Can I use my F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys only for specific apps?
I constantly use the brightness, mission control, volume, and iTunes playback shortcuts on my keyboard's function row. However, a handful of apps I use make heavy use of F1, F2, etc. for keyboard shortcuts, and it's annoying having to use something like Fn+F7 all the time for something that was intended to be a single keystroke away.
I can think of a few ways to get around this problem:
- Manually reassign any and all keyboard shortcuts that make use of function keys to something else. Ugh.
- Enable the "Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" option in System Preferences, and re-train myself to use Fn whenever I want to use the system shortcuts. Ugh.
- Find a way to enable this option only for certain applications.
Is this possible to do? Are there any third-party apps that can take care of this for me?
Try Palua, I think this is exactly what you're looking for. Costs $0.99 / £0.69 in the Mac App Store.
In MacStories: Control OS X Function Keys with Palua
Fluor is exactly what you're looking for. You can chose either default (the settings you can adjust in your system preferences), apple-keys or function keys.
I hope that was helpful!
I've seen this application before when I was just browsing, never used it though. It's called FunctionFlip.
FunctionFlip individually controls your MacBook or MacBook Pro's function keys, turning special keys back to regular F-keys, or vice-versa. FunctionFlip is a preference pane; you'll find it in the "Other" category in System Preferences.