How to write your own Automator Actions...
- Thread starter Ric
- Start date
Before we start...
...back up your Mac !
(For no other reason, than you should!)
Now go to Apple Developer Website and sign up...just for the basic Account it's free !!! You have to be a member to Download !!!
Now, you need to either download the latest version of Xcode (Developers Tools !) from here, latest version. or load it on to your Mac from the supplied DVD that came with it, you will more than likely have to download !
Download vers 2.1, not the pre release 2.2 !
Now get yourself a coffee, it's a 800mb download !
...back up your Mac !
(For no other reason, than you should!)
Now go to Apple Developer Website and sign up...just for the basic Account it's free !!! You have to be a member to Download !!!
Now, you need to either download the latest version of Xcode (Developers Tools !) from here, latest version. or load it on to your Mac from the supplied DVD that came with it, you will more than likely have to download !
Download vers 2.1, not the pre release 2.2 !
Now get yourself a coffee, it's a 800mb download !
...off we go again.
First you need an idea !
Well we are are going to use the "Make Alias" Action that I made earlier...
Now we need to open Xcode.
Then goto the File Menu and click "New Project"
Now you have some choices...
This will be an AppleScript Automator Action...
...in Xcode you can 'make' 3 types of Actions, it depends on your needs and what language you want to work in.
The three choice are...
1) AppleScript Automator Action
This project builds an Automator action using AppleScript.
2) Cocoa Automator Action
This project builds an Automator action using Cocoa.
3) Shell Script Automator Action
This project builds an Automator action using shell scripting.
First you need an idea !
Well we are are going to use the "Make Alias" Action that I made earlier...
Now we need to open Xcode.
Then goto the File Menu and click "New Project"
Now you have some choices...
This will be an AppleScript Automator Action...
...in Xcode you can 'make' 3 types of Actions, it depends on your needs and what language you want to work in.
The three choice are...
1) AppleScript Automator Action
This project builds an Automator action using AppleScript.
2) Cocoa Automator Action
This project builds an Automator action using Cocoa.
3) Shell Script Automator Action
This project builds an Automator action using shell scripting.
Well I'm not going to tell, not yet any way, that would take a whole book !
What I am going to explain, is all the bits that we are interested in...
...first
The top bar, "Toolbar"
This can be customised to how you want, mine doesn't normally look like this, but this 'is' the default ToolBar that you should see !
There's nothing here that you need to change, until you know a bit more. But the important bits are...
On the left:
Make Alias
Active Target
This is the name of our "Target" the target is the 'bit' that we are making...in normal circumstances this would be an Application...but we are making an Action in this case !
You can have more than one Target, but this is not something you need to worry about now, it is not needed for building an Action !
Action
Like in other Apps, it allows easy access to useful menu's and shortcuts. For now you don't really need it.
'Build' & 'Build and Go'
Now we're getting some where...
These buttons do what they say...
Build...this builds your 'Project' once all the elements have been made you click on the Build button and Xcode compiles your Project into the 'Target'.
Your new Project, whether it be an Application, Action, ScreenSaver etc would now be available to test.
Sometimes when you press build...Xcode will 'not' compile the Project because it finds errors in your code etc. This is were you move on to debugging !
Because we are making an Automator Action, we will use the 'Build and Go' button.
When we press the BaG button (BaG) Xcode will compile the Action, and then open Automator and place our Action in it so that we can test...
...try it, even though, all we have done so far is open Xcode, picked a Template and given it a name...
Click the BaG button and watch...amazing !
You should see something like this !
What I am going to explain, is all the bits that we are interested in...
...first
The top bar, "Toolbar"
This can be customised to how you want, mine doesn't normally look like this, but this 'is' the default ToolBar that you should see !
There's nothing here that you need to change, until you know a bit more. But the important bits are...
On the left:
Make Alias
Active Target
This is the name of our "Target" the target is the 'bit' that we are making...in normal circumstances this would be an Application...but we are making an Action in this case !
You can have more than one Target, but this is not something you need to worry about now, it is not needed for building an Action !
Action
Like in other Apps, it allows easy access to useful menu's and shortcuts. For now you don't really need it.
'Build' & 'Build and Go'
Now we're getting some where...
These buttons do what they say...
Build...this builds your 'Project' once all the elements have been made you click on the Build button and Xcode compiles your Project into the 'Target'.
Your new Project, whether it be an Application, Action, ScreenSaver etc would now be available to test.
Sometimes when you press build...Xcode will 'not' compile the Project because it finds errors in your code etc. This is were you move on to debugging !
Because we are making an Automator Action, we will use the 'Build and Go' button.
When we press the BaG button (BaG) Xcode will compile the Action, and then open Automator and place our Action in it so that we can test...
...try it, even though, all we have done so far is open Xcode, picked a Template and given it a name...
Click the BaG button and watch...amazing !
You should see something like this !
Coffee break over...
Now because this Action that we are developing has no 'user' input we don't need to create a user interface...
Have a look at some of the supplied Actions and you will see what I mean...
This has a User Input
This has No User Input
Now because this Action that we are developing has no 'user' input we don't need to create a user interface...
Have a look at some of the supplied Actions and you will see what I mean...
This has a User Input
This has No User Input
Do a save, then up to the 'Build Menu' and click 'Clean All Targets' this removes any elements that have been compiled, so when we do the next BaG it will be done using the elements that are now in our Project.
When you click 'Clean All Targets' a dialog box pops up...
"Also remove all Precompiled headers" should be ticked, then press the clean all targets button...
If you don't do the Clean...then when you do the next BaG it will look exactly as before !
On the next then a BaG... (Build and Go !)
...you should now see something like this in Automator.
As you can see, it's now shrunk in size, the same as the Eject Disk Action...
When you click 'Clean All Targets' a dialog box pops up...
"Also remove all Precompiled headers" should be ticked, then press the clean all targets button...
If you don't do the Clean...then when you do the next BaG it will look exactly as before !
On the next then a BaG... (Build and Go !)
...you should now see something like this in Automator.
As you can see, it's now shrunk in size, the same as the Eject Disk Action...