Automator vs QuicKeys

Back in my System 7 and System 8 days, I relied on Connectix's QuicKeys to do certain tasks and was reasonably adept at putting together scripts for it. When I recently started to mess around with Automator, I found some essential (to me, at least) features missing compared to QuicKeys such as Waiting for a User-specified time - for tasks that could take a while to complete before the next action would be initiated. Unless it's buried somewhere in Automator, I don't see anything like that other than Wait for User Input (which takes the automatic out of the Automator).
Anybody aware of any head-to head comparisons feature-by-feature between Automator and QuicKeys?
Or how to find decent documentation for Automator in case it can do EVERYTHING and more than QuicKeys does?
Thanks

QuicKeys originally came from CE Software, now Startly (Connectix made Virtual PC, before Microsoft took that over). QuicKeys 4 still mostly works in Lion, and they are working on a Lion update. Also Keyboard Maestro 5 does virtually all that QuicKeys does, and is Lion compatible, if that matters to you.
I only use Automator for services, but took a quick look at Automator and found a Pause action which might help. Also Automator workflows can include AppleScript which allows for pausing until conditions met, etc.
Over all, I'd recommend QuicKeys or Keyboard Maestro over Automator for general use based on their ease of use and power.
Bill

Similar Messages

Looking for a more universal scripting language than AppleScript or Automator

I want to learn a cross-platform/web scripting language to automate tasks, write scripts and with the potential to create programs and web apps.
I am looking for something that:
- is not a program with a GUI like Automator, iKey, Quickeys, Maestro...
- is more "universal" than Applescript, cross-platform
- can be used to automate simple tasks in a simple way
- can also be used to create more complex scripts, web apps and maybe, eventually, programs (with GUI)
I've read about Javascript, Python, Ruby, PHP, Perl, C+, C++, Java and others, but I really don't know.
- Java sounds pretty cool, Python too.
- I'm not crazy about PHP or Perl, with Javascript, but some people swear by it
- I don't know anything about C+, C++
Does anyone have any suggestion(s)? Please let me know if you need any more details. Thank you.

C, C++, Objective-C are nor scripting languages and will not help you do web pages. (Don;t know what C+ is).
Forget Java it has lots of security problems and more and more users are disabling Java in their web browsers because of this. Developing in Java would be, in my opinion, a mistake.
If you are doing any web works at all you will need to know some Javascript, no way around that. But Javascript is actually not a bad language
Note Java and Javascript are two totally separate languages that have nothing in common but the first 4 letters of their names.
So you are left with PHP, Perl, Python and Ruby.
Dismissing PHP and Perl out of hand is a big mistake, They are both major players and you will run into them just about everywhere. If you are looking to do this for possible employment you will need to be familiar with them at least.
Python and Ruby are both strong languages as well. I don't have a lot of experience with either so I can;t speak to their strengths but learnign either would not be a mistake.
Knowing what your reasons are for asking this, personal use or for employment, might help refine the list some.
regards
Message was edited by: Frank Caggiano - Perl is also included in OS X by default. Not sure about PHP but I believe it also is. I agree TextWrangler would be a good editor for this type of work.

A More Universal Scripting Language Than Applescript or Automator?

I want to learn a scripting language to automate events or actions on a schedule or by using shortcuts, and maybe a little more eventually (like web apps for example). I am looking for something that is not a program with a GUI like Automator, iKey, Quickeys, Maestro... I would rather learn a more "universal" language than Applescript. I've read a little bit about Javascript, Python, Ruby on Rails, PHP, Perl, C+, C++, and others, but I really don't know. I would prefer a language that can be used to program simple things in a simple way, but with a high learning curve. Does anyone have any suggestion(s)? Please let me know if you need any more details. Thanks

Another possibly better forum to ask this would be
https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os/mac_os_x_technologies

Sort files automatically to specified folders...?

I am trying to find a way in which I can drag and drop a file onto a folder so that upon doing so, the file is automatically placed within a sub-folder of that folder based on its file type...To clarify, I have a folder on my desktop called 'Misc Stuff'...inside this folder are about 8 or so folders name for the type of content within them (i.e. Video, Images, Audio, Documents, Links, etc...) As an example, I would like to be able to take a random PDF file I have laying around on my desktop and drag it onto this folder, which would subsequently move this PDF file to the 'Documents' folder that I have created within this folder. Does anyone know of an application, applescript, automator utility, QuicKeys/iKey Shortcut, or some other way of doing this? Please let me know. Thanks!

