Automator

"Otto the Automator" is the software's mascot

Automator is a visual scripting technology developed by Apple for automating application workflows in macOS. It was first implemented in Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger", released on April 29, 2005. With the release of macOS Monterey in 2021, Automator is being superseded by Shortcuts, which can import Automator workflows.

Ease of use

Automator's user interface

Automator allows point-and-click ease for automating repetitive tasks. Automator enables the repetition of tasks across a wide variety of programs, including the Finder, the Safari web browser, iCal, Address Book and others. It can also work with third-party applications such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop.

Although Automator uses AppleScript and/or Cocoa, it requires no expertise in these languages whatsoever.

Usage

Automator comes with a library of many Actions (file renaming, finding linked images, creating a new mail message, etc.), all of which act as individual steps in a Workflow document. A Workflow document then can be used to carry out repetitive tasks. A user can also save these Workflows so that it can be used over and over again, whenever it is needed. UNIX command line scripts can also be invoked as Actions.

See also

• AppleScript

External links

• Automator at Apple (archived 2007-10-11, 2005-04-14)
  • Automator at Apple Developer
  • Automator User Guide at Apple Support
• Automator at macOS Automation
• Automator at Wikipedia

Articles

• What Automator can do for you by Kenny Hemphill at Macworld UK (2015-03-27)

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