Spark 3 Bêta2 Originally downloaded March 3, 2007. Spark is the second application in the "Shortcuts/Automation" category that I'm putting back on the evaluation list today. First, KeyCue had a major upgrade, and now Spark has been totally rewritten for its version 3.0, now in beta testing. Both of these tools had been tossed in my "rejects" pile for one reason or another in their prior lives, but these updates are giving them a new opportunity to impress me. In particular, I thought I'd love Spark... not only because it's free, but because it's received rave reviews from various sources, including MacWorld. I also love the icon!

Version as tested: 3.0 b2.

Update 9/6/12.

Spark is an incredibly powerful, easy to use utility for assigning keyboard shortcuts to just about any event that can occur on your Mac. You can use it to simulate typing long blocks of text, assign shortcuts to sleep your Mac, automate opening of applications or launching of workflows, and selecting menu items in all apps or only specific ones -- even items that are nested under another one. The possibilities seem endless, and you have an easy to manage library of all the shortcuts you've assigned. Spark can manage automation for eight categories of actions: Applescripts, Applications, Documents, iTunes, Menu items, Plain text clips, System, and Text/Keyboard events. With all its powers, Spark can replace numerous similar utilities... and it's free! Be sure to add it as part of your automation/productivity arsenal.