Right click keyboard shortcut on mac (for spell check via keyboard only)

Right-clicking is so context-sensitive that there really isn’t any way to make such a keyboard shortcut, let alone any software that does… well, the impossible. The price you pay for simplicity is complexity, and you are now paying the price for using a one-button mouse.

Might I recommend an upgrade? Or even this mouse? Both have the ability to right-click without keyboard shenanigans, and I find a second mouse button to be easier to deal with than remembering more key combos or gestures.

As for a keyboard shortcut for the built-in spell-check, I am rather surprised that there isn’t one already. I can see how it would be easier to keep your hands on the keyboard rather than interrupt your flow by switching to the mouse, but alas, that is something that must be handled by pointing, just like so many other things on a modern computer that tries to make everything reliant on the GUI.

BTW, I found this answer to a very similar looking question.

Keyboard Maestro will do it.

Here is how to set it up.

http://i.imgur.com/cq7eV.png

In this case pressing F6 will trigger a command mouseclick.

I tried doing it with applescript but applescript requires a mouse position when you call System Events. And that obviously will not work.

Can I ask why you need to right click without a mouse?

@jerv There is a logic behind the 1 button mouse. Software designers are too tempted to put things into context menus otherwise (OSX has always supported 2-button mice btw). If you look on a lot of Windows apps there is a lot of functionality that’s buried in context menus that should really be elsewhere.

I’m a bit surprised there isn’t a way to get at the spellchecking via the keyboard since it could be a disabilities thing. Usually Apple is pretty good about making their stuff accessible and keyboard friendly.

@jerv haha thank you i found that but it does not help much as i dont have a seperate keypad and would render my keyboard unusable.
@blah_blah the keyboard maestro setup dosent require a mouse position?

Let me rephrase my question: what aspect of the built-in spelling and grammar requires a right-click? I’m trying it right now and I can’t figure it out.

@lapilofu you may be doing it with the whole spelling window. can you tell me how your doing it with no mouse or no right clicks. Thats what im trying to do. I want to be able to spellcheck in stride while just using the keyboard.

@ctferrarajr Oh, I see. Hm. Maybe you could write a service that runs spellcheck on the current text-cursor word and bind it to a key combination? I don’t know of a script that would do that off the top of my head though, so that might be tricky. I’ll let you know if I come up with one.

What I would be inclined to do is enable full keyboard access (System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Full Keyboard Access) and then drive the spellcheck window with your keyboard.