What is the apple automator

Automator User Guide

for macOS Monterey

Let your Mac do repetitive tasks for you

If you need to make the same changes to multiple files—such as changing filenames or resizing images—or archive or back up important files, you can create a custom workflow and have your Mac do the work for you.

Script your own actions

If the task you need to automate isn’t in the list of built-in actions, you can add your own scripts, such as AppleScript and JavaScript scripts, and shell commands to your workflow. Simply add the appropriate run script action to your workflow and enter your script code or shell commands.

Use Automator workflows with the Shortcuts app

You can easily import Automator workflows into Shortcuts. Your workflows automatically become a collection of shortcuts ready to run, saving you time and making Shortcuts exceptionally useful right away.

To explore the Automator User Guide, click Table of Contents at the top of the page, or enter a word or phrase in the search field.

Источник

Create a workflow in Automator on Mac

To create an Automator workflow, you choose the type of workflow you want, and then add actions to it.

Choose a workflow

In the Automator app on your Mac, choose File > New.

Select a type of workflow:

Workflow: A workflow you can run within the Automator app.

Application: A standalone workflow that runs when you open it or drop files or folders on it.

Quick Action: A workflow that you can add to Finder windows, the Touch Bar, and the Services menu. For more information about using Quick Action workflows, see Use Quick Action workflows on Mac.

Print Plugin: A workflow that’s available in the Print dialog.

Folder Action: A workflow attached to a folder in the Finder. When items are added to the folder, the workflow runs and the files are used as input to the workflow.

Calendar Alarm: A workflow that runs when a calendar event occurs.

Image Capture Plugin: A workflow that’s available in the Image Capture app on your Mac.

Dictation Command: A workflow that runs when dictation is used.

After you choose a workflow, you add actions to it.

Add actions to a workflow

Actions in the Automator Library are grouped into categories by app or type of file or data. Each action is a single step in a workflow.

In the Automator app on your Mac, find an action by doing any of the following:

See all available actions: Click the arrow to expand the Library.

See actions related to a specific category: Select the category in the Library column.

Search for a particular action: Enter a word in the search field. If you click a category in the Library and then enter a search term in the search field, only the actions related to the category are searched.

Record your own action: Click the Record button and complete the task you want to automate. When finished, click the Stop button.

To add an action to your workflow, double-click it.

Note: If you record an action, it automatically appears in your workflow.

Add additional actions, as needed.

To save your workflow, choose File > Save.

If you created a specific type of workflow, such as an Application or Calendar Alarm, the workflow is saved as that type. For example, if you chose the Calendar Alarm workflow, when you save it, Automator automatically opens Calendar and creates a Calendar alarm event.

Источник

Question: Q: What is automator?

It is in my applications folder and looks similar to the mackeeper icon. I tried to move it to the trash but it says it is required by OS X. I have been getting the spinning beachball a lot. Mostly on Safari but only because it is my most used program. I have tried several things to increase the speed. I have upgraded to 8GB of

RAM from Crucial. I’ve tried clearing the cache and extensions but nothing really seems to help.

iMac (24-inch Early 2009), OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on Jun 6, 2015 11:09 AM

Helpful answers

This is a tool that Apple developed and is shipped with OS X. It provides quick services called «actions» that you can put together in sequence, and thereby create scripts to help you get common and repetitive tasks done with the programs you use. For instance, if you always download particular files and want them to be re-named automatically, you can have Automator do this for you whenever you download the files. As with all scripting approaches, this will take some monkeying around with settings and the logic used, but Automator provides a visual way to do this (albeit with limitations), which has proven to be more intuitive for a number of people. There are some more advanced uses of Automator (such as for creating services, Finder plug-ins, and other details) that can enhance your overall OS X experience, but you need to have a specific need that Automator can provide a solution for.

Overall, its a legitimate program, provided by Apple, and one that may be quite useful. 🙂

Jun 6, 2015 11:19 AM

There’s more to the conversation

Loading page content

Page content loaded

This is a tool that Apple developed and is shipped with OS X. It provides quick services called «actions» that you can put together in sequence, and thereby create scripts to help you get common and repetitive tasks done with the programs you use. For instance, if you always download particular files and want them to be re-named automatically, you can have Automator do this for you whenever you download the files. As with all scripting approaches, this will take some monkeying around with settings and the logic used, but Automator provides a visual way to do this (albeit with limitations), which has proven to be more intuitive for a number of people. There are some more advanced uses of Automator (such as for creating services, Finder plug-ins, and other details) that can enhance your overall OS X experience, but you need to have a specific need that Automator can provide a solution for.

Overall, its a legitimate program, provided by Apple, and one that may be quite useful. 🙂

Jun 6, 2015 11:19 AM

For some reason Automator loads on start-up (also Script Editor). I have no use for these programs, can I delete them?

Feb 5, 2016 7:33 AM

You may have startup items in your account that are causing them to launch.

You cannot, and must not remove Automator. Even if you never use it yourself, OS X uses it in the background for some functions.

Feb 5, 2016 8:45 AM

Thanks Kurt. I guessed it would be dangerous to remove them. Will have to discover the offending start-up item.

Источник

Question: Q: How do *you* use Automator?

I like the idea of Automator but don’t really know what I would use it for. I’ve asked a few people at the Apple store if they use it — trying to get some ideas — and I haven’t found anyone at my store who does.

