How to use keyboard modifier keys with Stream Deck and other devices to create multifunctional buttons and "layers".

Nice Chris. That's exactly what I'm talking about 👏

I just experimented with the streamdeck being dynamic depending on the modifier keys pressed.
I have an advanced script to navigate my projet folder, copying or moving files to and between them and to my google drive. So the different combinations of modifiers started to get a little crazy so I thought a visual feedback would be good.

I'm doing it with a script running in the background. But it's obviously not the smoothest way to do it. Maybe it could be a feature down the line for SF, to have an option to make text or icons dynamic on stream deck that way...
Here's a preview of the streamdeck text shift when I press different modifiers: https://youtu.be/TPC6FRuayDg

I assume you are pressing the Run Command with the mouse.
It's because holding control down and then clicking the left mouse click, results in a mouse right click :)

Hey Andrew.

So it's not "natively" supported in SoundFlow, meaning that you will have to use a script it order to make them shift.
This will probably work better if we could trigger a script with only a modifier key. I'm sure it will come at some point.
Until then, here's the script you need with a bit less decks, so it's easy for you to copy in.

I've attached a screenshot of the script earlier. In that screenshot you can also see that the script needs to be triggered by a finder program trigger.

Let me know if you have any problems making it work. Best

var app = sf.ui.finder

// Copy in the Deck's command ID you wanna use. You can do this by selecting the package and press cmd+c or from the menu line.  
var normal = 'package:cjybggh2v00002s10ucoqeja9' 
var cmd = 'package:ckhqmdfjs0006wi10g05isll4'
var ctrl = 'package:ckhqmep7a0009wi108ci093sr'

// If finder is unhiden start loop
sf.engine.runInBackground(function () {
    while (true) {
        // This checks for a user cancellation.
        sf.engine.checkForCancellation();

        // This will break the loop if finder is not in focus 
        if (sf.ui.frontmostApp.activeBundleID != app.activeBundleID)
            break;

        // Checking what streamdeck to load
        if (event.keyboardState.asString == 'ctrl') sf.soundflow.runCommand({ commandId: ctrl })
        else if (event.keyboardState.asString == 'cmd') sf.soundflow.runCommand({ commandId: cmd })
        else sf.soundflow.runCommand({ commandId: normal })

        // This will do so we check every 100 ms if there's been a "change"
        sf.wait({
            executionMode: 'Background',
            intervalMs: 100,
            onError: 'Continue'
        });
    }
});

Hey Andrew.

Yes it can only be done without using the Streamdeck app. I would not recommend anyone using it if they use SoundFlow.

So not sure how to help you. Just some pointers:

• I think it's best to create two separate scripts. One that controls your commands and one that's only controlling the visual part (with my script as above and nothing more).
• You can check wether you have the right Deck ID, by making a new script and just run sf.soundflow.runCommand({ commandId: /*Deck ID as a string*/ })
• To check wether the script is running you can add log('The script is running') before the sf.wait() part. I recommend changing the interval to 500 then, else you will get a lot of notifications.

If you want more precise help you'll have to make a video or take some snapshots of your scripts etc so we can figure out why it's not working :)

Hey M. Glad to hear it's working.

Sure there is. Just do something like this:

sf.engine.runInBackground(function () {
    while (true) {
        // This checks for a user cancellation.
        sf.engine.checkForCancellation();

        // This will break the loop if finder is not in focus 
        if (sf.ui.frontmostApp.activeBundleID != app.activeBundleID)
            break;

        // This will break the loop if the window with the title Playback Engine is in focus. I don't know the exact name of the window in Pro Tools.  
        if (app.focusedWindow.title.value == Playback Engine'')
            break;

        // Checking what streamdeck to load
        if (event.keyboardState.asString == 'ctrl') sf.soundflow.runCommand({ commandId: ctrl })
        else if (event.keyboardState.asString == 'cmd') sf.soundflow.runCommand({ commandId: cmd })
        else sf.soundflow.runCommand({ commandId: normal })

        // This will do so we check every 100 ms if there's been a "change"
        sf.wait({
            executionMode: 'Background',
            intervalMs: 100,
            onError: 'Continue'
        });
    }
});

And you might then wanna add a window trigger for the script when the Playback Engine window is closed...

So you mean you are showing another deck and when doing so you want to break the loop?

