TUAW Post > More Tips for Troubleshooting Automator Workflows

troubleshoot_automatorIn my last post, I shared some useful tips for troubleshooting Automator workflow problems. I didn't cover everything, though. There are lots of other ways you can troubleshoot your workflow. Here are some more tips to help.

[Read more on TUAW...]

TUAW Post > Tips for Troubleshooting Automator Workflows

troubleshoot_automatorAutomator's great for streamlining time consuming and repetitive tasks on your Mac. It's easy. Just launch it, find a few actions, and string them together to form a workflow. Then, run your workflow anytime you want to perform that series of tasks again.

What happens if your workflow doesn't run as you expect, though? Finding and solving problems in Automator is often easier said than done. Suddenly, the simple tool that's supposed to make your life easier has become a real pain in the neck. This week's post covers some things you can do to troubleshoot a finicky Automator workflow, track down the problem, and hopefully solve it, so you can get back to work.

[Read more on TUAW...]

What not to do in Mac Mail

Here's a handy data loss prevention tip.  With a Mail message selected, do not press either of the secret undocumented keyboard shortcuts Option+Control+H or  Command+Option+Control+H.  That is, unless you want your selected message irretrievably deleted.  Not moved to the trash.  Deleted.  Permanently.

Tested in Mac OS X 10.7.3. Bug report filed.

Note: If you're backing your Mac up with Time Machine, as you should be, then you may be able to restore the vaporized message.

Peachpit Blog Post > Troubleshooting Automator: Workflow Applications

12.12.08 - Troubleshooting Automator: Workflow Applications.

As you may know, Automator workflows can be saved as applications or plug-ins, to be run independently outside of Automator.  Unfortunately, troubleshooting these types of workflows is easier said than done. [Read more at Peachpit.com...]

Peachpit Blog Post > Troubleshooting Automator: Stepping Through a Workflow

12.11.08 - Troubleshooting Automator: Stepping Through a Workflow.

Sometimes, the answer to a problem in Automator is to slowly check each and every step of your workflow, one by one, to look for errors.  You can do this by stepping through your workflow, rather than running it all at once. [Read more at Peachpit.com...]

Peachpit Blog Post > Troubleshooting Automator: Action Results

12.10.08 - Troubleshooting Automator: Action Results.

One concept that’s often somewhat confusing to grasp when getting started with Automator is how information flows through a workflow.  Basically, many actions accept some type of input, and then produce a result, to be passed to the next action in the workflow for further processing. [Read more at Peachpit.com...]

Peachpit Blog Post > Troubleshooting Automator: Automator’s Log

12.09.08 - Troubleshooting Automator: Automator's Log.

When running a workflow in Automator, errors can and will occur from time to time.  Unfortunately, diagnosing these errors is sometimes easier said than done. [Read more at Peachpit.com...]

Peachpit Blog Post > Troubleshooting Automator: Opening Workflows

12.08.08 - Troubleshooting Automator: Opening Workflows.

Although Automator is designed for ease of use, it takes some practice and patience to master.  One area that is particularly difficult for beginners to work through is workflow errors. Today, I’ll focus on problems that occur when opening workflows. [Read more at Peachpit.com...]

Peachpit Article > Fixing Automator Workflow Folder Action Plug-Ins in Leopard

05.23.08 - Fixing Automator Workflow Folder Action Plug-Ins in Leopard.

Automator offers a variety of options when saving workflows in Mac OS X, one of which is a Folder Action plug-in workflow. Although a workflow will run whenever items are added to an attached folder, it doesn't always work as expected. Ben Waldie shares tips and recommendations to help you resolve Automator Folder Action plug-in workflow issues in Mac OS X Leopard. [Read more at Peachpit.com...]