Shortcuts to activate specific Llama Events can be placed on the desktophome screen. Therefore create an Event (or use an existing one):
Name: Go Silent (or whatever you want)
Enabled: yes
Conditions: None
Actions:
1. llama variable: silence=1
2. Profile: Silent (can also use Advanced option to lock the profile for a fixed time e.g. 2 hours, so other events won't change it regardless of whether those other events check the silence variable. Note that that after this time elapses, it'll automatically switch back to the prvious profile)
Now that the event is defined, go to your Android desktop, go to shortcuts,home screen and put a Llama shortcut on the desktopit which will open a window listing the various Llama Profiles and Events, and select your Go Silent event. Now pressing the shortcut on the desktop will activate the Silent profile and set silence=1 for testing by your other events.
Alternatively, rather than creating the Event first, just create the shortcut and select "Custom event actions" and this will drop you to limited a Llama Event creation screen that only allows a name and Actions to be defined (without conditions etc).