So are you manually selecting the deck to show? Or how is deck "outside" being selected?

Okay great. Should not be too hard, but one more thing then, when do you want the script to start up again and the mod decks to continue? Is that when you change PT window or closing the "outside" deck on a button?

One initial way you already can do this is by having that outside deck as a folder on the main deck. I believe SF even recalls if you've had the folder open as the last thing, when changing between decks.
But you would have to rebuild that specific deck in a folder on your Main Mod Deck.

Haha. Well, that's what the forum is for. Glad I could help!

Hey Martin.

I don't think there's much "penalty" for doing this. I've at least run it stabile without experiencing any issue.

The more people need a feature the faster it comes, so good you've chimed in here with the potential that this brings.

I'll update the thread / create a new, when there might be a new and smarter way to do these things.

Hey Andrew.

So little unsure if I understand you scenario 100%.. Maybe if you shared your code with some explanations of what you want.
But here goes some help from what I'm reading out of your text.

I could imagine a couple of different ways to do this (from what I understand you want to do). I'm sure one will be better then the others but would probably be a bit trial and error.

One way that this could be done, as I read you text is to stop the script when you select a specific deck. We have something that's called globalState which we could use for this as it's variables that is "saved" in to SF and therefor works across scripts.
Now in our run script before running it, we will add a bit of code. (iv'e just taken some un altered code from above for the run script). And we will also add a line for the script to run if the globalState changes.

// we start by making sure our globalState is false. Let's call the 
globalState.stopProToolsScript = false

sf.engine.runInBackground(function () {
    while (true) {
        // This checks for a user cancellation.
        sf.engine.checkForCancellation();

        // This will break the loop if finder is not in focus 
        if (sf.ui.frontmostApp.activeBundleID != app.activeBundleID)
            break;

        // This will break the loop if globalState.stopProToolsScript is set to "true" 
        if (globalState.stopProToolsScript )
            break;

        // This will break the loop if the window with the title Playback Engine is in focus. I don't know the exact name of the window in Pro Tools.  
        if (app.focusedWindow.title.value == Playback Engine'')
            break;

        // Checking what streamdeck to load
        if (event.keyboardState.asString == 'ctrl') sf.soundflow.runCommand({ commandId: ctrl })
        else if (event.keyboardState.asString == 'cmd') sf.soundflow.runCommand({ commandId: cmd })
        else sf.soundflow.runCommand({ commandId: normal })

        // This will do so we check every 100 ms if there's been a "change"
        sf.wait({
            executionMode: 'Background',
            intervalMs: 100,
            onError: 'Continue'
        });
    }
});

Now creating a script that will select you main deck and add:
globalState.stopProToolsScript = true
to that script (you wouldn't be able to do this with a macro, but actually something I'll request as a feature) you can stop the script checking for the modifier keys. You would though have to have a way to start the script again, or just change focus off and on pro tools.

In case you want the script to keep running, but want other new decks to be shown on modifiers after selecting the "main deck" we would do it a little different, like so:

// we start by making sure our globalState is false. Let's call the 
globalState.stopProToolsScript = false

sf.engine.runInBackground(function () {
    while (true) {
        // This checks for a user cancellation.
        sf.engine.checkForCancellation();

        // This will break the loop if finder is not in focus 
        if (sf.ui.frontmostApp.activeBundleID != app.activeBundleID)
            break;

        // This will break the loop if the window with the title Playback Engine is in focus. I don't know the exact name of the window in Pro Tools.  
        if (app.focusedWindow.title.value == Playback Engine'')
            break;

        // Checking what streamdeck to load
        // if globalState.stopProToolsScript is set to "true" it will show some different ones 
        if (globalState.stopProToolsScript ){
            // Add some other streamdecks here with your modifiers. 
            // In order to return to the "previous/first" layer you'll have to set the globalState to false again
        }
        else {
            if (event.keyboardState.asString == 'ctrl') sf.soundflow.runCommand({ commandId: ctrl })
            else if (event.keyboardState.asString == 'cmd') sf.soundflow.runCommand({ commandId: cmd })
            else sf.soundflow.runCommand({ commandId: normal })
        }
        // This will do so we check every 100 ms if there's been a "change"
        sf.wait({
            executionMode: 'Background',
            intervalMs: 100,
            onError: 'Continue'
        });
    }
});

Let me know if this helps you going forward.