Discovering Automator by Hanaan Rosenthal • Automator, A Mac OS X Tiger automation app for the rest of us
Chapter 10: Getting More Actions
After working with Automator for a while you realize that what will stop you cold in your tracks is the action… that does not exist. Yes, you worked up this amazing workflow; all you need is that action in the middle that will do that thing that no action currently does.
This ‘missing in workflow’ situation that may seem a bit irritating, actually points to one of Automator’s major strengths: It’s unlimitedly and endlessly extendable.
While Automator ships with about two hundred actions, within the first few months that Automator was out, the number of total actions available from third-party developers was near 500. In fact, writing your own actions is so easy that anyone with either Shell script or AppleScript experience, and a bit dabbling in Xcode, can make their own Automator actions.
What it means to you is that if right now you’re missing an action, and no one created it yet, someone may be in the process of writing it right now.
How to install new actions
Apple, in an attempt to help you make the most of Automator, has made the process of installing actions fairly easy. There are four main ways in which actions can be installed: Automatic action recognition, installer, from Automator, and direct copy.
Automatic action recognition is one of the cool new features. This feature is related to what makes Spotlight tick. Anytime you copy any file to your hard disk, the OS knows about it, and performs a few operations. In this case, if an application is copied to your Mac, the OS checks if the application bundle contains a folder “Library” which contains a folder “Automator.” If it does, any action inside there is automatically available to Automator, without moving from where it is. This makes it very easy for developers to include Automator actions with their applications.
Some actions come in form of installer applications that install the actions after you double-click them.
You can install actions or workflows from inside Automator by choosing Import Actions or Import Workflows from Automator’s File menu, shown in.
If you simply got or downloaded a bunch of actions, you can make them available by copying them to one of two folders:
Copy the actions to: Startup diskLibraryAutomator if you want them to be available to any user on the Mac.
Copy the actions to: Startup diskUsersCurrent userLibraryAutomator if you want them to be available only to the current user.
Bundle of joy
Cocoa applications create for Mac OS X are closer to being a folder with a bunch of files in it rather than being a single blob of bits, as it used to be in OS 9 (may it rest in peace and never wake up). These folders are called “bundles,” and also “packages.”
To see what’s in such a bundle, control-click on any Apple application and choose ‘Show Package Contents.” This will open the application as a folder instead of launching it.
Take a quick pick, and close it before you mess it up.
Where to get action?
I know; I used this title with complete disregard to the sensitivity of horny teenagers. Sorry.
Anyway, where can you go to download Automator stuff? There are a few good sites to try; chief among them is www.automatoractions.com, hosted by Ray Barber, founder of the beloved MacScripter.net site. The other is Apple’s own OSX download website. The latter can be reached at: www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/automator/.
AutomatorActions.com lists individual actions and workflows uploaded by the authors, and features hundreds of items for download. It can be viewed by category of Actions or Workflows.
Apple’s site is also well organized, featuring different actions periodically.
One of the early adopters of Automator actions is Ben Waldie of Automated Workflows www.automatedworkflows.com.
Ben has written over thirty Automator actions, automating mainly graphics applications such as InDesign, Photoshop and QuarkXPress. Actions from Automated Workflows can be downloaded and purchased from his site whose link shows above.
Other sites worth visiting (including the ones mentioned above) are:
1. AutomatorActions.com
Sports a great collection of third party actions and workflows available for download.
2. Apple’s third-party download site
Nice interface in the Apple tradition. Many actions and workflows available.
3. Automated Workflows
Over thirty actions for sale for use with InDesign, Photoshop, QuarkXPress, and more.
4. Automator World
Downloads, news and discussion about Automator.
5. Custom Flow Solutions
A set of Automator actions for automating Microsoft PowerPoint.
6. Complete Digital Photography
This site offers some cool Illustrator and Photoshop Automator actions created by Ben Long.
Getting more information
If you feel like venturing into the great unknown, and write yourself an action or two, you can use some of these resources:
Apple has some great information in the Tech Note listed below:
Ben Waldie wrote a book that can get you started with writing your own actions. This book is available for purchase at www.automatedworkflows.com.
O’Reilly’s MacDevCenter has some great articles related to Automator. Go to http://www.macdevcenter.com/ to see more. Look for an article by Matt Neuberg detailing how to write your own actions.
Only the beginning
Being it so easy to create actions for Automator, it is only a matter of time before there are thousands of actions available for download. Keep checking the sites mentioned here and keep your action-vault full of goodies.