To be specific I am wondering if I can use a Shortcut to activate a Stream Deck button, in this case a folder.
Here’s what I’m trying to do. I have two Stream Decks. I have one that stays static (let’s call it A) and I have another that switches profiles as I change apps (let’s call it B). I have a folder on B with a set of buttons that I use in various apps. I would like to be able to create a button on A that opens up the folder on B. Right now, I have a button on A that calls the default profile on B which has a button for the folder I want. I am trying to streamline that process from two button presses to one.
I thought I might be able to do it Shortcuts. If not, I guess I will try Keyboard Maestro next?
It seems unlikely to me that Shortcuts can handle this. You may not even be able to do it with Keyboard Maestro if you are using the Elgato software to drive the Stream Decks.
If you could hand-over Stream Deck control to Better Touch Tool—admittedly no small task—I think you could do it…and much much more. See here
Note also that BTT can run together with the Elgato software to provide some additional functionality, but it would be more limited.
Just to add a bit of additional detail to the above.
Keyboard Maestro has limited support for working with individual buttons on the Stream Deck.
Shortcuts has no support for interacting directly with the Stream Deck - it would require an explicit interface to be built to do so.
The Elgato app only currently supports switching profiles as you have noted.
As @arasmus suggested, Better Touch Tool has more sophisticated support if you use it in place of the Elgato app (you lose standard plugins but get granular controls in its place). In that case you could set up a “Group” which is the BTT term for a folder as the equivalent folder. There is then a BTT action called “Open Stream Deck Group with Name” which can be added as a step under a BTT trigger to open the group on the Stream Deck.
On the controlling desk you would have a BTT Stream Deck button trigger with the Open Stream Deck Group action.
This would call a group by name. The group would be defined in BTT (against an app if necessary), and you would set the groups Config > Only Show on Specific Devices > Serial Number to be the serial number of your controlled Stream Deck.