more stable to hit a key and hold it than to hit the key plus enter or return. But that's what great about Quicksilver: if the trick helps you, great. If not, don't worry about it and it won't get in the way. I think QS is the closest I've seen anything come to being all things to all people. It's magnificent.

(Can I also offer my pie-in-the-sky theory as to why development has been at a stand-still the past couple months... Quicksilver built into Leopard.)

I actually got a bit of a repetitive stress thing going on in my right pinky from Quicksilver, and had to tape together my pinky and ring finger to force myself to use my ring finger to hit enter. True story, chumps.

I'm cool.

I just happened to stumble on this neat feature a few days ago, it is kind of nice to just hold the key instead of executing a longer key sequence. Good for when you're lightly using instead of rushing along. As a recently new QS user I'm really quite impressed!

lazydesert:
It does!

Daan:
Sometimes it's just convenient and the difference in time is only a second.

This is so cool! You can also use it for other things, like launching a web page. So it's like an additional trigger...

Okay, while we're getting nerdy about this... anybody else noticed that you don't need the space bar to call up Quicksilver? Just (quickly) hit "alt" or "control" or whatever you normally hit alongside the space bar... should do it.

I have mine set up to be raised on a double-Caps-Lock-press. Since I use my modifier keys all the time, the double-Caps-Lock configuration cuts down on "AAAH no not QuickSilver" moments.

"Unfortunately this tip only works if you have Quicksilver to display your desired application as the first result when searching with only the one letter."

Not really true. If the third letter brings up your application and you hold it the application opens without hitting enter. Of course, you've got to know what letter will bring up the application and be ready to hold it. Cat like reflexes help.

If it's an application you use frequently, just set up a trigger to open it with a key combination. I use the key combo ctrl-cmd-(letter) for my triggers. I have firefox set to ctrl-cmd-f, mail is ctrl-cmd-m, etc. Even better, if the application is already open, hitting the trigger brings it to the front. Good stuff.

Hitting the Enter key is faster then holding soem other key for a few seconds... so why bother?

Um... anyone who actually learned to touch type hits enter with their pinky... NOT doing so is weird.

One of my other favorite tips is opening multiple apps by using commas. Want to open Mail, Adium, Colloquy, and Safari?
Quicksilver Combo
M,A,C,S
Enter

I'm not on a Mac right now, but someone should see if holding S on the last entry opens up the entire list!