[m a d r a]

i cannae say i've delved too deeply into automator, so i'm prepared to end up with egg on my face here - but looking at the actions that come with it, there disnae really seem to be any point to writing a script to do what [for the most part] seem really basic actions for a limited number of apps - actions which in most cases you'd do by hand, rather than going to all the hassle of creating a script.

the pre-tiger blurb had got me believing automator was something akin to drag'n'drop applescripting, but from my initial perusal it seems very underpowered.

so has anyone actually put it to proper real world time-saving use yet?

[Gee4orce]

The whole point of Automator is that it allows you to - erm - automate tasks that you have to do more than once. So, yeah, in and of itself it doesn't do anything that you couldn't do manually, but if you have to do those thing repetitively you can now make a workflow that will do it for you.

[tinycat]

yes. i used it almost immediately to rename a folder full of files that had been named improperly for a project. it was 500+ files so it was good first test for automator.

[mdc]

for my website i have 3 different sized images named x, x_full, x_tiny.

i made an automator script that will take the full size one call itself _full resize it smalled call it another name, then depending on what type of image it is crop itself to 100px and add the _tiny. oh yeah, the images are named sequentially too.

and saved as a finder plugin. select images, control click, sit back and answer a few questions. about 20 seconds later i have all my images ready to upload.

this may be impossible (i have not play with automator that much), but i'd love to be able to have automator make a text file will template code and the image names. then i'd just import the file into movable type, and thus save myself posting each post individually.

[typoon]

I've actually used Automator for a couple of things. First I created a little script for my ISP for new people setting up OS X 10.4 mail. The script works pretty well. Second I created a "widget mover" Because I've found that many times the widgets that you download end up on your desktop and you have to manyally put them in the Widgets folder. I created this script to do it for me once I have decided which Widgets I want. I just drang and drop them over the script/Workflow I created and it moves them all for me to the Widgets folder.

If anyone wants this little script/workflow app let me know I'd be more than willing to share it with people.

[Stradlater]

I just set up a quick automator task to set the desktop as the current item. Now I can right-click on images, "Automate" and then "Set as Desktop"

I'll explore this program more, later.

[Thorin]

Originally Posted by typoon

I've actually used Automator for a couple of things. First I created a little script for my ISP for new people setting up OS X 10.4 mail. The script works pretty well. Second I created a "widget mover" Because I've found that many times the widgets that you download end up on your desktop and you have to manyally put them in the Widgets folder. I created this script to do it for me once I have decided which Widgets I want. I just drang and drop them over the script/Workflow I created and it moves them all for me to the Widgets folder.

If anyone wants this little script/workflow app let me know I'd be more than willing to share it with people.

I've done the same. Mine is a Finder plug in though, so I can right click on the file do -> Automator ->install widget. The plug in then checks it actually is a widget, and if it is moves it to the widget folder. Quite handy

[typoon]

Originally Posted by Thorin

I've done the same. Mine is a Finder plug in though, so I can right click on the file do -> Automator ->install widget. The plug in then checks it actually is a widget, and if it is moves it to the widget folder. Quite handy

Did you do anything special with it? Mine is just a move finder items action. If not I might have to make that a finder plug in too. I didn't think of that when I created it.

Thanks

[m a d r a]

"finder plugins" eh? - now *that* does sound interesting. i think i might have to have a bit more of an in-depth look at automator

[Thorin]

Nothing special, just "Get Selected Finder Item" and then "Move Finder Items", with the widget folder specified as the location. Then saved it as a finder plug in.

The checking it was actually a widget thing didn't seem to work. I did have a filter to only allow things with a "wdgt" extension, but it didn't seem to work at all then, which was a little queer.

[Thorin]

Originally Posted by m a d r a

"finder plugins" eh? - now *that* does sound interesting. i think i might have to have a bit more of an in-depth look at automator

You can save automator work flows as plug-ins for Finder, Folder Actions, iCal Alarm, Image Capture, Print Workflow or Script Menu.

In the Tiger seminar he makes a plug-in workflow and attaches it to the Print Workflow that makes a pdf of the document you're 'printing', compresses it, prompts you for a password and then uses that to encrypt it, and then attaches the pdf to an email. Quite neat - a lot of potential.

[Krypton]

If you're using Safari, widgets are automatically copied to ~/Library/Widgets (i.e. the original remains on the desktop).

[Thorin]

Originally Posted by Krypton

If you're using Safari, widgets are automatically copied to ~/Library/Widgets (i.e. the original remains on the desktop).

I know - using Firefox here though.

[turtle777]

I tried to use automator to select certain entries in my Address Book and then change a filed in them, like deleting the note field. uess what, changing address book items is not supported.
WTF ? I'm sure it can be done in Apple Script, so it should be possible in automator. Ah well...

-t

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by Krypton

If you're using Safari, widgets are automatically copied to ~/Library/Widgets (i.e. the original remains on the desktop).

Only if they're correctly archived.

[Kristoff]

I have yet to download a widget that does this correctly, BTW.

[Kristoff]

Also, I made one almost immediately that will download all the images from the current web page.

[Krypton]

Originally Posted by Thorin

I know - using Firefox here though.

Cool

[typoon]

How does one go about Deleting finder actions

[nonhuman]

I haven't started messing around with it yet, but as I'm responsible for over 100 Macs and often have to deal with the same problems over and over I can think of a few good uses I could put it to once my company has upgrade to Tiger (which I'm currently evaluating for that purpose).

[an0therdumbsn]

i used it to batch rename a bunch of pictures i had in iphoto as opposed to the generic numbers my digital camera assigns it.
I only thought of this cuz it was shown in that online seminar. I thought it was pretty cool and worked well and im sure one day i'll stumble upon an awesome use for it.

[macman88]

could i have a copy of the automator you made to put things that were downloaded to the desktop into a specific folder.

[zl9600]

i have not installed it yet. but i'm anxious to see how apple's claim that automator makes fontbook 2 an AMAZING tool. if it does handle thousands of fonts and do all the stuff they say it does (like automatically activating them!) without crippling the machine, goodbye and good riddance extensis suitcase!!! this is a feature and service apple has ignored way too long, IMHO.

anyone tried it yet? here is apple's description (scroll to bottom for automator interaction w/ fontbook): http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/fontbook/