Archives for March 2009

Mac Automation Made Simple Video Podcast > Introduction to AppleScript Dictionaries: Part 2: Classes and Properties

Episode 19
Date: 03.31.2009
Duration: 00:10:00
Introduction to AppleScript Dictionaries: Part 2: Classes and Properties
In this episode of Mac Automation Made Simple, Ben Waldie continues discussing how to navigate application AppleScript dictionaries in Mac OS X. This episode focuses on understanding elements and attributes, also known as classes and properties..
[View in Tunes...] [View at Peachpit.com...]

Press Release > Mac Automation Made Simple Video Podcast Episode 19 Announced

Mac Automation Made Simple Video Podcast Episode 19 Announced
Video Podcast Episode Provides an Introduction to Classes and Properties in Application AppleScript Dictionaries

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania - March 31st, 2009 - Automated Workflows, LLC is pleased to announce the availability of Episode 19 of the Mac Automation Made Simple video podcast series.
In this video podcast series, Ben Waldie, author of "Automator for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: Visual QuickStart Guide" and president of Automated Workflows, LLC, shows you how to simplify your life and have fun doing it with tips and tricks for using AppleScript and Automator in Mac OS X.
In this episode of Mac Automation Made Simple, Ben Waldie continues discussing how to navigate application AppleScript dictionaries in Mac OS X. This episode focuses on understanding elements and attributes, also known as classes and properties.
Mac Automation Made Simple is owned by Peachpit TV. Episodes are available for download from the Peachpit Press website, as well as within iTunes.
For additional information, including an episode guide and links to the podcast, visit the >Tips section of the Automated Workflows, LLC's website.

Press Contact:

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

AppleScript and Automator are registered trademarks of Apple Computer. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Peachpit Article > Individually Looping Through Files in an Automator Workflow

03.25.09 - Individually Looping Through Files in an Automator Workflow.

Since its inception, Automator in Mac OS X has seen numerous improvements. One such improvement, which was introduced with the release of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, is the ability to create looping workflows.

Creating a looping workflow is relatively straightforward. Simply insert the Loop action, found in the Utilities category in Automator's action library, into the desired location within your workflow. When the workflow runs and reaches the Loop action, Automator returns to the beginning of the workflow and starts again. The Loop action offers some options; for example, it can be set to loop automatically for a specified number of times or minutes, or to ask you if you want to continue looping or proceed with the remainder of the workflow. You even have some control over how the workflow's input is handled between loops.

Although a fine start, looping of this nature still possesses one major limitation: There's no way to loop through a series of files, passing them one at a time through your workflow [Read more at Peachpit.com...]

Press Release > Peachpit Press Article Announced – 3/25/09

Peachpit Press Article Announced
Individually Looping Through Files in an Automator Workflow

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania - March 25th, 2009 - Automated Workflows, LLC is pleased to announce the release of a new article, which has been published on the Peachpit Press website. In this article, Ben Waldie, president of Automated Workflows, LLC, points out a limitation with Automator's Loop action: There's no built-in way to perform individual file looping. But don't panic! He also shows how to close this gap by using third-party workarounds. Find the article here.
Ben Waldie is president of Automated Workflows, LLC, a company offering AppleScript, Automator, and workflow consulting services to Mac-based businesses.  For years, Ben has developed professional automated solutions for companies such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Adobe Systems, Apple Inc., CNN, Microsoft, NASA, PC World, and Time Magazine.  Ben is the author of "Automator for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Visual QuickStart Guide" (Peachpit Press) and "AppleScripting the Finder", has written AppleScript and Automator content for Apple.com, Macworld, MacTech, MacScripter.net, and X-Ray Magazine, and is the host of the "Mac Automation Made Simple" video podcast (Peachpit Press). Ben is also the author of an AppleScript training CD for the Virtual Training Company, is a frequent presenter at Macworld Expo and other events, and is president of The Philadelphia Area AppleScript Users Group.

Press Contact:

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

AppleScript and Automator are registered trademarks of Apple Computer. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Press Release > Twitter Automator Action Pack 1.0 Announced

Twitter Automator Action Pack 1.0 Announced
Automated Workflows, LLC Provides Access to Twitter from Automator

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania - March 23rd, 2009 - Automated Workflows, LLC is pleased to announce the release of the Twitter Automator Action Pack, version 1.0. This action pack extends the power of Automator in Leopard with 10 actions for interacting with Twitter! This action pack includes the following Automator actions:

  • Get Current Tweet from Tweep
  • Get Recent Direct Messages
  • Get Recent Public Tweets
  • Get Recent Replies
  • Get Recent Tweets from Tweep
  • Get Recent Tweets from Tweeps I'm Following
  • Get Tweep Information
  • Get Tweeps
  • Post a Tweet
  • Send Direct Message

Automated Workflows, LLC's Automator actions for Leopard are available in application-specific packs.  Trial versions of all action packs are available for download and evaluation from the Automated Workflows, LLC website.
http://automatedwork.server323.com/software/automator_actions.html
About Automator:
Automator 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 an assembly line of automated tasks. Once constructed, workflows may be saved and triggered in a variety of ways. With the release of these new and updated actions, Automated Workflows, LLC provides users with the ability to extend the power of Automator with actions that interact directly with their favorite creative applications.
Learn More About Automator:
Looking for more information about Automator? Ben Waldie's Automator for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: Visual QuickStart Guide covers what you need to know!
http://automatedwork.server323.com/books/automator_vqs.html
About Automated Workflows, LLC:
Automated Workflows, LLC offers AppleScript, Automator, and workflow automation consulting services to Macintosh-based businesses. For additional information about Automated Workflows, LLC's Automator actions, or to inquire about custom development services, 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.

