The macosxhints Rating:
[Score: 9 out of 10]
- Developer: Flying Meat/ Product page
- Price: Free
FlyGesture is a background application that watches for a hot key (or alternatively a mouse button press) and then goes into action. When it sees its trigger key or button, FlyGesture puts a nice translucent interface on the screen that both shows the gesture you're creating, and tells you (when it sees a match) exactly what will happen, as seen at left. The screenshot shows an "F-like" gesture I created to launch VMWare's Fusion. Gestures are easily added, and can contain any number of steps with many possible actions. For instance, you can open applications, files, folders, and URLs; execute AppleScript code or Automator worflows; type some text; delay for some period of time; activate Dashboard and the various Exposé modes; and even sleep, shut down, or restart the computer. You can string these actions together, much as you would in Automator, to build complex actions based on simple gestures.
FlyGestures is just an application -- you run it when you want it, and there's nothing to install at all. It works in every application I tried it in, including Word and Excel. You'll be able to do more if you know some AppleScript and are using an AppleScript-aware application, but the basic ability to type text with modifier keys (i.e. Command-P for Print) means you can add some functionality to most any program. FlyGestures comes with about 35 or so pre-defined gestures, covering things like opening Mail, iChat, and iTunes; controlling iTunes song playback; opening various web pages, and hiding applications. If you try to define a new gesture that already exists, FlyGestures will put up an alert indicating that the gesture you've chosen is already in use.
I'm primarily a keyboard user, but with FlyGesture, at least I can make my mouse do more when I reach for it...and in some odd way, it's actually kind of fun to make things happen by dragging patterns out with the mouse (or trackpad, obviously). I also like that it's just an application, and can be quit when needed without having to disable it in some other manner. The interface is well thought out, and I'm fairly amazed that it's completely free.

