'Workflow' Brings Powerful Automated Actions to iOS

[MacRumors]

DeskConnect today launched Workflow, a universal iOS app billed as a "personal automation tool" that allows users to easily create workflows to accomplish various tasks such as creating animated GIFs from a series of photos, grabbing images from a web page, automatically cross-posting photos to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram in one step, and more.

Workflow contains over 100 different actions users can combine in their own custom workflows, or users can select from a gallery of pre-populated workflows focused on various topics. The gallery includes a number of sample workflows at launch, and users can submit their own for inclusion.

Sample workflows from the gallery​

The app's simple drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to build workflows, which can be initiated from within in the app, saved to the home screen as a web URL that launches the specified workflow, or launched from other apps through a share sheet extension.

Interestingly, Workflow originally contained a Notification Center widget that allowed users to launch workflows, but as with a number of other developers, DeskConnect ran into issues with Apple's restrictions on what types of content can be presented in Notification Center widgets and the feature had to be removed. Still, Workflow offers a number of handy options for accomplishing tasks of varying complexity, pulling together different types of inputs and actions to greatly simplify multi-step tasks that would normally see users manually switching between several apps to accomplish.

Workflow is available now at an introductory price of $2.99 for a limited time. [Direct Link]

Article Link: 'Workflow' Brings Powerful Automated Actions to iOS

 

[baryon]

Hope this is better than ITTT, which can't even do the simplest things.

 

[EdgardasB]

Nice app but the problem is that Apple one day may remove it from Apple Store like was with launcher and other useful apps...

 

[Razeus]

Apple will ask them to remove it within a week. iOS 8 years in, and it still can't do something as simple as make attachments in Mail.app. My interest in iOS is becoming non-existent by the day.

 

[Jessica Lares]

I got it. It is definitely something that needs a bit of time to explore as it doesn't include the majority of URL Scheme enabled apps. Probably will have to dig out Launch Center Pro and copy and paste stuff over.

 

[Traverse]

Until it's pulled.

 

[avanpelt]

Get it while you can!

 

[mxmgodin]

It's featured as an Editor's Choice on the App Store, so it should be safe (for now).

I played around with it a bit, and I quite like it. I hope for better and more varied support of 3rd party apps and services. For example, I'd like to be able to use Google Maps, instead of the stock Maps app, mostly because of transit information, etc.

Update: Just noticed that Google Maps is already supported.

 

[iMacmatician]

This app reminds me of Automator.

 

[Jessica Lares]

This app reminds me of Automator.

Yeah, it's probably modeled after it.

I was very surprised I was able to compile a 100 page PDF with my iPad Mini from multiple sources in a RSS feed. A5 might be a bit slow for today's standards, but it still gets the job done.

 

[Traverse]

Yeah, it's probably modeled after it.

I was very surprised I was able to compile a 100 page PDF with my iPad Mini from multiple sources in a RSS feed. A5 might be a bit slow for today's standards, but it still gets the job done.

And it didn't crash? One thing I could never trust older iOS devices with is handling large PDFs without the app crashing. Maybe that's just the iPad 3...

 

[Jessica Lares]

And it didn't crash? One thing I could never trust older iOS devices with is handling large PDFs without the app crashing. Maybe that's just the iPad 3...

The only reason it crashed on me a few times was because I was copying a few megabytes worth of text to begin with. When I got rid of those steps, it just sat on the PDF part for a minute and was fine. It's typical. I've had that happen on the computer in the past.

 

[TwoBytes]

can it send scheduled SMS's like my old Nokia phone?

 

[Jessica Lares]

can it send scheduled SMS's like my old Nokia phone?

No, I think we're still long aways from that.

Too bad we can't have widgets. It'd help with that.

 

[subjonas]

I'd love Siri integration... to be able to execute my own commands via Siri. But I'm thinking Apple hasn't opened that function up to 3rd party apps yet?

 

[Armen]

I was looking into this a few minutes ago before I saw this post.

Are there any useful workflows in there for someone like me who doesn't use social media?

I understand these workflows can be kicked off as home page icons or actions right?

