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How do you use Automator?

W

warning9

macrumors newbie
Original poster
I've been playing around with Automator today and I'm just curious how other people use it.

The only thing I've done with it so far is to get it to connect to a NAS server at startup for Time Machine to backup to.
 
I have a little Automator action on my Desktop that ejects all my external HDs. And I also use Automator to filter/delete unneeded iCal-Events (I get my course data at uni as an ics-file and only want my group's dates).
 
ergdegdeg said:
I have a little Automator action on my Desktop that ejects all my external HDs.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I used to have automator actions that did things like send files to my phone or PDA via Bluetooth (this is back when I had a PDA briefly and when I had a phone that could receive files via bluetooth! 😛 ). I mostly used them to make contextual menus. To be honest I haven't used it much since maybe the 1-1.5 years after Tiger came out. Not that I don't think it's a neat idea. Maybe Snow Leopard will bring more interesting actions.
 
The only interesting thing I've done with Automator is to setup a process that cropped a folder of images. I'm more likely to write a AppleScript piece to do something. I've written a number for applications like BBEdit that I run from the app and can be very handy.
 
Interesting post. I could do with some tutorials on Automator as its a completely new thing to me, as a switcher from M$. If anyone could point me in the right direction, it would be appreciated.
 
Pyrotechnic said:
Interesting post. I could do with some tutorials on Automator as its a completely new thing to me, as a switcher from M$. If anyone could point me in the right direction, it would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Come up with a need for an app, find out that you can't get it or can't get it for free, and start fooling around!
 
Thanks for those. Having just looked at it, I am trying to set up something which will delete my iCal events that are more than 30 days old. Is this possible ?
 
Pyrotechnic said:
Thanks for those. Having just looked at it, I am trying to set up something which will delete my iCal events that are more than 30 days old. Is this possible ?
Click to expand...

It is. Just play around with the stuff in the Calender bit.

Remember this: If it can't be done in Automator, you can probably do it in ScriptEditor.
 
My main iTunes library is on my Mac Mini, but I buy most of my music from my laptop so I created an Automator workflow to copy music I've purchased over to the Mac Mini.
 
Last week I was doing work experience in a marketing team, at the end of a presentation they give out a USB Stick with the presentation on it. Basically, a girl who already worked there and I had to copy 2 presentations onto around 150 pen drives.
She was on Windows and got a head start by copy and pasting etc.
I took my time and set up an automator script that would:
1. grab the two files needed
2. Format the pen drive
3. Copy the files across
4. Run them and then close them (to see if they work)
5. Eject the pen drive

Over all I did about 110 and she did 40 cause all I had to do was to just hit play whenever I inserted a stick
 
MTI said:
Can Automator create a "batch file" that will run at boot?
Click to expand...

You can save the Automator workflow as an app then add that app to your login item list in System Preferences. So yes, as long as you mean at login rather than during the boot up process.
 
Thanks for the tip.

I have an iMac whose built in LCD has started the "lines of death" spiral, so I know that eventually it will be totally useless. I have an external monitor, running in mirror mode, that keeps it from being tossed in the trash.

Having an Automator script to ensure that mirror mode is always put in place on startup would provide some security. I'm hoping that the upgrade to Snow Leopard, which means running without scripts and requiring that the internal screen be functional, won't mean the end of system software upgrades for the iMac.
 
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