Kevin Gessner
FunctionFlip
Reclaim your Mac's function keys
I like the media keys on my MacBook keyboard - just not all of them. Fat-fingered that I am, I regularly skip tracks when I just want to pause or mute. Disabling all of the keys just won't do, because I use the brightness and volume keys every day.
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.
How To Use FunctionFlip
FunctionFlip's purpose is simply to disable the special features — rewind, play, mute, etc. — on the function keys. For example, if you "flip" F7, F8, and F9, those keys — only those keys — will revert back to normal F keys. Press the fn key with the special key to get the special function back. That is, the "special" and "normal" functions are flipped.
To assign a custom shortcuts to your reclaimed keys, use a program like Quicksilver or Keyboard Maestro.
FunctionFlip supports all MacBooks and MacBook Pros, recent Apple external keyboards, iBooks, and PowerBooks. If your keyboard is not supported, contact me.
Reviews
Known Bugs
- FunctionFlip requires that "Enable access for assistive devices" be checked on the Universal Access pane in System Preferences.
Flipped keys will sometimes cause the alert sound to be played. As a (admittedly suboptimal) workaround, mute your Mac's alert sound, which will stop the noise that FunctionFlip is making: open System Preferences, select Sound, and on the Sound Effects tab, move the Alert Volume slider to mute.Fixed in version 2.1.