Your first App Controls
Build a set of controls for one app you use constantly, with three actions you repeat every day.
App Controls are a named set of commands Cephable listens for. Cephable switches between sets as you move between applications, so "next" can mean one thing in your email client and something else in a video editor.
The most common mistake is building forty commands on day one and remembering none of them. Pick three things you do dozens of times a day. Add more once those three are automatic.
Create a set
- 1
Open Manage App Controls
From Manage App Controls, choose Create App Controls. You can start from scratch or have Cephable generate a starting set.
- 2
Name it after the app
"Outlook", "Figma", "Chrome" — so you can tell at a glance which is active.
- 3
Choose the program it is for
Under Associated Programs, start typing the app's name and pick it from the list. Cephable switches to this set whenever that app comes to the foreground.
If the app is not in the list, type its name as it appears in your Start menu or Applications folder and press Enter to add it. Web apps run inside your browser, so for something like Gmail in Chrome, add the browser — the set is then active on every site you open in it.
This step is optional. A set with no associated program is used only when you pick it yourself, under Current Controls on the Panel's Control tab. If saving shows Empty Associated Program detected, remove the blank entry and save again.
- 4
Add your first control
Add a control, type the phrase you want to say, and choose what it should do. Start with a keyboard shortcut you already know.
Three to start with
| Say this | It does | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "next field" | Presses Tab | Forms and dialogs, without reaching for the keyboard |
| "send it" | Presses Ctrl + Enter | The action you repeat most in mail and chat |
| "go back" | Presses Alt + Left | Browser and file-manager navigation |
Choosing phrases that work
- Two or three syllables. "Send it" is matched more reliably than "send".
- Distinct from each other. "Next" and "text" will be confused; "next field" and "type text" will not.
- Words you would not say by accident. Avoid phrases that turn up in normal conversation if you dictate in the same application.
Pin to favorites
Every control in your active App Controls appears as a button on the Panel's Control tab, and selecting one runs it. Select the star on a control to make it a favorite, then choose Favorites to show only those.
Favorite the controls you use most, the ones whose phrase you are still learning, and the ones that are buried in the app's menus. A favorite is one tap away by pointer, touch, or switch, whether or not you remember what to say.
Watch the command feed while you learn
The command feed shows each control as it fires and what it sent to your computer. Leave it on for the first few days — when a phrase does not work, it tells you whether Cephable misheard you or the action was wrong.
Next
- App Controls in depth — macros, sharing, and switching
- Voice commands — making recognition reliable
- Create — dictation and AI text tools
- Automate — multi-step jobs with Pro
Related
Voice commands
Say a phrase and Cephable acts. How commands are matched, and the settings that make recognition reliable.
Welcome to Cephable
Start with voice on Basic, explore Create as you upgrade, and put Automate, voice, and dictation to work on Pro.
App Controls
App Controls are the sets of commands Cephable listens for. Build them per app, switch automatically, and share them.