(Menu ▸ Magic Number ▸ Preferences  →  Shortcuts)

Overview

‘Show Magic Number’ is a global shortcut.

By global, it means you can use it anywhere. That is, you can press the shortcut from any app and Magic Number will show up.

You can customize the shortcut. Furthermore you can customize its behavior.

1. Click to customize the shortcut.
2. Click to customize its behavior.

Shortcut customization

Just a quick note.

The shortcut requires a modifier key, which can be any one of
control (⌃), command (⌘), option (⌥), or shift (⇧).

We recommend the control key to avoid conflict with other shortcuts.
Control-return (⌃↩) is another favorite.

The ‘Press Again’ behaviors

By default, if you press the shortcut again, it will hide Magic Number.

Here is a scenario:

You are in Safari. Press the shortcut to show Magic Number.
When you’re done, press it again to hide Magic Number.
And you will be back in Safari.

Another scenario:

Sometimes you want to show Magic Number, calculate something, copy the result, and hide it.

You can do this too:

‘Calculate + Copy + Hide’ in 1 step

Turn on Calculate While Typing (⌘=). This lets you see the result as you type. Since the ‘calculate’ part is done, pressing the global shortcut will smartly copy the result and hide Magic Number.

This workflow is quite similar to OS X’s Spotlight.

Keep the magic alive

Global shortcut relies on Magic Number to be opened.
Like Safari or any standard Mac apps, you have to open the app manually.

If you like, you can make the shortcut ready anytime.

Go to Menu ▸ Magic Number ▸ Preferences → General

1. Open Magic Number at login
   This opens the app right after the Mac has started,
   making the shortcut readily available.
2. ⌘Q = Hide
   Whether you press ⌘Q accidentally or habitually,
   this option keeps Magic Number alive but hidden.
   You can still quit via the menu.
3. Hide Magic Number
   Somehow related, if you like a cleaner work environment,
   you can have Magic Number hidden whenever you switch
   to a different app.