[kent m]

Well, is there?... :-)

I've gotten into the habit of saving quotes and articles that I like or find relevant into a database I've created (I'd prefer it were an online dB made using MySQL but I haven't gotten there yet) and I find that I'm always making the same series of actions to do this: Select text, Copy Text to clipboard, open FIlemaker, Open correct dB, Make new record, select the right field, Past text.

I'd love to simply have a Contextual Menu that, once I've selected the text, I could right-click on and - "Save Quote..." or "Save Article..." and it would do the above steps automatically.

Is there a way to do this, maybe Applescript (which I know almost nothing about)? I've had a quick look at Automator, but it doesn't seem to be the thing for this, as I'm not sure how to control Filemaker with it, and then there's the problem of the right click menu activation...

I guess with Applescript the script could be saved as an applet (or whatever the little stand alone apps are called) and placed in the Dock for drag and drop...

Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Kent

[Barry]

try this. It will help you automate filemaker

filemaker actions

you can just highlight the text you want to save and drag it to the desktop. This will create text snipits you can then use to copy to your database or wherever you want. you can then find what you are looking for with searchlight.

[Randman]

Automator.

[JKT]

FWIW, OmniOutliner 3 (Pro?) offers a Service to add time stamped clippings to a dedicated OOutline file. If you have OO 3 you can use that instead.

[TETENAL]

With Automator you can create context menu actions for the Finder. There is no way to add context menu items to other applications afaik. However you can display the AppleScript menu in the menu bar. To do so open AppleScript Utility from /Applications/AppleScript/ and check "Show Script Menu in menu bar". Then all you have to do is write an AppleScript that does what you want, save it to the script folder (you can use the AppleScript menu to open the script folder) and then later simply select the AppleScript from the AppleScript menu in the menu bar.

[kent m]

Originally Posted by Barry

try this. It will help you automate filemaker

filemaker actions

you can just highlight the text you want to save and drag it to the desktop. This will create text snipits you can then use to copy to your database or wherever you want. you can then find what you are looking for with searchlight.

Thanks very much for the path to this.

Question: This gave a directory that seemed filled with lots of items:



...but when loaded into Automator (via being placed in the FMP dir) gave only two items:



which look like this in Automator:



Should there be more? Seems kind of bare to me.



EDIT: Ah - dragging the actions in manually seems to be the way. Kind of awkward, but better than nothing...

.

[kent m]

Originally Posted by TETENAL

With Automator you can create context menu actions for the Finder. There is no way to add context menu items to other applications afaik.

Hmmm. This shortcoming makes it kind of annoying for what I really want, in that it adds the additional steps to the process that I'd like to avoid - the whole point of the effort. Also... the simple workflow:



Gives me this error:



Whatever that means... it's a Filemaker error, not an OS error, but there it is...

It seems so far that all I can really do via Automator at this point is open the database, but then only after I click on the Desktop to access the Automator menu...