Simplest way to capture "keystroke representation" to clipboard

Question

I'm trying to create a cheatsheet for an application I use frequently. the cheat sheet will contain the shortcut keys so I can know what to type.

Is there a simple way to capture keystrokes using Mac keyboard symbols into word or pages. Directly copying the combination to clipboard would be even more convenient, or a way to automate this entirely would be the best.

Eg: when I press "OPTION + COMMAND + P" it should save ⌥ + ⌘ + P to the clipboard or to the document.

Can I automate this documentation effort?

Answer 1

I wrote a tiny program for you. It'll type out any key combination you type, so after you start it, switch to Word with your mouse. You can exit it at any time with the escape key. I can share the source code if you want, there's not much of it: keystroke_grabber

If you want to make it easy to start, you'll have to drag it into the bottom right of the Dock where the trash can is, because it's not "Appy" enough to earn a space with the big boys (other apps).

Answer 2

I hope there is a nice automation or configuration to do this for you, but I skip the word document entirely and use an app to generate cheat sheets for any running app. You could make a screen capture of the page of all the shortcuts in one step:

• https://www.cheatsheetapp.com/CheatSheet/

This app runs in the background and when you hold down an option key for a while and don’t press any other key, it generates a complete list of all the possible shortcuts that are available at that exact moment. So this works across any app on your Mac.

The downside of this “solution” is potentially you are adding value, sorting or filtering the shortcuts or annotating the results. The upside is it’s really fast and you may not need to make your custom sheet in the first place.

Answer 3

There is a 3rd party app named Elite Keylogger. I haven't used it but it's received good reviews. Its used for various purposes including questionable purposes like spying on employees or ones spouse. It claims to record every keystroke. this may be overkill for what you need. they have a free version.