Archives for October 2006

X-Ray Magazine Scripting Quark Article > Scripting the Non-Scriptable

2006.10.28 By

Vol. 5, Num. 2 - Scripting the Non-Scriptable.

Those who regularly use AppleScript to automate their QuarkXPress-based workflows can attest to the fact that every now and then you may run into a roadblock. While QuarkXPress’ AppleScript support is fairly extensive, unfortunately not every single feature and function is accessible via scripting. In many cases, these limitations pertain to areas that are not commonly automated by the masses. However, since workflows can vary from user to user, these situations are sometimes encountered and when they are, workarounds must be identified. [Read more at X-Ray Magazine online...]

Filed Under: AppleScript, Articles, Productivity, Tips, Tutorials, Workflows, X-Ray Magazine Articles Tagged With: , , ,

Press Release > Apple.Com Automator Article And Tutorials Announced

2006.10.16 By

APPLE.COM AUTOMATOR ARTICLE AND TUTORIALS ANNOUNCED
Apple.com Features Automator Article and Tutorials Written by Ben Waldie, President of Automated Workflows, LLC

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania - October 16th, 2006 - Apple Computer's "Pro" website now includes an Automator article, titled "Workflow Automation in Mac OS X". This article was written by Ben Waldie, president of Automated Workflows, LLC, and focuses on providing information about becoming more efficient using Automator, Apple's latest and greatest automation technology.
Also written by Ben Waldie are several example Automator workflows on the site, including:

Automator, first released with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, is an application that brings the power of workflow automation to the user level, with no programming required! Workflows are designed and constructed by users, by piecing together actions in a sequence, to create a virtual assembly line of automated tasks. Once constructed, workflows may be saved and triggered in a variety of ways. Automator comes with over 150 different actions for performing a variety of automated tasks in Apple applications and the operating system.
Ben Waldie is president and CEO of Automated Workflows, LLC, a firm specializing in AppleScript, Automator, and workflow automation consulting. For years, Ben has developed professional AppleScript-based solutions for businesses across the globe, including Adobe Systems, Apple Computer, NASA, and TV Guide Magazine.
For additional information, visit Automated Workflows, LLC's website.

Press Contact:

Ben Waldie
President
Automated Workflows, LLC
116 Cold Stream Road
Phoenixville, PA 19460

Automator is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Filed Under: News Tagged With:

MacScripter AppleScript Studio Article > Getting Started with Table Views

2006.10.09 By

Getting Started with Table Views.

In this month's column, we're going to discuss a specific type of interface element that is often incorporated into AppleScript Studio projects' a table view. Table views consist of one or more cells (displayed using columns and rows), which may be used to display data. Think of a table view as being similar in layout to a worksheet in Excel. See figure 1 for an example of a 2-column table view in an AppleScript Studio project's interface. [Read more at MacScripter...]

Filed Under: AppleScript, Articles, MacScripter Articles, Productivity, Tips, Tutorials, Workflows Tagged With: , , , , ,

MacScripter AppleScript Studio Article > Getting Started with Displaying Progress in AppleScript Studio

2006.10.09 By

Getting Started with Displaying Progress in AppleScript Studio.

One very common use for AppleScript is batch processing. Scripts of this nature will often loop through multiple items, performing some type of automated task for each item being processed. An example of this might be a script that loops through a folder of image files, converting each one to another format.

A script of this nature that is created with Script Editor, and then run, may work just fine. However, visually, it is less than spectacular. Other than a spinning cursor, and perhaps a dialog message displayed here or there during script execution, the user does not usually receive a very good visual representation of what is occurring.

This is where AppleScript Studio can come in handy. In this month's column, we will discuss adding progress bars and spinners to an AppleScript, in order to provide a visual representation of what is being processed, how much processing is complete, and how much processing remains during script execution. [Read more at MacScripter...]

Filed Under: AppleScript, Articles, MacScripter Articles, Productivity, Tips, Tutorials, Workflows Tagged With: , , , , , ,

MacScripter AppleScript Studio Article > Getting Started with Buttons in AppleScript Studio (Part 2)

2006.10.09 By

Getting Started with Buttons in AppleScript Studio (Part 2).

