Adobe InDesign from a game controller
The Adobe InDesign layout is built into InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
On a Mac: InDesign reads its default tool keys from this layout. InDesign has no controller settings of its own.
Yes, a game controller works as a left-hand deck for InDesign on a Mac. InDesign shares Illustrator's tool letters, so it is the same deck: V, P, T and M on the face buttons, undo and save on the bumpers, zoom on the D-pad. It is for the hand that is not on the mouse, and for the hand that cannot use a keyboard.
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Pick a tool. Selection (V) on the bottom face button, Pen (P) on the right, Type (T) on the left, Rectangle (M) on the top.
- Undo and save. On the bumpers.
- Zoom. In and out on D-pad up and down.
- Move around a spread. The left stick is the pointer, and the right stick scrolls in all four directions.
- Draw. The right trigger clicks and draws, the left trigger right-clicks.
InDesign has no controller settings of its own and reads its default tool keys from this layout. The same four tools as Illustrator, on the same buttons.
Tune it for layout work
- Frames. The Rectangle Frame tool is F, if you would rather place frames than draw rectangles.
- Preview mode. W toggles it. The touchpad press.
- Direct Selection. Put A behind a chord.
- Fit the spread. Put Option Command 0 on a stick click.
- Handles and frame edges. Lower the Pointer speed slider on the preset's page.
- Text itself. Dictation into a text frame works like anywhere else.
The two layouts are interchangeable if you work in both apps. Preview on the touchpad shows the page as it will print, one press away.
Get it in two clicks
- Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Adobe InDesign and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
- Press Activate. Every row can be changed afterwards: the editor's Scan button rebinds any control the moment you touch it.
Every binding, as a table
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Cursor left |
| Left stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Cursor right |
| Left stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Cursor up |
| Left stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Cursor down |
| Right stick up | Scroll up | Scroll up |
| Right stick down | Scroll down | Scroll down |
| Right stick left | Scroll left | Scroll left |
| Right stick right | Scroll right | Scroll right |
| Right trigger | Left click | Click / draw |
| Left trigger | Right click | Right click |
| A / Cross | V | Selection tool (V) |
| B / Circle | P | Pen tool (P) |
| X / Square | T | Type tool (T) |
| Y / Triangle | M | Rectangle (M) |
| LB / L1 | Command (Left), Z | Undo |
| RB / R1 | Command (Left), S | Save |
| D-pad up | Command (Left), = | Zoom in |
| D-pad down | Command (Left), - | Zoom out |
Button names follow the Xbox / PlayStation pair shown in the editor, so A / Cross is the bottom face button on either pad. On a Switch Pro Controller the bottom button is labeled B; the mapping still fires on position.
Questions
Does this match Illustrator?
Yes, the tool keys are the same as Illustrator's, so the two layouts are interchangeable.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
Updated