So, my question is: What do you use Automator for? Hopefully I’ll get an idea from someone here and be able to start using it myself.

iMac G4, Aluminum MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5.7), 80G iPod, crappy Epson R200 printer

Posted on Aug 14, 2009 9:23 AM

I suppose I could use Automator more than I do. I usually have difficulty thinking up the ideas and end up getting them from someone else. Here’s a couple of things that I have done with Automator:

One double-click, launches iChat and logs in to that account, launches Safari with a specific set of pages to open, and launches my email program. http://www.atpm.com/12.07/automator.shtml

I have also worked on something that sends an e-mail to someone automatically when they have a birthday. It also checks two weeks and four weeks ahead in case you want to plan a party. The example uses Applescript to tie everything together but it could be run with eparate sequences of Automator actions. http://www.atpm.com/12.08/automator.shtml

Posted on Aug 14, 2009 1:37 PM

Helpful answers

Aug 14, 2009 11:22 AM

Open iCal, then Preferences.

Under General there is the ‘Show Birthdays Calendar’ box. Check that.

Aug 16, 2009 10:41 AM

There’s more to the conversation

Loading page content

Page content loaded

Aug 14, 2009 11:22 AM

I suppose I could use Automator more than I do. I usually have difficulty thinking up the ideas and end up getting them from someone else. Here’s a couple of things that I have done with Automator:

One double-click, launches iChat and logs in to that account, launches Safari with a specific set of pages to open, and launches my email program. http://www.atpm.com/12.07/automator.shtml

I have also worked on something that sends an e-mail to someone automatically when they have a birthday. It also checks two weeks and four weeks ahead in case you want to plan a party. The example uses Applescript to tie everything together but it could be run with eparate sequences of Automator actions. http://www.atpm.com/12.08/automator.shtml

Aug 14, 2009 1:37 PM

Aug 14, 2009 2:55 PM

I have all my birthdays on iCal and couldn’t figure out why I would want them in my address book, too. But, I’ve played around with the «look for birthdays and send an email» and think that might be my first Automator script.

Aug 14, 2009 2:56 PM

Glad you liked that article. One advantage to having the information in Address Book is that by entering the information on someone’s contact card it can automatically get placed in the birthdays calendar that iCal generates.

Aug 14, 2009 6:46 PM

These other links are great to have. But now you’ve thrown something else at me: How do I get the birthdays in Address Book over to iCal?

Aug 16, 2009 10:32 AM

Open iCal, then Preferences.

Under General there is the ‘Show Birthdays Calendar’ box. Check that.

Aug 16, 2009 10:41 AM

Aug 16, 2009 10:45 AM

A few things I do with Automator:

-Press iMovie’s Import button. I set this up as an iCal alarm, so that I can start import live TV to iMovie when I am away from the computer. This was great for recording Olympics events that came on in the middle of the night.

-I wrote an Automator app to switch to the login window and put my Mac to sleep. I set up a hotkey so that this runs when I press command-F13.

-Every morning I would log on to a website and click a button. With Automator and an iCal alarm this is now done for me automatically.

-Copy all mp3 files from an iTunes playlist to a Grundig mpixx mp3 player. I used to drag and drop with Finder until I wrote this little script.

Instead of starting with Automator and trying to figure out what it can do for you, start instead with considering tasks you do that are repetitive. Then see if Automator can help you with them.

Aug 16, 2009 10:57 AM

RCMir I see you have already gotten an answer to your question. That’s how I did it. I had set up a Btrthdays calendar manually until someone pointed that preference out to me.

Kiraly, that’s a great use for iMovie. I’m going to have to try ad work that one out. Are you using one of the TV capture devices?

I used to use Automator to mount the NAS drive that had my iTunes library before itunes launched. The drive I was using before I got a Time Capsule was a bit cumbersome to mount so the workflow mounted the drive and then launched iTunes.

Aug 16, 2009 3:02 PM

Slydude wrote:
Kiraly, that’s a great use for iMovie. I’m going to have to try ad work that one out. Are you using one of the TV capture devices?

No. I’m using a contraption that would make Rube Goldberg proud. TV cable is hooked up to a 15 year old VCR, which tunes the channels and outputs composite A/V. I use a Canon MiniDV camcorder to convert the A/V on the fly to DV, which iMovie can import with FireWire. I used Automator’s GUI scripting feature to push iMovie’s import button.

Aug 16, 2009 4:38 PM

Aug 17, 2009 3:24 AM

Sep 12, 2009 1:55 PM

Question: Q: How do *you* use Automator? More Less

Источник

Automator

«Otto the Automator» is the software’s mascot

Automator is a visual scripting technology developed by Apple for automating application workflows in macOS. It was first implemented in Mac OS X 10.4 «Tiger», released on April 29, 2005. [1] With the release of macOS Monterey in 2021, Automator is being superseded by Shortcuts, which can import Automator workflows. [2]

Contents

Ease of use

Automator’s user interface

Automator allows point-and-click ease for automating repetitive tasks. Automator enables the repetition of tasks across a wide variety of programs, including the Finder, the Safari web browser, iCal, Address Book and others. It can also work with third-party applications such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop.

Although Automator uses AppleScript and/or Cocoa, it requires no expertise in these languages whatsoever.

Usage

Automator comes with a library of many Actions (file renaming, finding linked images, creating a new mail message, etc.), all of which act as individual steps in a Workflow document. A Workflow document then can be used to carry out repetitive tasks. A user can also save these Workflows so that it can be used over and over again, whenever it is needed. UNIX command line scripts can also be invoked as Actions.

Источник