Shortcuts App Coming to Mac, Automator Will Remain Supported

[MacRumors]

During its announcement of macOS Monterey today at WWDC, Apple also revealed that the Shortcuts app is coming to macOS this year. The company said that a large library of pre-built shortcuts will be made just for the Mac.

Just like on iPhone and iPad devices, Shortcuts on Mac will let users quickly accomplish complex tasks with the apps they use the most. Apple said that power users will be able to use the Shortcuts Editor on Mac to customize shortcuts to match their workflows.

Shortcuts will be integrated throughout macOS Monterey, in the menu bar, Finder, Spotlight, and even with Siri. Apple also noted that users will be able to import existing Automator workflows into Shortcuts, and Automator will remain supported.

Article Link: Shortcuts App Coming to Mac, Automator Will Remain Supported

 

[Nxybagr]

Be interesting to see what devices won’t be able to use macOS Monterey

 

[BornAgainMac]

Automator sounds deprecated. I bet it will be removed in the next MacOS update. (Multi-year transition, never mind)

 

[mdridwan47]

Thanks for your service, Automator... o7

 

[Doomtomb]

Automater, it was nice knowing ya

 

[KoolAid-Drink]

Kind of sad to see a Tiger application be deprecated. Hard to believe Automater was first released to the public in 2005.

With that said, TBH, I've almost never ever used Automater, so I don't understand it much. Hoping Shortcuts will be a simpler, easy-to-understand replacement, while preserving the power of Automater and the Mac in general.

 

[Zedcars]

Let the dumbing down commence. 🙄

Automator is great and super easy to learn. I don’t use it often but when I do I find it quite fun and saves me loads of time. It would be a great shame if it was jettisoned.

 

[Hellsurfer]

For a second I hoped that they will announce they are bringing command line to iPad. I was too hopeful 😭

 

[Aoligei]

Be interesting to see what devices won’t be able to use macOS Monterey

Be bold. Any Mac with Intel Processor will be dropped. /s

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Makes sense. Shortcuts is more approachable to new users and has a more visual-led interface. Sounds like Automator will still be around for a few more years, so plenty of time to transition.

 

[Spock]

Be bold. Any Mac with Intel Processor will be dropped. /s

Every Mac will eventually be dropped but I think Intel will survive another few updates..

 

[_Spinn_]

Hopefully this means there a big updates coming to Shortcuts in the future.

 

[MauiPa]

Be interesting to see what devices won’t be able to use macOS Monterey

It sounds like its just changes to the GUI layer, so I suspect its the same list as Big Sur

 

[MauiPa]

Makes sense. Shortcuts is more approachable to new users and has a more visual-led interface. Sounds like Automator will still be around for a few more years, so plenty of time to transition.

automator was a good idea a few years ago, then whoever was in charge of it stopped making it better, and Apple hasn't updated it in a long time. The concept is the same as shortcuts, but one thing automator did do was allow JavaScript and AppleScript code, and even terminal commands, to be used where automator didn't provide enough functionality. I hope shortcuts goes way deeper in doing things and they revamp the Application interface, some things like copy and duplicate have been waiting for years.

I am not overly impressed with shortcuts on iOS, there are more things I can't do, than things I can.

 

[jwdsail]

Huh..

Losing Automator is going to suck and blow.

Thanks Apple .. more "upgrades" that remove features I depend on. sigh.

 

[Aoligei]

Every Mac will eventually be dropped but I think Intel will survive another few updates..

LOL... I am just so wish that Apple stop updating macOS and iOS annually. So my Intel Mac will supported for even longer...

 

[katbel]

I'm still using Automator, at least few apps I made. I couldn't do any of those with Shortcuts

 

[Kornelis]

I wonder what will happen with AppleScript. I hardly use Automator, but I made many AppleScript scripts/programs.

 

[Internaut]

Automator is one of the reasons I sometimes use the Mac for corporate stuff, instead of Windows. No idea how more or less limited the new product is, or if it is fit for my purpose, but it has me curious.

 

[brofkand]

Automator was a huge differentiator between the Mac and Windows. I know a lot of people never used it, but it was sort of like what FileMaker Pro did for databases in terms of how it made automation and scripting easy for people who cared to learn.

Shortcuts has nowhere near the functionality, but hopefully it will get there before they kill Automator for good. It sounds like Apple learned from the iPhoto > Photos debacle.

 

[jwdsail]

Automator was a huge differentiator between the Mac and Windows. I know a lot of people never used it, but it was sort of like what FileMaker Pro did for databases in terms of how it made automation and scripting easy for people who cared to learn.

Shortcuts has nowhere near the functionality, but hopefully it will get there before they kill Automator for good. It sounds like Apple learned from the iPhoto > Photos debacle.

I'd compare this more to Aperture -> Photos (or even Lightroom) .. Neither of the "replacements" work half as well for me as Aperture? I'm still looking for something that makes my life (re: digital photos) half as easy as Aperture did?

I'm not looking forward to this change. Apple always seems to kill off the parts of the Mac experience I value the most?


Sigh

 

[funman895]

I've gotten a lot of use out of Automator over the years, but man there were so many times when I spent more time trying to figure out how to get a script to work than if I had done the whole thing manually.

 

[joecomo]

I wonder whether this generates scripting code - and in what language that would be?

 

[AwesomeSheep]

I'm still using Automator, at least few apps I made. I couldn't do any of those with Shortcuts

You don't know that yet, I highly doubt shortcuts on mac will be the same as on iOS

 

[Alwis]

Hopefully this means there a big updates coming to Shortcuts in the future.

I doubt, that this will happen, the Photos App is still lacking much, compared to Aperture.