Every task – no matter how enjoyable – becomes a burden if it needs to be performed tons of times in a short period of time. Think of resizing images: it might be a simple task and unbothersome once or twice, but how about resizing 300 images to the same size? Instead of downloading a third party app for this specific task, try using Automator, a powerful utility designed to handle such repetitive processes.
Automator is a part of every macOS, and when you discover how powerful this utility is and how much brainpower it is able to save, you’ll likely use it as part of your daily routine for such tasks as resizing image batches, combining multiple PDFs into one document, saving text as audio, and much more.
Automator allows users to choose from eight different templates, which dictates how the workflow derives its input. Workflows are like recipes: they are the result of a customized set of actions that act as ingredients. Each action is a single step in the task, and the order of tasks is from top to bottom.
Building a workflow in Automator is pretty easy, as it has hundreds of presets. Just select the action from the Library and drag it to the right into the workflow area. The actions in this area are linked, with the output of one becoming the input for the next. As such, there are some scripts you can create for yourself to optimize your workflow on the Mac.
Select “Application” from the template selection, and hit “Choose”.
Select the “Files and Folders” to display the actions included in this set.
Drag the “Copy Finder Items” action into the workflow area.
Select “Application” from the template chooser.
From the PDFs set, drag the “Combine PDF Pages” as the next step into the workflow.
Leave “Appendix Pages” selected.
Select the “Service” option when creating a new Automator workflow.
Click on “Music” in “Library” and drag “Text to Audio File” into the workflow area.
You’ll see a name next to the “System Voice” option. Select any of the names from the dropdown menu, and listen to the voice by hitting the play button.
This service is for scenarios when you are driving, for example, and want to have the selected text in an audio format so you can listen to it when the situation doesn’t allow reading.
This Automator workflow will help you identify big files, and either move them to trash or to a folder where they can be more easily reviewed. This could easily become an addictive Automator workflow, because every time you double-click on the application, Automator will scan the selected folders and move all relevant items that comply with the specified rules into trash. Hence, you’ll free up space on your Mac in an instant. The only thing that needs your input then is emptying the trash.
Select “Application” from the workflow options.
From the “Files & Folders” library select and drag the “Find Finder Items” into the workflow working area.
Select the folder you want Automator to scan.
If you don’t want your files to end up in trash directly, you can always replace step six with “Move Finder Items” and choose a folder to move the files into. This will act as a file collector and give you the opportunity to review them before moving them into trash.
Advanced Mac users with basic programming knowledge can take this Automator utility to the next level by writing custom scripts. For example, it is possible to automatically clean the Safari cache, history and cookies, or delete .DMG files that are ejected just by using a custom script and the very powerful Automator utility.
For the rest of us, this can be achieved either manually or by using Mac optimization software such as CleanMyMac, OnyX, or the like.
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