NP-Contemplation » Mac OS X http://versionthis.com/~npilon An approximation of super-polynomial thinking Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:23:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Screensaver Activation Key/Screen Lock Key for Mac OS X http://versionthis.com/~npilon/2008/01/06/screensaver-activation-keyscreen-lock-key-for-mac-os-x/ http://versionthis.com/~npilon/2008/01/06/screensaver-activation-keyscreen-lock-key-for-mac-os-x/#comments Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:10:46 +0000 Nick Pilon http://versionthis.com/~npilon/wordpress/2008/01/06/screensaver-activation-keyscreen-lock-key-for-mac-os-x/ One of the oddities of my computer use style is that I don’t like to have my system go into screensaver or lock automatically very quickly. When I leave the keyboard, I like to be able to activate the screensaver/lock manually. Since I’m also not a fan of active screen corners, I want to be able to do so by keystroke.

Annoyingly, OS X doesn’t let me bind a key to activate the screensaver. There used to be a couple utilities that enabled this, but they haven’t been updated since 10.3. The screensaver engine itself is an application, but we still need a convenient way to activate it. Enter Quicksilver. Quicksilver’s Triggers let us bind Quicksilver actions (including, conveniently, opening Applications) to keypresses.

So, to create a key to activate your screensaver or lock your system with Quicksilver, follow these simple steps:

  1. Create a Quicksilver trigger to open the screensaver engine. The engine is /System/Library/Frameworks/ScreenSaver.framework/
    Versions/A/Resources/ScreenSaverEngine.app

    2. Quicksilver Screensaver Key Trigger

  2. Bring up the Trigger’s info pane.
  3. Set a key shortcut for the trigger. The combination of options I’ve got selected mean that the trigger only goes off if I hold the keys down for three seconds, and Quicksilver brings up a display window to let me know that I’m activating a trigger. Very handy! (Due to what I think is a Quicksilver/Leopard bug, the hotkey field is incomplete. Mine’s set to cmd-alt-ctrl-L)

    4. Info on the QuickSilver Screensaver Activation Trigger

  4. Enjoy!
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