I’m new to Hook, and love the concept, but it seems to take an extraordinary number of clicks to do what should be a fairly basic task:
To copy a link to something (a file on the desktop, say), I have to click on the file, then the Hook icon in the menu bar, then move the pointer to the Hook window and click the down-arrow, and then click on ‘Copy Link’. All my Mac instincts say I should be able to right-click on the file and ‘Copy Hook Link’ should be selectable from the contextual menu, either in the menu itself or in the submenu under ‘Services’.
Am I missing something? If not, could this be implemented, please?
Welcome to the Hook Productivity Forum , @martinstaylor, and thanks for asking.
The main entry point to Hook is a configurable global keyboard shortcut (⌘⇧SPACE by default), per Getting Started – Hook . By “global” I mean you do not need to invoke Hook to get to it.
So, the typical dance is:
invoke Hook with its keyboard shortcut.
Copy Link or Copy Markdown Link
In Hook 2.0, there will also be two new global keyboard shortcuts, so that you can skip the first step.
Thanks Luc. My point is that when I invoke Hook I’ve normally just clicked on the thing I want to link to, so my hand is on the mouse and it’s easier and quicker to use the mouse than the keyboard. So the dance is three clicks:
Move the mouse to the menubar and click on the Hook menu
Move the mouse across the screen and click on the down arrow in the Hook pane
Click on ‘Copy Link’
It would be vastly easier if I could copy the link by right-clicking on the original object.
What you say about Hook 2.0 is going to be very welcome (when is it due?), but it would still be nice if ‘Copy Link’ were available directly from a contextual menu.
Does anyone apart from me use Services any more? That would seem to be the place to put it, and Apple has set up the infrastructure so that it’s reasonably easy.
We have not yet started the Hook 2.0 public beta, but if you would like to try the Hook private beta (not for sharing with others), here is the currently secret link: https://hookproductivity.com/download/hook-2-0-beta/
The Copy Link button is right in Hook window’s menu bar, so it’s easier to get to for mouse users. (The new buttons can be hidden and shown via Hook > Preferences > General tab).
I agree that the Services menu is important and we should make use of it for extra Hook stuff.
we do plan to roll out more “extras” (aka “goodies”) for Hook, some of which can go in the Services menu.
Hi @martinstaylor, I agree with you that with some software useful applications are missing or like here in Hook a “services integration” is missing.
For such cases I use the software Keyboard Maestro. With this I can create my own context menus, services etc.
Like in this example I can create my own context menu for Hook and call it with BetterTouchTool with an individual mouse gesture. Then a click on the desired action… voilà
For users who like to work with the keyboard only, I can call the individual hook context menu with a shortcut and then trigger all further actions with the first letter (C for Copy link). That saved a lot of additional shortcuts.
However, you do not need to buy any special software now. Create your own service using the macOS Automator App.
Here is the AppleScript which you have to execute using this Automator service:
tell application "System Events" to tell process "Hook"
keystroke " " using {control down, shift down}
delay 0.2
keystroke "c" using {command down}
end tell
Please note that I have to use “Control + Shift + Space” to call up the hook menu
oops! When I shared the private beta link above, I erroneously thought we were in a Private Message, not public. (I need to try to get a Discourse plugin or option that more clearly distinguishes PMs from public topics. E.g., by showing them in reverse video so I don’t make that error again.)
We’re about to release Hook 2.0 to the public. I think it’s best for our discussion on the forum to revolve around the public releases rather than the private beta.
I will post soon.
(Hook’s home page now displays the Hook 2.0 app icon ).
So if I have comments about the new version (which I do) what should I do with them? Should I post them to you privately (how?) or wait until Hook 2.0 goes public?
).