Frens, UI Actions (beta) 0.9.2 is out, my #macOS "script all the things” #Shortcuts app that lets you control any other app that has windows, menus, buttons, or accepts keyboard input.
This new version adds windows support, so now you can work with app windows using the #ShortcutsApp. It's kinda neat, I think, if still a bit bare-bones, but hey: It's an early beta. 😉
Any #Shortcuts action dictates the name of its return value. For example, "Ask For Input" has a return value that is named "Provided Input”; if you use more than one instance of any action in your workflow, then all their return values will be named the same, which can be pretty confusing.
So I've made a quick video about how to rename those result values in your #macOS/ #iOS Shortcuts workflows:
So I'm working on another #macOS app that adds #Shortcuts support to apps that don't have them. Namely… to all of them. 😅
UI Actions adds #ShortcutsApp actions for selecting/showing menus, clicking buttons, hitting keys, typing text. It's a very reduced set of functions right now but I wanted to get the beta out of the door, and “perfect” is the enemy of "ever”.
macOS 13.3+. The public beta opens (checks watch) now. And here's the website:
I'm sure I forgot a lot of things but to be fair, it was a long day and I'm ready for a walk.
So, if UI Actions sounds like something you'd be interested in, please check out the beta at https://actions.work/ui-actions, and let me know what you think! Thanks in advance 🙏🏼
For anyone interested in backing up their #shortcuts from the #shortcutsapp to the Collections Database app that recently sponsored @macstories, here’s a guide and template I put together if you’d like to use it.
#ShortcutsApp on #macOS 14.4.0 not giving a shit about what I set in my app’s actions and just reporting the default value is a nice touch. I clearly remember it working fine on 14.3.
Thank you to Apple for using the dumbest possible names so that any time I try to search for info about the #shortcutsapp , all I get is lists of keyboard shortcuts to do stuff on my computer. Exhibit A is Mail, Exhibit B is Photos. I don't how many laps through the alphabet we are by the time we get to #shortcuts .
I just wanted some general info and places to look besides @matthewcassinelli 's timeline (:
I'm very much at the point where I’m pulling my hair out, yelling at the screen. Because just like with v2024.1.1, this EXACT SAME BUILD works a-okay locally and in TestFlight.
But if I propagate the build to the App Store, the buttons stop working. There is nothing in those buttons that is checking for AppStore/TestFlight. 🤬
App Store review taking 2 days every time isn’t helpful, either.
Using #ShortcutsApp on #iOS: #ChatGPT actions asking me to log in when the app itself clearly recognizes me as being logged in, that must be the AI smarts everyone is talking about, right
Support for saving files is pretty convenient! For example, creating a workflow which snaps a picture, stores it in your vault, and then creates a note referencing/embedding the new photo is trivial.
FYI: The string-based vault parameter (i.e. "type in your vault name") will be removed in Actions for Obsidian 1.5.
For most customers, this won't be of interest, because since version 1.3 introduced the vault menu (which 1.5 builds upon!), the text-based parameter was only available in existing pre-1.3 workflows. Meaning: You couldn't even access it when adding a fresh AFO action to your shortcuts!
In other news, Actions for Obsidian 1.5 will let you work with images and attachments in your vault, and I think that’s pretty cool but then again, I'm the schmock who's building it, so …
Nice to see a couple of new #actions in the 17.4 #iOSBeta version of the #ShortcutsApp. The “Get Orientation” one is particularly welcomed, as previous native workarounds for detecting the device orientation in a #shortcut stopped working in #iOS17. While there are 3rd party apps with additional #shortcuts actions, they often fly under the radar for most users.
#iOS 17.3 is finally here, and the #ShortcutsApp still suffers from show-stopping bugs 😓 The image shows what I have to do when I want my #shortcut to interact with the user: two “Open App” actions before any dialog, to ensure the dialog will be shown correctly. Every time.
Am I going to stop using #shortcuts? No. They’re still useful. But I’ll stop sharing new ones because the extra work required by the workarounds and the worsening of the use experience are not worth it.
How to extract sender, subject and mail link from the current mail in Apple's Mail.app. Useful if you want to take a note about that mail!
The link it produces will find and open the mail again from anywhere on your local device, so you could crosslink the mail from Notes or #ObsidianMD or whathaveyou. Enjoy!