# App Controls

> App Controls are the sets of commands Cephable listens for. Build them per app, switch automatically, and share them.

Source: https://help.cephable.com/docs/using-cephable/app-controls

---

**App Controls** are how Cephable knows what to listen for and what to do about it. Each
set holds voice commands, expression and head mappings, quick action buttons, macros, and
dictation settings for one context.

![The App Controls list in Cephable showing several sets of controls with their names and descriptions](https://help.cephable.com/screenshots/desktop-app-controls-list.png)

_Your App Controls_

## Creating a set

From **Manage App Controls**, choose **Create App Controls**. You can start from scratch or
have Cephable generate a starting set for you.

Each set has a type, which determines what it can emit:

| Type | Emits |
| --- | --- |
| Keyboard and Mouse | Keystrokes, clicks, pointer movement |
| Gamepad Controller | Virtual controller input |
| Keyboard, Mouse, and Controller | Both |
| Custom device | Actions defined by a connected device type |

## What a control can do

A control pairs a trigger — a spoken phrase, an expression, a head movement, a quick action
button — with one or more actions:

| Action | Notes |
| --- | --- |
| Key press | Hold time and latching supported |
| Key release / key toggle | For held or sticky keys |
| Type | Inserts a phrase |
| Mouse move | Relative pointer movement |
| Joystick move | Left and right stick |
| Play audio | Plays a sound |
| Talkback | Cephable speaks a phrase |
| Pause | A delay between steps |
| Stop outputs | Releases everything currently held |

![The Cephable App Controls editor showing a voice command mapped to a key press action](https://help.cephable.com/screenshots/desktop-app-controls-editor.png)

_Editing a control_

## Macros

A macro chains those actions in sequence — keystrokes, pauses, typed text, mouse and
joystick movement, audio. "Start my day" opening three apps in order is a macro.

Add a **Pause** step after anything that takes a moment to respond, so the next keystroke
does not arrive before the window is ready.

![The Cephable macro editor showing a sequence of key press, pause, and type steps](https://help.cephable.com/screenshots/desktop-macro-editor.png)

_Building a macro_

## Quick action buttons

Quick action buttons are tappable buttons for the actions you use most. A single tap runs
the control, which makes them reachable by pointer, touch, or switch as well as by voice.
They appear on the Panel's **Control** tab and on the mobile app when a device is connected.

You can reorder them with the move up and down buttons.

![Quick action buttons on the Control tab of the Cephable Panel](https://help.cephable.com/screenshots/desktop-quick-actions.png)

_Quick actions on the Panel's Control tab_

## Switching automatically

Each set of App Controls can be linked to one or more programs under **Associated
Programs**. With **Automatic Control Switching** on, Cephable switches to that set whenever
one of those applications comes to the foreground. The set stays active until you move to
another app that has its own App Controls, or until you change sets yourself with **Swap
Controls**.

:::callout type="tip" title="Use Global Controls for commands you want in every app"
**Global & Device Controls** work no matter which App Controls are active. Cephable includes
some already, like "show panel" and "open" followed by an app name. To have one of your own
commands everywhere, add it to **Global Controls** instead of repeating it in every set. If
a global control and an app control share a phrase, the app control wins.
:::

## Sharing

**Create a Share Link** produces a link others can use to take a copy. You choose whether
it can be used once or an unlimited number of times. Nothing about your account travels
with it — the recipient gets a copy they can edit freely.

There is also a public gallery of App Controls built by the Cephable team and community,
which you can copy from and adapt.

## Next

- [Voice commands](/docs/using-cephable/voice-commands)
- [Head and face controls](/docs/using-cephable/additional-features/camera-controls)
- [The Workspace and the Panel](/docs/using-cephable/panel)