Pages from a game controller
The Pages 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: Pages is Apple's own word processor and takes the arrow keys and Command shortcuts this layout sends. Nothing to enable.
Yes, you can edit documents in Pages from a game controller on a Mac: the controller edits and dictation writes. Arrow keys on the D-pad move the text cursor, the face buttons are copy, paste, save and undo, and a Start Dictation row on a bumper turns it into a writing tool. It is the same idea as the Word layout, and it suits Pages because Pages is quiet: fewer toolbars to aim a stick at.
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Point and scroll. The left stick is the pointer, the right stick scrolls, and the right trigger clicks.
- Move the text cursor. The D-pad sends the arrow keys.
- Keep the four commands close. Copy on the bottom face button, Paste on the right, Save on the left, Undo on the top.
Nothing on the pad types, and that is on purpose. Dictate the words, then fix them from the pad.
Tune it for writing
- Dictation. Start Dictation on a bumper. Dictation has to be on in System Settings, Keyboard.
- Word jumps and selection. Option and the arrows behind one chord, Shift and the arrows behind another, set under Second control in each row's Options.
- Bold and italic. Put Command B and Command I on the stick clicks.
- Stock text. Type Text outputs behind a chord for a signature or an address.
- A held arrow that repeats. Turn on Repeat keys while held on the D-pad rows.
Dictation and the word-jump chord are the two rows that change the most. Add dictation and word jumps, and Pages needs no keyboard for a first draft.
If you keep a mouse in the other hand
The built-in Easy Edit preset is made for a controller in one hand and a mouse or trackpad in the other, and it works in Pages as it is.
- The D-pad edits. Undo, copy, cut and paste, one direction at a time.
- The face buttons finish. Delete, save, space and Return.
- The left stick talks. Push it up firmly for dictation, and down to hear the selection read aloud.
Pick one: this layout with the pointer on the stick, or Easy Edit with a mouse. With a mouse in the other hand, Easy Edit is the better start.
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 Pages 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 down | Scroll down | Scroll down |
| Right stick up | Scroll up | Scroll up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Click |
| A / Cross | Command (Left), C | Copy |
| B / Circle | Command (Left), V | Paste |
| X / Square | Command (Left), S | Save |
| Y / Triangle | Command (Left), Z | Undo |
| D-pad up | Up | Arrow up |
| D-pad down | Down | Arrow down |
| D-pad left | Left | Arrow left |
| D-pad right | Right | Arrow right |
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
Can I type in Pages with a controller?
You dictate the words, and the controller edits them.
Does the same preset work in Word?
Yes. The keys are the same, and Word has its own entry with the same layout.
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