When designing an interface in AppleScript Studio, you will find that different situations call for different types of buttons.  In last month's column, we focused on two specific types of buttons, push buttons and popup buttons (click here for last month's column).  This month, we're going to discuss two more specific types of buttons, checkboxes and radio buttons. [Read more at MacScripter...]

Filed Under: AppleScript, Articles, MacScripter Articles, Productivity, Tips, Tutorials, Workflows Tagged With: , , , , ,

MacScripter AppleScript Studio Article > Getting Started with Buttons in AppleScript Studio (Part 1)

2006.10.09 By

Getting Started with Buttons in AppleScript Studio (Part 1).

Last month, we began discussing how to get started with using AppleScript Studio (click here for last month's column).  In the column, we covered creating an AppleScript Studio project in Xcode, designing a user interface, linking the interface to AppleScript code within the project, and building and running the completed project.

This month, we are going to continue to work with AppleScript Studio. Specifically, we will be focusing on interacting with buttons.

There are many different styles of buttons in AppleScript Studio, including push buttons, popup buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, and more.  In addition to varying visually in appearance, the code you will write to interact with different buttons will vary too, depending on the button type.  We are going to begin by exploring two of the more commonly used styles of button -- push buttons and popup buttons. [Read more at MacScripter...]

Filed Under: AppleScript, Articles, MacScripter Articles, Productivity, Tips, Tutorials, Workflows Tagged With: , , , , ,

MacTech AppleScript Essentials Column > Introduction to Scripting QuarkXPress

2006.10.03 By

October, 2006 - Introduction to Scripting QuarkXPress.

My last two columns have focused on using AppleScript to automate graphic processing with Photoshop and GraphicConverter. This month, we are going to switch gears from graphic processing to discuss another commonly automated creative process - desktop publishing. Specifically, we will explore some initial steps necessary for automating a desktop publishing workflow using QuarkXPress, a popular page layout application.[Read more at MacTech.com...]

Filed Under: AppleScript, Articles, MacTech Articles, Productivity, Tips, Tutorials, Workflows Tagged With: ,

Apple.com Article > Email PDF Contact Sheet from Aperture

2006.10.03 By

Automator can be used to extend Aperture’s reach throughout the operating system. Use Automator to integrate Aperture with external applications in new ways that benefit your own unique workflow. Need to email previews of your project images for review? Streamline the process with Automator.

The following steps will walk you through the process of creating an Automator workflow that will generate a PDF contact sheet of a specified Aperture project’s images, and attach it to a new outgoing email message in Mail. [Read more...] (pdf)

Filed Under: Apple.com Articles, Articles, Automator, Productivity, Workflows Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Apple.com Article > Rename, Convert, and Caption Images

2006.10.03 By

For photographers, organizing and maintaining thousands of images can be quite a task. However, Automator can provide some relief. Use Automator to batch rename your digital images, convert them from one format to another, add copyright information, and more! Create a customized image workflow that’s right for you.

The following steps will walk you through the process of creating an Automator workflow that will run when image files are added into an input folder. This workflow will rename the images sequentially, along with the current date, convert them to TIFF format, and add copyright information using Photoshop. [Read more...] (pdf)

Filed Under: Apple.com Articles, Articles, Automator, Productivity, Workflows Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Apple.com Article > Backup Current Week’s Files

2006.10.03 By

Backup should be a part of every Mac users’ workflow. However, a lot of the time, regular backups are not being performed. Automator is here to help. Using Automator actions that are built right into Mac OS X, anyone can now create a workflow to back up their modified files on a regular basis.

The following steps will walk you through the process of creating an Automator workflow that will run every week, and will back up to CD or DVD any items in your Documents folder that have been modified during the current week. [Read more...] (pdf)

Filed Under: Apple.com Articles, Articles, Automator, Productivity, Workflows Tagged With: , , , , ,
Next Page »