Review: Master Gmail shortcut keys with KeyRocket

Engineers love keyboard shortcuts. So, the ability offers like most Google products, Google mail, all with a touch of a button, by creating a new message (c for compose) pretty much goes back to the main list of emails (u for themselves). These shortcuts are one of the best features of Gmail: you can compose, archive, forwards and replies to messages, switch labels, search, and more all without reaching for the mouse,.

Oh, they are also difficult to learn. After you enable keyboard shortcuts in the settings screen, press the "?", a semi-transparent overlay to get list of all links. For some people not look at a long list of the best way to learn-and that the KeyRocket thinks that it can do better.

Every time when you use the mouse to do something that can do your keyboard, you let know, KeyRocket.

Veodin's KeyRocket for Gmail sits in the background and quietly watches as you use Gmail your every move. Once (to select it), click the checkbox next to a message, it opens a discreet notification let you know, you could've made just "X" on your keyboard, to do the same. If you had used the reply button, DaaŸ KeyRocket 'R' as well.

Because the messages are contextual, much more useful than a help sheet: you learn in bite-sized pieces, and only the functions that you can actually use.

KeyRocket makes it easy to understand key combinations.

KeyRocket is not perfect: it should ideally able to say, if you already know a shortcut and just prefers using the mouse out and again for the same function. KeyRocket should not tell me about the "#" shortcut at a time when I use the mouse-clicking the button only the first couple of times.

But despite this minor flaw, KeyRocket is an excellent learning tool for Gmail.

Note: The download button you get to the chrome Web store, where you can install the latest version directly into the chrome browser.

Endless tweaking his workflow for comfort and efficiency, Erez is a freelance writer on a mission, the simplest, coolest, and most effective software and websites to discover, make happen this morning.
More by Erez Zukerman

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Windows 8.1 Preview and a workaround for your favorite Win+S shortcut key

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Today Microsoft released the Consumer Preview for Windows 8.1, also known as Windows Blue. If you try it out you'll notice a lot of awesome changes. But try out the Windows + S shortcut for screen clipping in OneNote and you'll find it doesn't work as expected! Don't panic, a fix is coming soon and in the meantime, you can use the workaround below.

The most loved keyboard shortcut in OneNote desktop, you can press Windows + S to invoke the screen clipper. This lets you select areas of your screen to send to your notes and puts it on to your clipboard to paste (CTRL + V) anywhere.

You can read about other OneNote shortcuts here: OneNote 2013 Keyboard Shortcuts

New in Windows 8.1, Windows + S brings up a Search experience designed to help you find things more quickly from any application. The new OneNote shortcut key will be Windows + Shift + S, but this won't be available until later in the year as an update.  We know how useful the old Windows + S shortcut key is, so we're providing a workaround in the meantime.

For now, you can manually set a shortcut key to Windows + A. You'll have to change the shortcut key through your registry. (Note: Unintended changes in your registry can cause problems, so make sure you follow these instructions exactly.)

1. Use Windows + R to pull up this dialog, and type regedit.

2. Now in the folders on the left, navigate down this path:

 HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\15.0\OneNote\Options\Other

Note: The path requires the specific version of Office. In the path above, 15.0 refers to Office 2013. If you're using Office 2010, type 14.0 in place of 15.0 at the end of the path.  Replace 15.0 with 12.0 if you're using Office 2007.  

3. In the folder named Other, right-click the white space underneath the files in that folder and select New, then select DWORD (32-bit) Value.

 

4. In the text entry field that pops up, type ScreenClippingShortcutKey. You just created a new DWORD. (If you are in Office 12.0, this DWORD will already exist.)

5. Right click this DWORD and select Modify, then in the Value field, type 41.

Your new shortcut key has been assigned to Windows + A. Now log off and log on again and you should be all set!

Remember, the Windows + Shift + S fix is coming later this year, but hopefully this will help you out until then!

For a full article on this topic, see an earlier blog post: Changing the OneNote Screen Clipping and New Side Note keyboard shortcuts.

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Download OneNote: onenote.com
Follow OneNote: twitter.com/msonenote
Like OneNote: facebook.com/MicrosoftOneNote

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You always want to know another shortcut (video)

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AppId is over the quota

Shortcuts are like jokes in a comedy club: they’re great when you hear them, but can’t remember them the next day. So, let’s try to refresh your memory—or give you some new memories—of 3 nifty shortcuts to move around and find your stuff in the Excel.

I did this, and a few more videos, for the Small Business Group. You can find more videos, plus many more helpful tidbits at the Microsoft Business Hub.

--Doug Thomas

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