Hints about common problems with System Services

The services or keyboard shortcuts do not work!

• you can only use PerlPad services when you have selected text in an editable text area. This is because it needs some input (the selection) and wants to write back some result.
• System Services are available in all Cocoa applications. They might or might not work in Carbon, Classic, Java or other applications, depending on that application.
• check the Services Menu if you have the PerlPad submenu. If not, you did not install PerlPad properly.
• if the services themselves work, but the keyboard shortcuts do not, this could be because the application you are using (or some other service) claim that shortcut for themselves.
• finally, because of a strange bug in Mac OS X versions prior to 10.4, you cannot use any services using keyboard shortcuts before you touch the menubar with the mouse for the first time.