Vratislav Holub As part of the macOS operating system, there is a relatively unobtrusive tool called Automator, with the help of which you can make using your Mac much more pleasant. As the name suggests, you can use this program to create various automations, thanks to which you can solve frequently repeated tasks, for example, with one click. But how does it all actually work, what knowledge do you need for it and, above all, how do you get started?
Automator - a great helper for the apple picker
If you work on a computer every day, you probably do something over and over every day. Although there may not be any complexities that can be solved with a few clicks, the very idea that the whole thing could be automated sounds really cool. This can be, for example, converting image files across formats, merging PDF documents, changing the dimensions of images, and the like.
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Amaya Toman The Automator tool was created for exactly these activities. However, its biggest advantage is that the user does not need any programming knowledge to create individual automations. Everything works on the basis of a graphic layout, where you simply drag and drop actions from the available library in the order in which they are to take place, or simply add the necessary information. In short, Automator opens the door to a world of extensive possibilities, while it only depends on the user what he creates from the available tools.
What the Automator environment looks like
What Automator can do
Even before you start creating automation within Automator, you have several options to choose from. Specifically, the tool allows the creation of a Task Sequence, Application, Quick Action, Print Plug-in, Folder Action, Calendar Alert, Image Transfer Plug-in, and Dictation Command. Subsequently, it is up to each user to decide what to create. For example, in the case of an Application, it is a huge advantage that you can export the resulting automation, add it to a folder with other applications, and then call it, for example, via Spotlight or launch it from the Launchpad. The so-called Quick action also offers great possibilities. In practice, these are sequences of various tasks that can be added to the Finder, the Touch Bar and the Services menu. Through this option, for example, automation can be created for duplicating marked files and their subsequent format conversion, which is particularly useful in the case of images. But this is what a classic sequence of tasks looks like, the advantage of this being a quick action is the possibility of adding a global keyboard shortcut, which we can focus on in the next articles. In practice, it works very simply. All you have to do is mark the given files, press the preset keys and you're done.
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The possibilities are practically unlimited. At the same time, it is worth mentioning that Automator can handle AppleScript and JavaScript script calls at the same time. However, this requires advanced knowledge. In conclusion, we would just like to mention that you should definitely not be afraid of Automator. Although at first glance its environment may seem confusing, trust me that after playing for a while you will change your mind dramatically. You can view interesting tips on using the tool in the articles attached above.