Press Release > Blurb Tally 1.0 Announced

Blurb Tally 1.0 Announced
New Writer's Utility Quickly Tallies the Characters, Words, and Paragraphs in Blurbs of Text

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania - March 20th, 2009 - Automated Workflows, LLC is pleased to announce the release of Blurb Tally, a writer's utility, designed to help users quickly and easily calculate the number of characters, words, and paragraphs in a blurb of text.
Once launched, Blurb Tally hovers above the other windows and applications on a user's Mac. Users can write content directly in Blurb Tally, or simply copy content to the clipboard and paste it in for a quick tally. Possible uses include:

  • Generating text for character-limited fields in web forms.
  • Identifying the length of articles, documents, blog postings, and more.
  • Preparing concise text for use in press releases, legal documents, emails, Excel workbook cells, and more.
  • Preparing a resume or writing a brief personal biography.
  • Much more!

Blurb Tally also provides the ability to quickly toggle your text blurb between uppercase, lowercase, sentence case, and title case.
For additional information about Blurb Tally, as well as other workflow products and services, please visit the Automated Workflows, LLC website.

Press Contact:

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

AppleScript and Automator are registered trademarks of Apple Computer. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Mac Automation Made Simple Video Podcast > Introduction to AppleScript Dictionaries: Part 1: Commands

Episode 18
Date: 03.17.2009
Duration: 00:07:47
Introduction to AppleScript Dictionaries: Part 1: Commands
In this episode of Mac Automation Made Simple, Ben Waldie begins discussing AppleScripting applications in Mac OS X by exploring how to open and navigate application AppleScript dictionaries. Ben reviews both application commands and parameters..
[View in Tunes...] [View at Peachpit.com...]

Press Release > Mac Automation Made Simple Video Podcast Episode 18 Announced

Mac Automation Made Simple Video Podcast Episode 18 Announced
Video Podcast Episode Provides an Introduction to Commands in Application AppleScript Dictionaries

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania - March 17th, 2009 - Automated Workflows, LLC is pleased to announce the availability of Episode 18 of the Mac Automation Made Simple video podcast series.
In this video podcast series, Ben Waldie, author of "Automator for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: Visual QuickStart Guide" and president of Automated Workflows, LLC, shows you how to simplify your life and have fun doing it with tips and tricks for using AppleScript and Automator in Mac OS X.
In this episode of Mac Automation Made Simple, Ben Waldie begins discussing AppleScripting applications in Mac OS X by exploring how to open and navigate application AppleScript dictionaries. Ben reviews both application commands and parameters.
Mac Automation Made Simple is owned by Peachpit TV. Episodes are available for download from the Peachpit Press website, as well as within iTunes.
For additional information, including an episode guide and links to the podcast, visit the >Tips section of the Automated Workflows, LLC's website.

Press Contact:

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

AppleScript and Automator are registered trademarks of Apple Computer. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Peachpit Article > AppleScript and Automator: What’s the Difference?

03.16.09 - AppleScript and Automator: What's the Difference?

For many Mac users, AppleScript and Automator are terms that bring about a sense of confusion. This is unfortunate, considering that both technologies are generally targeted at typical users (non-programmers, in other words) and designed to make life easier through automation.

Much of the confusion centers on the similarities between these two applications:

  • Both automate time-consuming or repetitive tasks.
  • Both interact with Mac applications.
  • Both are targeted toward everyday Mac users.

But AppleScript and Automator are actually quite different. This article will attempt to clear up some of the confusion surrounding these technologies. [Read more at Peachpit.com...]

Press Release > Peachpit Press Article Announced – 3/16/09

Peachpit Press Article Announced
AppleScript and Automator: What's the Difference?

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania - March 16th, 2009 - Automated Workflows, LLC is pleased to announce the release of a new article, which has been published on the Peachpit Press website. In this article, Ben Waldie, president of Automated Workflows, LLC, discusses the differences between AppleScript and Automator. Find the article here.
If you're an avid Mac user, you've probably heard of two technologies that seem sort of alike: Automator and AppleScript. Ben Waldie points out the differences and similarities in the two technologies, explaining when to use each one to save yourself some keystrokes (and headaches).
Ben Waldie is president of Automated Workflows, LLC, a company offering AppleScript, Automator, and workflow consulting services to Mac-based businesses.  For years, Ben has developed professional automated solutions for companies such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Adobe Systems, Apple Inc., CNN, Microsoft, NASA, PC World, and Time Magazine.  Ben is the author of "Automator for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Visual QuickStart Guide" (Peachpit Press) and "AppleScripting the Finder", has written AppleScript and Automator content for Apple.com, Macworld, MacTech, MacScripter.net, and X-Ray Magazine, and is the host of the "Mac Automation Made Simple" video podcast (Peachpit Press). Ben is also the author of an AppleScript training CD for the Virtual Training Company, is a frequent presenter at Macworld Expo and other events, and is president of The Philadelphia Area AppleScript Users Group.

Press Contact:

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

AppleScript and Automator are registered trademarks of Apple Computer. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.