TUAW Post > Build a Photo Calendar with Automator

I'm very happy to announce that I am now writing automation and productivity tips for The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW).

My first post is an Automator how-to.  It shows you how to create a Print Plugin that shows up in the PDF menu when you print a document. This specific plugin lets you print a photo calendar right out of the Calendar app.  It's fun, and it shows off some of the cool stuff you can do with Automator.

[Read more on TUAW...]

Save 35% on Peachpit Mac Automation Made Simple Videos

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Text Automator Action Pack Updated to 4.0.5

The Text Automator Action Pack has been updated to version 4.0.5. Changes include:

  • Read Text File Action - Updated to include a popup menu to specify the encoding type of file to be read. Options include Plain Text, Unicode (UTF-8), and Unicode (UTF-16).

This action pack extends the power of Automator with 30 actions for performing text manipulation functions in Mac OS X.

The new version is available in the Mac App Store.

Display Notification Center Alert Automator Action 1.0.1

Added support for international and unicode text.  Get the action here!

Display Notification Center Alert Automator Action 1.0.0

I've written a new Automator action for displaying a notification center alert in Mountain Lion.  You can use it to display a notification when a workflow is complete, to remind you to buy your wife flowers, or anything else that might require a custom alert. I hope you find it useful.

-Ben

P.S. If you like this, please check out my other Automator actions.

Configuring the action for use. You can specify a title, subtitle, and message

A Notification Center alert displayed by the action

A Notification Center message displayed by the action

 Display Notification Center Alert 1.0.1

 

Version History

2012-08-26 - Version 1.0.0
2012-08-29 - Version 1.0.1 - Added support for international and unicode text

Mac Productivity: Quick Scripts and Workflows – Set Desktop to Astronomy Picture of the Day

Each day, our good friends at NASA are kind enough to share a breathtaking photo of our wonderful universe.  Sometimes of the Earth, sometimes of the heavens, these photos showcase natural beauty that is surely Desktop-background worthy.  Here's how you can create an Automator workflow that runs each night to set your Desktop to the latest photo... [Read more on the Peachpit blog...]

Mac Productivity: Quick Scripts and Workflows – Implementing a Spoken Dictionary

A handy feature in Mac OS X is the ability to quickly and easily define words.  In most applications, just Control+click the desired word, and choose Look Up "TheSelectedWord" from the contextual menu to bring up the system-wide dictionary.  Even easier, if you've got a trackpad, just double-tap the word with three fingers to display its definition.  Automator lets you get even more creative.  You can expand these useful dictionary services with one that will read the definition to you.  Here's how you do it... [Read more on the Peachpit blog...]

Mac Productivity: Quick Scripts and Workflows – Creating Quick Notes

It's 9AM and your boss is on the phone.  She's rattling off important info you need for your 9:30AM conference call.  Quick!  You need somewhere to take notes.  Sure, you could use your email client - Mail and Outlbook both include note features.  Or, you could use on of the 50,000 note taking apps you've downloaded.  Better yet, why not use that handy Automator Service workflow you created?  You know, the one that automatically creates RTF notes into a Quick Notes folder, names them with the current date and time, and opens them in TextEdit so you can quickly begin typing?  You recall how easy it was to create.  Here's how you did it... [Read more on the Peachpit blog...]

Text Automator Action Pack Updated to 4.0.4

The Text Automator Action Pack has been updated to version 4.0.4. Changes include:

  • Find and Replace in Text Action - Updated to support finding/replacing certain unicode characters
  • Remove Duplicate Paragraphs From Text Action - Added an option to ignore empty paragraphs

This action pack extends the power of Automator with 30 actions for performing text manipulation functions in Mac OS X.

The new version is available in the Mac App Store.

Mac Productivity: Quick Scripts and Workflows – Print PDF to FTP Server

In Mac OS X, it’s a snap to convert almost any document to PDF.  From the print dialog, simply choose Save as PDF... from the PDF popup button.  If you’ve done this before, then you may have noticed there are some other options in this popup, as well, such as Mail PDF.  These are print plugins, and, using Automator, it’s possible to create your own and add them to the list.  Suppose you upload PDFs to your FTP server on a regular basis, so you can share them with your family, coworkers, or whoever.  Every time you do this, you have to save your document somewhere as a PDF, launch the popular FTP client Transmit, connect to the server, and upload the PDF.  This is a perfect time to create a custom print plugin to do this for you.  Here’s how... [Read more on the Peachpit blog...]