"Key Caps" like app for Mac OS X

Question

sedaray Author

Level 1

8 points

"Key Caps" like app for Mac OS X

On Classic Mac there used to be an app (Desk Acessory) called Key Caps.

The app would feature the plugged in keyboard to easily find the various non-letter symbols.

Is there a Mac OS X app or third party?

This would make things easier than to hunt with every key with option and shift keys and clutter my documents.

Enabling "Show Keyboard Viewer"in preferences DOES NOT WORK - it shows the keyboard but not the corresponding symbols for each chosen font.

Earlier Mac models

Posted on Aug 10, 2023 05:24 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

121,524 points

Aug 11, 2023 02:35 AM in response to sedaray

sedaray wrote:

Enabling "Show Keyboard Viewer"in preferences DOES NOT WORK - it shows the keyboard but not the corresponding symbols for each chosen font.

Apple moved to Unicode many years ago. In that system, you normally switch keyboards and not fonts to get different symbols, as all fonts normally have the same symbols at the codepoints produced by a particular keyboard layout.

To find symbols you don't see on the keyboard, you can use Character Viewer

Use emoji and symbols on Mac - Apple Support

and sometimes Font Book

Font Book User Guide for Mac - Apple Support

If you specify the symbols you are looking for, we could provide more help.

Reply

Answer 2

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

121,524 points

Aug 11, 2023 06:59 AM in response to sedaray

PS I almost forgot. there is an app which you might find usefui. It's not free, but I have found it worth it for dealing with non-standard fonts:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ultra-character-map/id520265986?mt=12

Reply

Answer 3

sedaray Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 11, 2023 03:39 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

I am adding musical symbols to a pdf. Using any music font (and they're each different), for instance Maestro or Jazz etc.

So where is the quarter note? If I had KeyCaps I could find the key that has the quarter note, etc.

No, the emoji and symbols dialogue has no music symbols, except flat and sharp.

I notice that Inkpen 2, Maestro, Opus, Engraver, and other fonts I see in FontBook do not even show in font options in TextEdit or other text apps. Only the text versions of the fonts are available. I tried using the Unicode keyboard - no difference. I see Jazz and Broadway Copyist but again, I have to type out a chart for myself to find the keycaps.

This is so disheartening - to have previously been able to do something and now I cant! Each Mac OS removes functions! Pretty soon we'll have amber screens - they're mostly grey now anyway. >temporary end of rant<

Reply

Answer 4

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

121,524 points

Aug 11, 2023 04:14 AM in response to sedaray

Thanks for the clarification. Makers of non Unicode music fonts usually provide a chart with the keystrokes for the various symbols. Does this one help?

https://usermanuals.finalemusic.com/FinaleMac/Content/Finale/font-maestro.htm

Reply