InDesign Shortcuts on a MacBookPro

[Alfred Boland]

Surely this must have been discussed here previously but since I am a newbie I just ask:

I have always used shortcuts to operate Paragraph Styles. On the numeric keyboard ... where else. Than came the era of using a Macbook Pro as a solo laptop operating device (with added monitor, of course). The MBP has one flaw, it lacks the numeric keypad. So for some time I tried to do without the shortcuts or use a secondary keyboard. Than it hit me, why not use a wireless keypad. Bought one but and guess what: InDesign does not reckognise a keystroke (CMD key) on your basic keyboard struck simultaniously with a key on the wireless keypad. How on earth can I regain my speedy working habit. Anyone?

[Steve Werner · Accepted solution]

As a long-time MacBook Pro user, you need to learn to use Quick Apply.

Here are some resources about how to use Quick Apply. Once you're used to using it, it IS as fast a the shortcuts you're used to:

https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/formatting-text.html#use_quick_apply

https://indesignsecrets.com/using-quick-apply-for-menu-commands.php

https://indesignsecrets.com/quicker-quick-apply.php

[Alfred Boland]

Will have a try in the morning! Thank you for this swift reply.

[Alfred Boland]

Well, I always pretty much ignored ths Quick Apply palet. Shouldn't have. It could indeed be a very good substitution for usage of numeric keypad shortcuts. Thank you! 

Still I am really puzzled by why the num keypad does not work in conjunction with the CMD key. Feels like this could be fixed somehow. After all compared to 10 years ago much more work is done on laptops.

[BobLevine · Accepted solution]

InDesign 2020 did add the capability to use any shortcut combination for styles. Instead of the number pad you can just use the numbers on the keyboard.

[Alfred Boland]

That is just great ... now I have the old habit restored & gained a new ... thank you guys!

[SueCampbell54]

Bob, 

Could you show us or tell us how this would work? I can' find anything on it. To set a keyboard shortcut on a ¶style for example the only thing I can get it to take is a Cmd + number, Cmd + a number and some other modifier key (like opt). But, when I try to use the short cut it doesn't do anything, or it's already applied to some default action in the program. Is there a list somewhere of what keyboard combos might work for applying to styles?

And Quick Apply is definitely not faster IMHO. It doesn't avoid mousing, which is the whole point. You still have to open the QA panel and then scroll through a list, or type the name of a style—yikes so many styles start with the same keys. Unless there is some magical keyboard cmds I've yet to discover in the QA tool. I can't even get that panel to remain open. 

[SueCampbell54]

OK, well it did finally dawn on me that I could rename with a number and style name my most used styles and use that with Quick Apply, and I learned that Cmd+Return will open the QA palette. So that helps—though I would still like it stay open if that were an option. 

And if a list of laptop friendly user assignable keyboard cmds does exist, I 'd still love to see it.