Adding an action to the sidebar

[Giulio fa cose]

Hi everyone, is there a way to add an action I created to the tools in the sidebar panel as icon? It would be more easy and quick for me in some cases. Thank you!

[Mylenium]

No. Actions can't register as new tools or panels. Scripts and plug-ins can, though.

Mylenium

[Giulio fa cose]

Oh, what a pity. How can I add a plug-in there? 

[Jeff Arola]

You can set the action panel to Button Mode and then you only need to click on your action to run it.

[Giulio fa cose]

Not bad! I wasn't aware of this feature. It doesn't save me a click, so it doesn't solve the problem, but it could be an alternative solution. Thank you ☺️

[Stephen Marsh]

Actions can also have an F-key shortcut assigned to them.

If a Function key isn't convenient, then a simple 1 line script can run the action and the script can be installed and have a custom keyboard shortcut applied which doesn't have a dependency on using a Function key.

[Trevor.Dennis]

I always like to put this up when Function Key shortcuts are mentioned for the sake of visitors to the forum.  My take is that having shortcuts to those panels might make sense if you have limited screen space, but if you have multiple monitors, or even just the one BIG screen, then those single key shortcuts are too valuable to be left unused.  

FYI: Photoshop has a wee gotcha when using a single F-Key shortcut to trigger actions.  They work OK the first time you use them, but will warn you about the default shortcut that is being overwritten, but if you want to update an existing Action using the same F-Key as the shortcut, Photoshop won't let you unless you add a modifier (Shift and/or Crtl(Cmd)).  You have to delete the action and rerecord it, and you can then assign your single F-Key shortcut.

Don't forget that we can save custom shortcuts and toolbar layouts with custom workspaces.  This greatly expands their usability by having context sensitive shortcuts.  Motion is a good example, as lots of the default shortcuts don't do what you want them to do.

[jane-e]

@Giulio fa cose 

Since you marked that you are on macOS, the function keys are programmed by default to do this:

• F1 – Decrease display brightness
• F2 – Increase display brightness
• F3 – Open Mission Control
• F4 – Open Launchpad
• F5 – Decrease keyboard brightness (On compatible notebooks only)
• F6 – Increase keyboard brightness (On compatible notebooks only)
• F7 – Skip back (Audio)
• F8 – Pause / Play (Audio)
• F9 – Skip forward (Audio)
• F10 – Mute
• F11 – Volume down
• F12 – Volume Up

There are two ways on macOS to use the standard function keys that Trevor describes:

1.  Hold down the fn key and press the function key (slow)
2.  Change your system settings to use the standard shortcut keys (best)

https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-keyboard-function-keys-mchlp2596/mac

On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings, then click Keyboard

• Click Keyboard Shortcuts on the right, then click Function Keys in the list on the left.

• Turn on “Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys”

If you are not on macOS13, choose your OS from the dropdown at Apple's site.

Trevor is a Photoshop pro and has given you good advice, but he uses Windows only. Here is a slightly revised table for macOS, taken from

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/default-keyboard-shortcuts.html

(but I haven't tested them)

Result	Windows	macOS
Start Help	F1	Help key
Undo/Redo		F1
Cut	F2	F2
Copy	F3	F3
Paste	F4	F4
Show/Hide Brush panel	F5	F5
Show/Hide Color panel	F6	F6
Show/Hide Layers panel	F7	F7
Show/Hide Info panel	F8	F8
Show/Hide Actions panel	F9	Option + F9
Revert	F12	F12
Fill	Shift + F5	Shift + F5
Feather Selection	Shift + F6	Shift + F6
Inverse Selection	Shift + F7	Shift + F7

Jane

[Giulio fa cose]

Thank you everyone for mentioning keyboard shortcuts. To be honest, my workflow involves a lot of mouse usage. In the specific case, there are certain actions that I use while working on interior or landscape photographs. That's why, using the mouse, a button on the right sidebar would be convenient for me.

Who knows, maybe they will implement this feature...

[Stephen Marsh]

That's why, using the mouse, a button on the right sidebar would be convenient for me.

By @Giulio fa cose

It's a dock, content expands out from the dock, so at best it would always be two clicks – one to expand the item from the dock and at least another to run the action.

If you don't dock and have it as a floating panel, then it is a single click but takes up more space.

[Giulio fa cose]

At the moment, it seems that the best option is the double-click. But that's essentially what I was already doing. To save even more time, I usually leave the popup open, especially when I have to use the action frequently.

The ideal solution would be to be able to attach actions to the side panel.

Is anyone from the Adobe team listening? 😄