4.5 Foot Pedals and USB Devices

InqScribe supports USB input devices. That means that you can create a shortcut or a snippet and sets its trigger to be an input element of a USB device, like a foot pedal or the button on a gamepad.

To use a USB device, just click the Define Trigger button in the Edit Shortcuts dialog. Then press the button or pedal you want to use for the trigger.

Note that you can use modifier keys with USB devices. So you might set your left foot pedal button to one shortcut, but set Shift-left foot pedal button to another shortcut.

There are some limitations. Mice and trackpads are automatically prevented from being triggers, because they serve a basic pointing function. And you must have drivers that allow your USB device to be recognized by your system, if you want InqScribe to recognize it as well.

Some of our tips for assigning keyboard shortcuts are also relevant to foot pedal settings.

InqScribe can only recognize USB devices plugged in at the time the app was opened. If you plug in a new USB device, you may need to restart the InqScribe app for it to be recognized. If you unplug a USB device while InqScribe is running, you may need to both plug it back in and restart InqScribe to restore its function.

Foot Pedal Setup

If you have a foot pedal, you can use the Edit > Set Up Foot Pedal... menu item to open a wizard that will guide you through the process of assigning your pedal buttons to shortcuts. Note that there's nothing in the wizard that you can't do via the Edit Shortcuts dialog. The wizard just provides an interface designed for foot pedal users.

Managing USB Devices

Use the Edit > Manage USB Devices... menu to activate and deactivate USB devices. Having the option to toggle devices on and off is useful if you have a particularly noisy device causing conflicts with InqScribe. The app will simply ignore any "deactivated" device.

InqScribe should be able to automatically activate most common USB devices, including all supported foot pedals. If your device isn't recognized, check that its status is listed as "active." If you don't see the device listed, try checking the "Show All Devices" option. If that fails, try restarting the InqScribe app. If you experience issues with a particular device, let us know by emailing us at support@inqscribe.com.