Automation Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Mac Automation: automating Microsoft Word 2008

by Cory Bohon (Mar 10th, 2008)

When Microsoft released Office 2008 for Mac, they did something that I must applaud -- they joined the ranks of Mac developers creating Automator-able applications. When you do a search in Automator for "Microsoft," it will reveal all of the Automator actions that ship with Microsoft Office 2008. ...

Mac Automation: listen to a text document

by Cory Bohon (Feb 28th, 2008)

Don't have time to read that Word, Pages, or TextEdit document at your desk? Why not listen to it on your iPod instead? In this Automator how-to, I am going to show you how to create an audio file using text that you have in an open document, then sync that using iTunes to your iPod or iPhone. ...

Mac Automation: saving Automator workflows

by Cory Bohon (Jan 1st, 2008)

Now that you've been introduced to Automator, let's let's get into the "nitty-gritty." In the previous Automator post, we learned how to make a workflow that would take photos from your camera, import them into iPhoto, then allow you to e-mail them. Let's look at the three ways in which you can save ...

Mac Automation: Automator for Leopard

by Cory Bohon (Dec 18th, 2007)

var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Mac_automation_Automator_for_Leopard'; A few people commented on my first Mac Automation post that they didn't understand Automator. This post will clear that all up. AppleScript is very powerful, but it has a learning curve. When Apple set out to make ...

Hazel 2

by Scott McNulty (Aug 2nd, 2007)

Hazel is a TUAW favorite, and we have been anxiously awaiting the day when Hazel 2 exits beta. Well, folks, today is that day. Hazel 2 is now available for purchase (a free upgrade for current users, and $21.95 for a single user license). Hazel is an automation tool that makes organizing your files ...

Flickr upload Automator action 1.0

by David Chartier (May 16th, 2007)

It's been a while since we've hit the Automator beat; too long, in my opinion. And what better way to bring everyone's favorite little automate-able robot back into the TUAW spotlight than with the Flickr upload Automator action from James Pitts? After some simple instructions for installing, this ...

Hazel update brings even more productivity to automated file manager

by David Chartier (Feb 13th, 2007)

I instantly fell in love with Hazel from Noodlesoft the first time I found it back in September '06, and since then it has received a literal landslide of new features that make it even more indispensable to any heavy file trafficker. For those just tuning in, Hazel is fundamentally a file ...

Google Earth Automator actions

by David Chartier (Nov 11th, 2006)

Nyhthawk at Automator.us has put together two Automator actions for Google Earth. The first is a 'Go To Location' action, while the second is a 'Save Screenshot' action. Since I can't find any version requirements for gEarth, I can only assume for now that they work with any version of the app ...

NetworkLocation - change settings based on your network

by David Chartier (Nov 4th, 2006)

NetworkLocation is a handy utility that allows you to create templates of actions and settings based on (you guessed it) your network location. Like WiLMa and Location X before it, NetworkLocation can set up batches of settings to apply, apps to open and scripts to run, and keep them all accessible ...

BuildFactory - automation for developers

by David Chartier (Jul 7th, 2006)

I'm no developer, but I can call a good dev tool when I see one. BuildFactory from Bleep Software sounds like 'Automator for developers', with features like automated builds, building refreshed sources from Subversion, using your own external editor for errors and warnings, and building multiple ...

Book: Discovering Automator

by David Chartier (Apr 30th, 2006)

Discovering Automator is a new book from Hanaan Rosenthal that delves into the many facets of making your Mac do more work in less time for you with the power of Mac OS X Tiger's Automator. From Automator World's description, Discovering Automator details "the ins-and-outs of Automator: basic ...

Freeverse offers free automation plug-ins for Sound Studio 3

by David Chartier (Feb 28th, 2006)

Freeverse has announced a free set of automation plug-ins for Sound Studio 3, their fantastic, easy-to-use audio editing application which we've blogged before. Dubbed "Monbots" (short for Monkey Bots), these are but the first three in what Freeverse promises to be a series of handy ...

maccontrol

by Scott McNulty (Jan 12th, 2006)

Do you ever wish you can run all of your home entertainment stuff with your Mac and a remote? Well, the fine folks at maccontrol certainly hope that you do. They have two products that are designed to make this happen: the maccontrol connector and the maccontrol remote. The Connector can control but ...

Getting started with Folder Actions

by David Chartier (Jan 5th, 2006)

I'm finding myself spending more and more time at Apple.com/pro, as there are some truly useful tips for getting things done in OS X. Take this tip for example, that C.K. just sent my way: Adding Automation Through Folder Actions. Y'know those Enable/Configure Folder Actions options that show up any ...