What I think will work is a Folder Action script. The details are in /Library/Scripts/ look at the supplied folder actiions and folder action scripts. For more details you need an Applescript book, probably The Definitive Guide by Matt Neuburg.

Automate save as reader extended pdf for commenting

Does anyone know a way to create an applet or droplet that will save a PDF as a reader-extended PDF for commenting?
I make lots of individual PDFs and each time I have to open the PDF and save as reader extended etc. Sometimes I forget.
Can this be done with Automator? Quickeys? An Acrobat Action? Applescript? I haven't figured it out yet but it sure would be helpful!

There is no Adobe supported means for automating the application of usage rights, apart from their LiveCycle Reader Extensions server-based product. This is a very intentional restriction.

Can Automator do ALL that Quickeys used to? (workflow question)

I'd like to be able to restart my xserve nightly to help one of my (pee-c) apps run more smoothly. I understand how to make an iCal-related trigger, and tossing the apps I want running into the start-up folder, but what about the typing of the text necessary for the server log in screen? How do I get Automator to add text, tab, then text, return?
I miss Quickeys. It seemed a lot more robust than Automator.
Thanks

How do I get Automator to add text, tab, then text, return?
papiamento,
Not having any experience with XServe I can't give you a definitive answer. As a guide, I can offer the following Automator workflow example, one which is designed to enter text into a field, tab to the next field, enter some different text, and then hit Return.
This example launches an application (Safari), opens a URL (my hotmail.com login page), types in my hotmail email address, hits the Tab key, types in my hotmail password and then hits Return (hotmail's Sign in button), thus logging me in to hotmail:
1) *Launch Application* -- From Automator's Finder library. From the drop-down menu I chose Safari.
2) *Get Specified URLs* -- From the Safari library. I deleted the default apple.com address, hit the "+" sign, added the URL for my hotmail login page and checked the box to make it active.
3) *Display Webpages* -- From the Safari library.
4) *Get Specified Text* -- From the TextEdit library. I simply typed my hotmail email address into the field provided.
5) *Copy to Clipboard* -- From the System library.
6) *Type Keystroke* -- this Automator action can be downloaded here. After installing the action and adding it to my workflow, I typed the letter "v" without the quotes into the field provided and checked Hold Down Command Key.
As an alternative, a Run Applescript action can be used in step 6 (and in step 10):
on run {input, parameters}
tell application "System Events"
keystroke "v" using command down
end tell
return input
end run
7) *Run AppleScript* -- From the Automator library. This step is designed to press the Tab key. Here's the script:
*on run {input, parameters}*
*tell application "System Events"*
*keystroke tab*
*end tell*
*return input*
*end run*
8) *Get Specified Text* -- Now that step 7 has tabbed the insertion point into the next (password) field, I needed to enter my hotmail password. I typed my password into the field provided.
9) *Copy To Clipboard*
10) *Type Keystroke* -- A repeat of step 6; I typed "v" and checked Hold Down Command Key.
11) *Run AppleScript* -- Needed in order to press Hotmail's Sign In button (hits the Return key):
*on run {input, parameters}*
*tell application "System Events"*
*keystroke return*
*end tell*
*return input*
*end run*
Note that GUI scripting must be enabled. Under System Preferences > Universal Access, make sure "Enable access for assistive devices" is checked.
Also note that an AppleScript by itself can be used to accomplish the same thing. Below is a modified version. Those with a hotmail account interested in trying it would first need to change the email address and password where indicated:
tell application "Safari"
activate
open location "http://login.live.com/login.srf?id=
2&svc=mail&cbid=24325&msppjph=
1&tw=0&fs=1&fsa=1&fsat=1296000&lc=
1033&_lang=EN&RU=http%3a%2f%2f
www.hotmail.msn.com%2fcgi-bin%2fsbox%
3frru%3d%252fcgi-bin%252fhmhome%
26reason%3dnocookies"
delay 3
tell application "System Events"
tell process "Safari"
set the clipboard to "[email protected]"
keystroke "v" using command down
keystroke tab
delay 1
set the clipboard to "MyPassword"
keystroke "v" using command down
keystroke return
end tell
end tell
end tell
Either the Automator workflow or the Applescript can be saved as an application, opened as a login item or opened via iCal.
Good luck!
Andrew99

How do I create text with Automator

I am trying to create a very simple macro, or text substation. I would like to hit 5 on my keyboard, and have a long text message appear, like a signature line at the end of an email. When I use record in Automator, it works. However, I cannot get the macro itself to execute.
Thanks in advance for your help.

