Reassign shortcut keys Powerpoint 2003?

[MePenguin]

I've just upgraded to Office2003 from 2000 and, as usual both gained and lost features... the latter really pssses me off... happens every upgrade.

Anyway, in 2000 you could assign keyboard shortcuts to macros, and to toolbar/menu items - e.g. CTRL+G to the 'Group' command (in stead of Grid settings). I can't for the life of me see how to do this in 2003.

The solutions in

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=682384

and

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=599869

are not applicable in 2003.

Anyone solved this? VBA maybe - a global key catch such as the Excel application.onkey?

Thanks,

Phil

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Pass me the ether.

 

[carrr]

This is a bit lengthy, but it's a direct paste from the Help file:

"Assign or change a keyboard shortcut

You can rearrange and modify toolbar buttons, menus, and menu commands by using the mouse or you can use the Rearrange Commands dialog box which is accessible using a keyboard menu. These tasks are identified as (keyboard accessible).

A keyboard shortcut allows you to select a menu command or button by pressing ALT+<single letter>. For example, to open the Edit menu, press ALT+E.

Do one of the following:

Assign or change a keyboard shortcut

On the Tools menu, click Customize.

Make sure the toolbar you want to change is visible.

How?

In the Customize dialog box, click the Toolbars tab.
Select the check box for the toolbar you want to display.
In the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab.

With the Customize dialog box open, do one of the following:

Assign or change a toolbar button's keyboard shortcut

Click the button on the toolbar.

In the Customize dialog box, click Modify Selection.

In the Name box, type a name for the toolbar button with an ampersand (&) before the letter that you want as the keyboard shortcut.

Press ENTER.

Assign or change a menu command's keyboard shortcut

Click the menu name on the menu bar (menu bar: The horizontal bar below the title bar that contains the names of menus. A menu bar can be the built-in menu bar or a custom menu bar.) or toolbar.

Click the menu command.

In the Customize dialog box, click Modify Selection.

In the Name box, type a name for the menu command with an ampersand (&) before the letter that you want as the keyboard shortcut.

Press ENTER.

In the Customize dialog box, click Close.

Assign or change a keyboard shortcut (keyboard accessible)

On the Tools menu, click Customize.

Make sure the toolbar you want to change is visible.

How?

In the Customize dialog box, click the Toolbars tab.
Select the check box for the toolbar you want to display.
In the Customize dialog box, click the Commands tab.

Click Rearrange Commands.
Do one of the following:

Assign or change a toolbar button's keyboard shortcut

In the Rearrange Commands dialog box, click Toolbar.
In the Toolbar list, click the toolbar that contains the button you want to change.
In the Controls list, click the button you want to change.
Click Modify Selection.
In the Name box, type a name for the toolbar button with an ampersand (&) before the letter that you want as the keyboard shortcut.

Press ENTER.

Assign or change a menu command's keyboard shortcut

If the menu command you want to change is on the menu bar, click Menu Bar and then click the menu you want in the Menu Bar list.
If the menu command you want to change is on a toolbar, click Toolbar, and then click the menu that you want in the Toolbar list. For example, click Drawing|AutoShapes to change a command on the AutoShapes menu on the Formatting toolbar.

In the Controls list, click the menu command you want to change.
Click Modify Selection.
In the Name box, type a name for the menu command with an ampersand (&) before the letter that you want as the keyboard shortcut.

Press ENTER.

In the Customize dialog box, click Close."

 

[MePenguin]

Thanks carrr, already read that and thought it wasn't much help, since that would still need several key presses to get to deeply nested commands.

BUT by posting it you made me think of a nice workaround, posted here incase it's of any use to people. Even if it isn't particularly clever, it wasn't particularly obvious to me:

[red]
Aim: put the commands you want shortcut keys for as text items at the highest level of toolbars or menus, and give them keyboard shortcuts.
[/red][blue]
1) Add the commands you want to create keyboard shortcuts to to a (custom) toolbar
2) right click the toolbar and select 'Customize...' (if the Customize dialog is not already open)
3) if it's not already got text - click the icon for your command, click the 'Modify Selection' button, select 'Image and Text' or 'Text Only'
4) (from above) 'In the Name box, type a name for the menu command with an ampersand (&) before the letter that you want as the keyboard shortcut' - but watch for conflicts with existing menus.
5) Press ENTER. In the Customize dialog box, click Close."

You can now access the commands by pressing Alt+underlined letter.

[/blue]
So, shortcut keys without third-party add-ins... again, like it was in the not so old days

Thanks for the inspiration!

Phil

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Pass me the ether.