 

[Jessica Lares]

I was looking into this a few minutes ago before I saw this post.

Are there any useful workflows in there for someone like me who doesn't use social media?

I understand these workflows can be kicked off as home page icons or actions right?

What do you do on your phone?

 

[Armen]

What do you do on your phone?

Read news articles via their apps. I sometimes. Move pictures around to google drive. Etc.

 

[Jessica Lares]

Read news articles via their apps. I sometimes. Move pictures around to google drive. Etc.

You might actually find IFTTT more useful. Particularly this recipe that takes images from a folder and uploads them:

https://ifttt.com/recipes/106075-an...goes-to-a-folder-of-that-name-in-google-drive

Google Drive doesn't have any fancy URL Scheme except to open the app itself, nor does it let you select multiple pictures to push into it from another app.

 

[Armen]

You might actually find IFTTT more useful. Particularly this recipe that takes images from a folder and uploads them:

https://ifttt.com/recipes/106075-an...goes-to-a-folder-of-that-name-in-google-drive

Google Drive doesn't have any fancy URL Scheme except to open the app itself, nor does it let you select multiple pictures to push into it from another app.

Well, I already purchased Workflow. I'll go through some of the actions and such. I'm surprised they don't have coding for Google Drive. That forces me to use Dropbox for actions.

 

[Halopend]

I'd love Siri integration... to be able to execute my own commands via Siri. But I'm thinking Apple hasn't opened that function up to 3rd party apps yet?

Only for HomeKit (the new home automation api). I think that homekit is only available to "hardware partners" meaning there is a fairly extensive vetting process before a dev even has access to it (I believe).

 

[iososx]

Nice app but the problem is that Apple one day may remove it from Apple Store like was with launcher and other useful apps...

Yes it's sad, but true.

I bought it, gave it a good test and I'm enjoying its capabilities.

Since I use both iPhone and Android I do find it discouraging that Apple is vacillating especially with apps designed to take advantage of the notifications.

At the rate Apple is discouraging developers by pulling their apps after first approving them, it's likely that the pushback is growing even if Apple pays them better than Google does.

Why Apple is so indecisive these days is off putting. They're working hard to push away those of us who've been very loyal for decades.

 

[PSB136]

I'm looking for a real practical use for it. Posting tweets, making animgifs, and sharing photos is of zero interest to me. Anyone got any useful examples of where it can save time for non-social media users like myself?

Can it close all running apps?

Can it play all songs by an artist without me creating a playlist?

Can it set the clipboard text before opening an email (so I can paste a canned response to someone)?

Can it open any website with specific criteria that I've set, such as opening this MacRumors forum with search results for my name?

And so on.

 

[Trahearne]

Can it close all running apps?

No.

Can it play all songs by an artist without me creating a playlist?

No.

Can it set the clipboard text before opening an email (so I can paste a canned response to someone)?

Yes. It can manipulate the clipboard content. You may also launch a new email with the predefined texts feeded from the workflow.

Can it open any website with specific criteria that I've set, such as opening this MacRumors forum with search results for my name?

You can grab the HTML content for a particular URL, but if you need scripted content manipulation, you would need to have it passed to other text editors like Editorial or 1Writer and write the script on your own.

Frankly speaking, Workflow by now is simply a Share Sheet-ready, chainable Launch Centre Pro without a pretty Launch Center. It can construct some interactive workflows, but I doubt it would be complex yet simple enough to go full-fledged in all aspects. For instance, the forth is more specific workflows that requires custom scripts (extracting stuff from MacRumor's HTML), unless you got an RSS feed, which Workflow can handle. So think before you purchase it.

For my own case, I am constructing a helper workflow to add items to 2Do with contents from Drafts, which prompts me a list of lists to choose from... Gonna move some LCP stuff to Workflow too, as Workflow makes stuff easier to manage. Though LCP would still be kept as a portal to everything, alongside Drafts. Still thinking if I have anything more than this.

 

[motulist]

I don't see what this would be useful for for most people. Can someone give a list of real world uses that many people would find useful or desirable?