AppleScripts do not, typically, trigger based on arbitrary events (such as a keypress), so there's no direct way to invoke your script in the way you describe.
(notwithstanding, of course, that your proposal would prevent you from ever typing '5' again).
If you want simple text substitution then check Keyboard preferences (System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Text) and create a new shortcut that the OS will automatically replace with a block of text.
If you want more involved actions then you may need some external app such as Keyboard Maestro or QuicKeys, both of which can perform actions based on specific keystrokes.

How to get applescript or automator to ask system to "detect displays"

I want to know how to get automator or applescript to "detect displays" (which is found in Displays prefpane). Thanks.

Sorry I'm late, but this page was the only Google find on "script detect displays"
when I checked on June 26, 2011. The script commands worked immediately for
me and I offer V.K. belated thanks if he/she is still around for having solved this
longstanding problem for me. I had written a script earlier trying to do this, but it
didn't work reliably so I gave up on trying to use it.
If jockebq is by chance still around, I would recommend that he/she try doing as
I did and use a more simple version of the script, namely:
tell application "System Events" to tell the front menu bar of process "SystemUIServer"
tell (first menu bar item whose value of attributes contains "displays")
    click
    tell 1st menu item of front menu
      click
    end tell
end tell
end tell
I have this saved as a normal .scpt script and assigned to ctrl-opt-shift-d
in QuicKeys. It works every time.
Roy McCoy
Rotterdam, NL

Can you help with automator & disk utility?

I'm trying to set up an automated "permissions repair" to run every night. I set up a workflow using automator and saved it as an iCal item. If I double-click on the resulting .app, or run from Automator, the workflow works as I expected, but all I find in the morning is an open Disk Utility with no repair performed & no error messages. Examining the log file confirms that nothing happened except the launch.
Here's what the wf does: Launch Application-Disk Utility, Watch Me Do-Click in the text "Macintosh HD" Click the "Repair DIsk Permissions" button, Pause-for 10 seconds, Play QuicKeys Shortcut-(types admin username, tab, admin password, enter).
Like I said, works just fine except when iCal runs it. What am I doing wrong?

..."I'm trying to set up an automated "permissions repair" to run every night."...
As others have mentioned, it shouldn't be necessary to "repair permissions" every night.
And if you are an administrator in charge computers used in a shared environment (eg. schools, libraries, a shared machine in a work place, etc.), I would go further and say that "repair permissions" should definitely not be run at all without verifying them first to make sure everything checks out, and certainly should not be automated unless some sort of verification routine is included.
With Leopard's version of "repair permissions", failure to exercise sufficient caution could allow even "standard" users to gain "root" level privileges.

Setting "automator" for a task

hello, i'm not sure if it's a software bug or what but it seems this issue is still going on. my volume reverts back to internal speakers when awaking from sleep even though line out is selected. i go into prefs and select line in, then line out and i have volume on my external speakers.
can i have automator do this for me when awaking from sleep? i've never used automator before so i'm a newbie.
thx

I have a similar problem with my new Mac Pro. I thought that it might be an issue with either Snow Leopard, which I hadn't had before, or with the Mac Pro. I thought I had found the problem: that I was using the old Apple sphere speakers that get their power via FireWire. Since this computer has no FW400 ports, I have the speakers' FW plugged into an external drive. Prior to this I had an iMac with FW400 ports. So I thought that it wasn't being recognized by the Sound Preferences as being plugged in upon startup since the drive starts just a hair after the computer. My solution was to do an Automator workflow for iCal since my computer is scheduled to come on at the same time every day. I scheduled the iCal script to run a few minutes after scheduled startup.
There were a couple of things to figure out there I tried doing it all with the Watch Me Do. Unfortunately, it always screwed up which menu item to choose when I used a drop down menu to open System Preferences. I solved that by using the Launch Application command, and chose System Preferences. Then I recorded the rest of the actions, and that worked.
My only problem now is that every time I restart or startup the computer manually, the Sound Pref reverts back to Internal Speakers. It seems to be fine awaking from sleep. The selection of Line Out is retained.
I was an old QuicKeys user, and with that, you were able to set conditions like upon startup, upon waking up, and that sort of thing. I don't see that in Automator. I saw recently that QuicKeys is available for OS X now. I may check that out. The old versions worked great.

