AUTOMATOR | WORKFLOW
Automated tasks can enhance your workflows. Automator and Workflow by Apple enable you to automate tasks on your Mac and your iOS devices.
AUTOMATOR
Automator lets you automate tasks you do on your Mac—even if you don’t know any programming—by using built-in actions to create workflows. Automator includes several types of automations: Workflow, Application, Service, Print Plug-in, Folder Action, Calendar Alarm, Image Capture Plug-in, and Dictation Command.
WORKFLOW
Workflows can be run from within Automator.
1. Combine PDFs
- Create a new document and select workflow.
- Choose "Files and Folders" and drag "Get Specified Finder Items" into the workflow window.
- Select PDFs from the library pane and drag "Combine PDF Pages" to the next step in the workflow. Leave "appending pages" selected.
- Select "Files and Folders" from the library pane and drag "Rename Finder Items" to the workflow. You will be prompted to change the names of finder items; click "add."
- Change "add date" to "Make Sequential." Select "new name" and add a name. Leave everything else the same.
- Drag "Move Finder Items" to the bottom of the workflow and choose a location.
- Drag multiple PDFs to "Get Specified Finder Items" at the top and press run.
2. Rename Files in Bulk
- Create a new document and select "workflow."
- Choose "Files and Folders" and drag "Ask for Finder Items" into the workflow window. Select "Allow Multiple Selection."
- Drag "Copy Finder Items from the library (optional if you want to create duplicate copies). Choose your location.
- Drag to the workflow "Rename Finder Items." Change name structure to your liking (e.g. choose "sequential" and "new name" for more customization.
- Press "run" and select the location of your multiple photos. Photos will be saved to the location you specify.
SERVICE
Services are contextual workflows available throughout macOS. They accept text or files from the current application or the Finder. Services appear in the Services menu.
1. Create an Automator Service to Resize Images
- Open Automator and choose Service when prompted to create a new document. In the Actions sidebar, select "Photos" and then "Scale Images."
- Drag to the workflow pane. Automator will prompt you to add a "Copy Finder Items" action before "Scale Images." This gives you the option to preserve your original images.
- In the input and output options above, select "service receives select "Image Files" in "Finder."
- Choose how you would like to scale your images (e.g. percentage at 200%).
- Click File and Save. Give your automation a name and the Automation is complete. You will find the scale image option available when you control-click on select a group of images.
2. Create an Automator Service to Take Custom Screenshot
- Open Automator and choose Service when prompted to create a new document. In the Actions sidebar, select "Utilities" and then "Take Screenshot."
- Drag to the workflow pane. Set the input to "no input" in "any application."
- In the "Take Screenshot" pane, change "full screen" to "interactive" and "choose window." Select "save to" to set the destination and the file name.
APPLICATION
Applications are self-running workflows. Any files or folders dropped onto an Application will be used as input to the workflow.
1. Convert Text to Audio File
- Create a new document and select "application."
- Go to "Utilities" in the library and drag "Get Contents of Clipboard" to the stage.
- From "Text" drag "Text to Audio" to the workflow.
- Choose "System Voice" and designate a location (Alex is the most effective for English).
- Under "Options" select "show this action when the workflow runs" (if you like more control).
- Save workflow.
- Tap on the Workflow file you created and an audio file will be created and sent to your desired location.
2. Extract Text from Pdf
- Create a new document and select "application."
- Go to Files and Folders and drag "Ask for Finder Items" to the workflow stage.
- Go to PDFs in the library and drag "Extract PDF Text" to the workflow window.
- Customize output text, designate your location, and customize file name.
- Select "show this action when the workflow runs" (optional).
- Save workflow.
- Drag application on top of the workflow app.
FOLDER ACTION
Folder Actions are workflows that are attached to a folder in the Finder. Items added to the folder cause the workflow to run and are used as input to the workflow.
1. Sort Files Into Folders
This folder action will distribute files to the appropriate folders (Media Sorter: Photos, Music, Video)
- Create a new automator document and select "Folder Action."
- Choose a designated Folder on your computer from the top menu.
- Go to "Files and Folders" in the library and drag "Filter Finder Items."
- Search files by "Kind" and "photos."
- Drag "Move Finder Items" to workflow stage.
- Change folder destination to the "Photos" subfolder
- Go to "File" and "Save" and give your folder action a name (e.g. Media Photos).
- Repeat this process by creating a folder action for each folder (in this case, three folder actions for Photos, Music, and Video.
- When a photo, music file, or video is added to the "Media Sorter" folder, the file will be added to the appropriate folder.
2. Resize Photos
- Create a new automator document and select "Folder Action."
- Choose a designated Folder on your computer from the top menu (e.g. Photo Increase 200)
- Go to Photos and drag "Scale Images" to the workflow stage (you will the option to copy photos - optional)
- Scale images by pixels or by percentage.
- Save Folder Action workflow.
- Add Photos to designated folder. The photos added will be adjusted to the designated dimension)