Services: Services allows you to build workflows that are tied to contextual menus that may appear within another app’s service menu. They don’t need Automator to be active in order to work.
Automator must be running for the workflow to work.Īpplications: These are self-running workflows. Workflows: These are a series of actions that you run from within Automator. (Automator has 6 templates that can be used for creating different types of workflows.)Īutomator Apps, Services, and Folder ActionsĪutomator supports creating the following types of workflows: Once it’s ready, the workflow can be used much like an app, service, or folder action. You can then tweak each task in the workflow to meet your specific needs. Workflows are made up of individual tasks that you drag into place in the workflow. So, we’re going to start our look at how to automate tasks on the Mac with Automator.īy the way, if you’d like to explore how Terminal can be used to create scripts, the Rocket Yard has a two-part introduction to the Mac’s Terminal app that you can check out.Īutomator has a simple drag-and-drop interface you can use to build simple to complex workflows that can automate those repetitive tasks that just take time away from other things. Your Mac comes equipped with AppleScript, Automator, and Terminal, all of which can be used to create your own custom tools to make repetitive tasks easier.ĪppleScript and Terminal require a bit of coding to create an app or script, but Automator uses a graphical interface to allow you to create custom apps without having to learn a complex programming language. There’s no reason to wait for an app when you can make use of one or more of the many Mac automation tools that are already available. When you find yourself performing the same task over and over on your Mac, you may wish some developer somewhere would code up a nice little app to make your job a bit easier.
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