Will automator work in Photoshop, and if so how?

Have just finally upgraded to 10.5 from 9.2.
Do a lot of work with photos which require a repetitive task ie change image size, change to cmyk etc. Used to have QuickKeys on 9.2 which did this automated job simply and easily. Have tried to see if automator, or the Photoshop automator section would do the same job, so far have been unable to sort it out. Has anyone any suggestions.
Can't understand why Apple didn't incorporate QuickKeys in System 10. Was a fantastic little program.

Paul
Here's some material for using Photoshop with Automator
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-gb&q=photoshop+automator&ie=UT F-8&oe=UTF-8
and the Quick Keys site is here
http://startly.com/products/quickeys/mac/4/
There are versions for almost everything you had on 9 available for X.
Regards
TD

Trigger a applescript or Quickeys event from a Logic Express SCORE WINDOW

I am using a wireless bluetooth midi device that sends a note on C60 midi command to logic express. I have the automation set to trigger the next note in the score window by just having a note on C60 trigger the RIGHT ARROW key. I want to trigger a Applescript, Quickey or start a video when the SCORE reaches a certain point. It could also be at the end of that score as well.
I am really stuck and ANY help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much.

Have partially answered my own question- have worked out how to change note sizes to the smaller cue-type display, not quite sure how to designate them non-playing though still appearing in the score though.

I can't figure automator out

i am relatively new to mac, and am trying to figure out how to launch an application with a keyboard shortcut. i couldn't find it in sys pref, so i stumbled across automator. i have created an action to launch the app, but how do you get it to run without being inside of automator? or am i just way off on how to accomplish this task?
thanks in advance

It won't work as a pure keyboard shortcut... there are other methods available (like using Spotlight or Quicksilver as a launcher or use something like QuicKeys X). For more ideas try searching on http://www.versiontracker.com.
With Automator, there are a number of ways that a workflow can be saved.
1. Application - double click it to run just like any other application or put it on your Dock
2. Plugin:
a. Finder Plugin - gets placed in the contextual (Ctrl/right-click) menu of Finder
b. iCal Alarm - can be scheduled as the alarm action for iCal events
c. Folder Action - runs automatically whenever the contents of the assigned folder change
d. Script Menu - added to the Script menu (scroll icon) on the top main menubar
e. Print Workflow - added under the PDF options in the Print dialog
f. Image Capture (never really used that one)
For more information on Automator, take a look at
http://www.automator.us
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/automator/

Automator Help With Mouse Movement and Click

Hi all, thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
I'm trying to use Automator to go into my Volume Purchasing Program purchase history (in Chrome) and download each redemption code spreadsheet. I will need the automator script to scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'More Purchases', wait for the page to load, and repeat that many many times. (I have a lot of purchases on my account.) Then I would like to write a second script that I will run after all of the purchases are shown that will click 'Download Codes' for each line. I've done this by hand for over 2 hours now and still have a long ways to go. Figured Automator could help me out.
Any tips on how to accomplish this? I've tried recording my actions but when I play it back, it won't even switch to Chrome.

I have not found automator to be very good at doing this kind of thing.
It is theoretically possible to have applescripts imbedded in Automator that will choose from a dropdown menu, but I have also not found that to be too reliable.
I have had much better luck with Startly - QuicKeys 4 for Mac OS X

Unable to capture startup and shutdown event of Photoshop in automation Plugin.

Hi,
I am creating an automation plugin and I want to register some events. I have seen listener plugin sample to register event in startup and unregister event in shutdown. I have used same code in my plugin but I am unable to capture the startup nad shutdown event of Photoshop. On clicking the menu item of my plugin the calls come inside the AutoPluginMain but during the startup or shutdown of plugin, the calls does not come inside the AutoPluginMain.
I am unable to detect the cause of the problem. Can someone please giude me??
Thanks in advance.

Hi Tom,
Thanks for the suggestion.
Yes, I am working on Windows. As you suggested, I compiled .rc file but the compile option for .r file was disabled. After compiling the .rc file, I again rebuild the complete project and tested my build. But still I was not able to achive the desired result.
Any other thing that I need to do to make it work?
Thanks

Automator vs QuicKeys

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for