El Capitan’s Automator application is a big hit among iMac power users. You use Automator to create customized tools that automate repetitive tasks. Of course, writing an application might sound daunting — akin to singlehandedly building your own nuclear submarine over a long weekend — but Automator is actually easy to use. Heck, you might find it downright fun!
Automator User Guide 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. How to create a workflow. Automator Mac virus is an unsafe domain associated with phishing activities and online scam. If you see Automator Mac virus page when surfing the web, do not click any link on it.
You can also create workflows, which are sequential (and repeatable) operations that are performed on the same files or data, and then your Automator application can automatically launch whatever applications are necessary to get the job done.
El Capitan’s Automator application is a big hit among iMac power users. You use Automator to create customized tools that automate repetitive tasks. Of course, writing an application might sound daunting — akin to singlehandedly building your own nuclear submarine over a long weekend — but Automator is actually easy to use. Arguably one of the most misunderstood and underappreciated pieces of software on Mac computers, Automator can do much more than expected.Even with its small learning curve, mastering Automator can help you be vastly more efficient with your day-to-day computing needs.
Here’s a great example: You work with a service bureau that sends you a huge .zip file every week with new product shots for your company’s marketing department. Unfortunately, these images are flat-out huge — taken with a 24-megapixel camera — and they’re always in the wrong orientation. Before you move them to the Marketing folder on your server, you have to use Preview to laboriously resize each image and rotate it, and then save the smaller version.
With help from Automator, you can build a custom application that automatically reads each image in the folder, resizes it, rotates it, generates a thumbnail image, prints the image, and then moves the massaged images to the proper folder — and all with a single double-click! Of course, you can run Automator from Launchpad, or from your Applications folder in a Finder window. Currently, Automator can handle specific tasks within more than 100 applications (including the Finder), but both Apple and third-party developers are busy adding new Automator task support to all sorts of new and existing applications.
Creating an application in Automator
To create a simple application with Automator, launch the application and follow these steps:
- Click the New Document icon.
- Select Application and click the Choose button.
- Click the desired application in the Library list. Automator displays the actions available for that application.
- Drag the desired action from the Library window to the workflow window on the right.
- Modify any specific settings provided for the action you chose.
- Repeat Steps 3–5 until you complete the workflow.
- Click the Run button (at the upper right) to test your script. Use sample files while you’re fine-tuning your application lest you accidentally do something deleterious to an original (and irreplaceable) file!
- When the application is working as you like, press ⌘+S to save it.
- In the Save dialog that appears, type a name for your new application.
- Click the Where pop-up menu and specify a location where the file should be saved.
- Click the File Format pop-up menu and choose Application.
- Click Save. Your new Automator application icon includes the Automator robot standing on a document. Most normal human beings would call you a programmer, so make sure you’re inscrutable from now on! If you plan to use your new Automator application often, don’t forget that you can make it more convenient to use by dragging the application icon to the Dock or to the desktop.
To find all the actions of a certain type in the Library list, click in the Search box at the top of the Library list and type a keyword, such as save or burn. You don’t even need to press Return!
Creating an Automator login item
If you want your Automator application to run every time you log in (to track your time on a project, for example), follow these steps to set up the Automator application as a login item:
- Open System Preferences.
- Display the Users & Groups pane.
- Click the Login Items button.
- Click the plus button at the bottom of the list.
- Navigate to the location of your new Automator application.
- Click Add.
Now your Automator application is really automatic. Watch your significant other gape in amazement as your iMac begins to work without your touching the keyboard! (If you’ve added the application icon to your Dock, you can also simply right-click the icon and choose Options→Open at Login from the menu that appears. Either way, your iMac gets the message.)
What Is Automator On My Macbook Air
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.
What Is Automator App
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.
What Is Automator Macbook Pro
To browse the Automator User Guide, click Table of Contents at the top of the page.