Touchbar toggle via keyboard shortcut?

[Spectrum]

I just got a MBPro and have my first experience with Touchbar....not the best.

Anyway, I like using the Expanded Control Strip. BUT, I'd like a way to have a keyboard shortcut that can toggle what the touchbar shows (between the App Controls and Expanded Control Strip). Currently, you can do this with the Fn key, but it is not a persistent "toggle", and Fn is the hardest key on the keyboard to reach comfortably—not least whilst trying to also use the Touchbar!.

Basically, I'd like a way to trigger the menu on the Keyboard pref pane so it switches between App Controls to Expanded Control Strip:

 

[Spectrum]

Solved it by modifying a helpful Script I found online. Wrapped it into an App/Service and used App Shortcuts to trigger it with "Fn+Esc"

It then toggles between App Controls and Expanded Control Strip!

EDIT: Actually it seems a bit flaky with "Fn+Esc". Quite a few apps seem to ignore it.
I'm now using "Fn+`"

The only drawback I can see is that the keyboard shortcut doesn't work when an App is first (or re)launched. It has to be invoked from the Application Menu > Services > Touchbar Toggle

But after that it does work.

The app can also be dragged to the Dock and invoked from there if needed. In homage, I borrowed the better touch tool icon...

 

[Spectrum]

Just an update, in case anyone else wants to use this:

The keyboard shortcut can be forced to work first time an app is run without needing to enter the menu, by instead additionally pressing the Command key as well as "Fn+`" the first you try to use the keyboard shortcut. For some reason, pressing the Command key forces the System Events menu to refresh/load, and thus the shortcut then works the next time.

I'm still wondering if there is not a more direct way of toggling the System Preference between App Controls and Extended Control Strip. It feels like there ought ot be a way of directly modifying this preference without resorting to GUI scripting. Any macOS coders out there that can help?

 

[Squillace]

Why don't you dive in and try to customise the TouchBar via BetterTouchTool to better suit your personal needs? That's exactly what this app is for (amongst other things).

Since you borrowed the app icon from BTT, I assume you're already familiarised with the app, right?

 

[Spectrum]

Why don't you dive in and try to customise the TouchBar via BetterTouchTool to better suit your personal needs? That's exactly what this app is for (amongst other things).

Since you borrowed the app icon from BTT, I assume you're already familiarised with the app, right?

I've downloaded the trial and cannot for the life of me figure out how to get it to do anything...

 

[Squillace]

Their community is full of tutoriels and help...

 

[Spectrum]

Their community is full of tutoriels and help...

Perhaps...but I find the UI impossible to navigate. I can't seem to make more than one button appear. And to do so, I have to select Control strip (not Touchbar button), and then it appears only on the right hand side to the right of the arrow. What good is that?

I tried out Golden Chaos and it is awful. Way too cluttered and sluggish, and I couldn't find any way to remove items I didn't want.

Ultimately, all I want is a persistent toggle between the Expanded Control Strip and the in-built Apple App Controls. The GUI script achieves this (if a bit flaky at times). But if there is a way to achieve this with BTT, then great, but I don't think there is...