Tools for automating MAC:
Before looking at the best tools for automating MAC stand-alone applications, let’s have a glance at ‘Standalone application’ !
A standalone application is an application that runs locally on the device and doesn’t require anything else to be functional. All the logic is built into the app, so it doesn’t need an internet connection nor any other services installed.
They are not bound to any specific platform, and there is no need for installing them, which makes them a better solution for your problem no matter what platform you are.
Well, there are a limitless number of tools available for automating Mac standalone applications. But, we are listing out the very best tools only!
Automator:
“Don’t repeat yourself”! If you are already fed up by doing the task repeatedly, and it’s so boring, then there is a solution for it! Apple has developed an automation framework called “Automator.”It has been around for more than a period of ten years! It is free and comes along with OS X and provides a drag and drop Graphical User Interface to automate the tasks. This makes the work super easy. You do not need any scripting knowledge as automator workflows are easy to create with the GUI.
For example, When you are very busy, you don’t realize how many apps you have opened. And it is very time-consuming to close all the apps by yourself. But with the help of Automator, you will be able to quit all the apps at once!
The Automator library consists of hundreds of actions that help you to create workflows.So, a workflow is nothing but a series of actions to be performed for a task.These actions can interact with the applications of macOS. To perform the tasks using an Automator, you need to trigger the workflows. A hotkey, a folder action, a Services trigger, or an application are some of the triggers.
Tools for automating MAC - automator
Now let’s have a look at the types of workflows you can create using Automator!
- Workflow: It is nothing but a collection of one or more actions. It can be run from within an Automator. It can run as an application and is triggered by folder action, service action, voice command, etc.
- Application: Application is a standalone workflow. These are self-running applications. It runs when you open it or drop files or folders on to it.
- Quick Action: You can add these Quick Action workflows to Services Menu, Touch bar and finder window.
- Service: This triggers workflow as a part of the Contextual Services menu. They accept text or files from the current application or the Finder. They appear in the Service Menu.
- Image Capture: This workflow runs in the Image Capture Application.
- Dictation Command: We can run the workflow using a specified voice command, such as opening a specified file.
- Calendar Alarm: This workflow runs when a calendar event occurs.
Automation workflows can save you from repetitive tasks like typing, clicking, cursor movements, image resize, rotation and many more.Also, whenever you have multiple applications that perform action on the same file, you can use Automator.
Keyboard maestro:
Keyboard Maestro is a premiere automation software for macOS that allows you to customize your computer. It is termed as the most powerful Mac automation app available that can automate any tasks, Control applications and manipulate text/images.It can automate tasks that range from simple to very complex using its hundreds of Built-in actions.
Here, you can create a macro by adding any number of actions from the list of actions available in the software.The actions are combined using Full Flow Control with variables,controls and loops.Scripted actions like apple script,javascript, python etc., can also be used .The macros are triggered by many triggers like hotkey,Application,Folder,Login,Remote and many more.
The three major functionalities of Keyboard Maestro includ
Automate Any Tasks : It can certainly automate anything right from a simple task like launching a page to trivial complicated tasks like multi-application reporting systems.
Control Apps: It can control the apps like open the app,play music,typing your email,open specific documents etc.,It can also help you to fill the forms and generate the reports.
Manipulate text and images: It handles texts and images by transform texts, filter clipboards, file downloads ,create images with text ,extract text from images etc.,
APPLE SCRIPT:
Applescript is a scripting language used to automate the mac actions and applications.It comes as a built-in application with macOS and is simple & powerful.Experience in any programming language is beneficial for the users of Applescript.But, the scripting language is like english-like verbs,nouns and articles, which is easy to understand.“Say”,”tell application”,”display dialog” are examples of simple commands in this script.If you have repeated and time consuming manual tasks, then applescript is a best solution.
TextExpander:
Quoted “The Indispensable Typing Shortcut Tool For Busy People”; we can find Mac version features through this. Also, it can create snippet groups, assigning abbreviations, and also can add predefined groups here. It helps to configure the keyboard shortcuts, which expands automatically to significant texts. This tool can be a massive time saver when you are doing repetitive writing tasks.
It allows you to save texts, phrases, or even entire paragraphs as shortcuts. For example, if you want to type out your email address, you have to type the alternative that you have given, and it will display your entire Email.
Conclusion:
Automating the manual and repeated tasks makes your life easier and improves the speed,accuracy,scalability and consistency. The right choice depends on your need. But, each tool has its pros and cons. So, before you pick the best tool for you, be sure that it satisfies the requirement.All these tools are well documented and easy to understand.
Content Contributors: Swetha G, & Ranvitha Rao, (QAonCloud)