Mac App Controller for MFC Deck

Create a control panel for sending commands to macOS applications.

Mac App Controller

Table of Contents

System Requirements

You need the following shortcuts and applications to use Weather Deck Generator:

Setup

After you have installed the two shortcuts and the MFC Deck application, do the following:

  1. Open Shortcuts.
  2. Duplicate the MFC Deck Key Command shortcut.
  3. Set the name of duplicated shortcut to something that references the computer you wish to control (i.e. Key Command: COMPUTERNAME).
  4. Edit the shortcut.
  5. In the Authentication dictionary, enter the hostname and the credentials (username and password) for the computer you wish to control.
  6. Tap Done.

IMPORTANT SECURITY NOTE: The password in the credentials dictionary is stored in cleartext within the shortcut. Do not distribute the shortcut to others, or they may gain access to your computer.

  1. Edit the Mac App Controller for MFC Deck shortcut.
  2. In the Key Command Shortcut text variable, enter the name of the shortcut you created in the previous section (e.g. Key Command: COMPUTERNAME).
  3. Run the shortcut.
  4. Tap New Mac App Deck.
  5. Choose the application you wish to create a deck for in MFC Deck.
  6. Enter a name for the deck and tap Done.
  7. The shortcut will now create the deck and cards.
  8. Tap Open DECKNAME to open the deck in MFC Deck or tap Return to Main Menu to create another deck.

Using a Mac App Deck

Once you have created your decks to control your macOS applications, do the following:

  1. Open MFC Deck.
  2. Open the deck for the macOS application you want to control.
  3. Tap on a card.

MFC Deck will launch Shortcuts and send the command to the MFC Deck Key Command shortcut you duplicated during the setup process.

An SSH connection will be opened between your iOS device and your Mac. If successful, an AppleScript command will then be sent to the application specified in the card.

NOTE: The roundtrip from MFC Deck to Shortcuts to your Mac can take a second or two to complete. If you want a faster means to send commands to your Mac, look at using Keyboard Maestro.

Controlling Additional Applications

You can add additional applications to control by editing the Apps dictionary within the Mac App Controller for MFC Deck shortcut.

At the top level is a list of dictionary objects that refer to the application being controlled.

Dictionary Format

Command Format

The command format is a text string that tells the MFC Deck Key Command shortcut which command to send to the remote macOS computer. Examples include:

Do not add any dashes or hyphens between the keyboard modifier strings.

Input

If the string input is sent, a menu will appear allowing you to enter arbitrary text to the macOS application, as well as sending various key codes.

See a list of all possible commands here.

Key Codes

Example

Here is a sample from the Zoom deck.

{
	"Zoom": {
		"Name": "Zoom",
		"Icon": "video.fill",
		"Color": "Violet",
		"Cards": [
			{
				"Name": "Close",
				"Command": "Command W",
				"Icon": "xmark.circle",
				"Color": "Red",
				"App": "zoom.us"
			},
			{
				"Name": "Mute All",
				"Command": "Command Control M",
				"Icon": "mic.slash.fill",
				"Color": "Limestone",
				"App": "zoom.us"
			},
			{
				"Name": "Toggle Zoom",
				"Command": "Command Shift F",
				"Icon": "arrow.up.left.and.arrow.down.right",
				"Color": "Fog",
				"App": "zoom.us"
			},
			{
				"Name": "Share Screen",
				"Command": "Command Shift S",
				"Icon": "arrow.up.square.fill",
				"Color": "Mint",
				"App": "zoom.us"
			},
			{
				"Name": "Record",
				"Command": "Command Shift R",
				"Icon": "smallcircle.fill.circle",
				"Color": "Red",
				"App": "zoom.us"
			},
			{
				"Name": "Participants",
				"Command": "Command U",
				"Icon": "person.3.fill",
				"Color": "Violet",
				"App": "zoom.us"
			},
			{
				"Name": "Toggle Chat",
				"Command": "Command Shift H",
				"Icon": "bubble.left.fill",
				"Color": "Cerulean",
				"App": "zoom.us"
			},
			{
				"Name": "Invite",
				"Command": "Command I",
				"Icon": "person.badge.plus",
				"Color": "Mint",
				"App": "zoom.us"
			},
			{
				"Name": "Toggle Mute",
				"Command": "Command Shift A",
				"Icon": "mic.fill",
				"Color": "Red",
				"App": "zoom.us"
			},
			{
				"Name": "Toggle Video",
				"Command": "Command Shift V",
				"Icon": "video.fill",
				"Color": "Cerulean",
				"App": "zoom.us"
			},
			{
				"Name": "Keyboard",
				"Shortcut": "Key Command: Threshold",
				"Input": "input",
				"Icon": "keyboard",
				"Color": "Violet"
			},
			{
				"Name": "Return",
				"Shortcut": "Key Command: Threshold",
				"Input": "return",
				"Icon": "return",
				"Color": "Mint"
			}
		]
	}
}

Speeding Things With Keyboard Maestro

The roundtrip from MFC Deck to Shortcuts to your Mac can take a second or two to complete.

If you want a more immediate response between tapping a card and seeing the key command sent to the macOS application, you should consider changing your cards to communicate with Keyboard Maestro.

Key Command and Keyboard Maestro methods for sending commands to macOS applications

Remote Triggers

Remote triggers in Keyboard Maestro offer the fastest execution time, but you will have to create separate macros for each command that you want to send. A remote trigger provides you with a URL that you can ping to execute the macro.

Configuring Keyboard Maestro

Configuring Cards to Communicate with Keyboard Maestro

Instead of creating cards that execute shortcuts, we’ll be configuring your cards to get the contents of a URL, namely the remote trigger URL from Keyboard Maestro.

  1. Open MFC Deck.
  2. Navigate to the deck containing your Mac App Controller.
  3. Long-press on the card you wish to edit.
  4. Set the action to URL.
  5. Choose Get Contents of URL in the URL Type field.
  6. Paste the URL from Keyboard Maestro’s remote trigger.
  7. Disable Save Result.
  8. Tap Done.

Now, try tapping on the card, the URL will be pinged and the action should happen pretty much instantly on your macOS computer.

Troubleshooting

For your Mac to be controlled properly, Terminal must be an allowed app in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility on your Mac.

Accessibility

Remote Login must also be turned on in System Preferences > Sharing.

Remote Login

You may also need to have Terminal allow System Events in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Automation.

Automation

MFC Deck Shortcuts Gallery