How to Use Automator to Automate Tasks in Mac OS Mojave

How to Use Automator to Automate Tasks in Mac OS Mojave

Are you tired of performing the same tasks over and over again on your Mac? If you find yourself doing the same thing more than once, there’s a good chance you can automate it using Automator.

Automator is a powerful tool that comes with every copy of Mac OS X. It’s designed to help you automate repetitive tasks, and it can be a real lifesaver if you find yourself performing the same actions over and over again.

In this article, we’ll show you how to use Automator to automate tasks in Mac OS Mojave. We’ll start by creating a simple workflow to rename a group of files, and then we’ll move on to more complex tasks like creating a droplet that can resize images.

Ready to get started? Let’s go!

Creating a Workflow

Before we dive into the details of how to use Automator, let’s take a look at how to create a workflow.

A workflow is a series of actions that Automator will perform in order. You can string together as many actions as you like, and you can even add conditions that will cause Automator to skip certain actions if they’re not necessary.

To create a workflow, launch Automator and choose the type of document you want to create. For our purposes, we’re going to choose “Workflow.”

Next, you’ll be asked to choose a location for the workflow. You can save it anywhere you like, but we recommend saving it in the “Applications” folder so it’s easy to find later.

Once you’ve chosen a location, you’ll be presented with a list of available actions. These are the building blocks of your workflow, and you can string them together to create just about anything you can imagine.

Take some time to explore the available actions, and drag the ones you want to use into the workflow area on the right. As you add actions, Automator will automatically connect them together.

You can rearrange the order of the actions by dragging them around, and you can delete them by selecting them and pressing the “delete” key on your keyboard.

When you’re finished adding actions, it’s time to test your workflow. To do that, simply click the “Run” button in the upper-right corner of the Automator window.

If everything goes as planned, your workflow will run without any errors and you’ll see the results in the “Output” pane on the right.

Now that you know how to create a workflow, let’s take a look at how to use Automator to automate some common tasks.

Renaming a Group of Files

One of the most common tasks that people use Automator for is renaming a group of files. This can be a real timesaver if you have a bunch of files that need to be renamed manually.

To rename a group of files, launch Automator and create a new “Workflow” document. Then, drag the “Get Selected Finder Items” action from the “Files & Folders” category into the workflow area.

Next, drag the “Rename Finder Items” action from the “Files & Folders” category into the workflow area.

Now, it’s time to configure the actions. First, double-click on the “Get Selected Finder Items” action to reveal its settings.

In the “Options” section, make sure the “Copy Finder Items” checkbox is deselected. This will ensure that your original files are not deleted when the workflow runs.

Next, double-click on the “Rename Finder Items” action to reveal its settings.

In the “Rename Finder Items” settings, choose the “Name Single Item” option from the “Action” drop-down menu. Then, enter a name for the file in the “with” field.

If you want to add a number to the end of the file name (for example, if you’re renaming a series of images), you can use the “#” character. Automator will automatically add a number to the end of each file name, starting with 1.

When you’re finished, your workflow should look like this:

Now, it’s time to test your workflow. Select a group of files in the Finder, and then click the “Run” button in the Automator window.

If everything goes as planned, your files will be renamed and saved in the same location.

Creating a Droplet

A droplet is a special type of workflow that can be run from the Finder. Droplets are handy because you can simply drag and drop files onto them, and they’ll automatically perform the tasks you’ve configured them to do.

To create a droplet, launch Automator and create a new “Workflow” document. Then, drag the “Get Selected Finder Items” action from the “Files & Folders” category into the workflow area.

Next, drag the “Copy Finder Items” action from the “Files & Folders” category into the workflow area.

Now, it’s time to configure the actions. First, double-click on the “Copy Finder Items” action to reveal its settings.

In the “Copy Finder Items” settings, choose the “Replace Existing Files” option from the “If Duplicate Files” drop-down menu. This will ensure that your droplet doesn’t create duplicate files when it runs.

When you’re finished, your workflow should look like this:

Now, it’s time to save your workflow as a droplet. To do that, click the “File” menu and choose “Save As.”

In the “Save As” dialog, choose “Application” from the “File Format” drop-down menu. Then, give your droplet a name and choose a location to save it.

When you’re finished, click the “Save” button.

You should now see your droplet in the Finder. You can test it by selecting a group of files and dragging them onto the droplet icon.

If everything goes as planned, your files will be copied to the location you specified when you saved the droplet.

Resizing Images

If you’re a photographer or graphic designer, you probably find yourself resizing images on a regular basis. This can be a real pain if you have to do it manually, but luckily Automator can help.

To resize images, launch Automator and create a new “Workflow” document. Then, drag the “Get Selected Finder Items” action from the “Files & Folders” category into the workflow area.

Next, drag the “Scale Images” action from the “Photos” category into the workflow area.

Now, it’s time to configure the actions. First, double-click on the “Scale Images” action to reveal its settings.

In the “Scale Images” settings, choose the “Custom” option from the “To Size” drop-down menu. Then, enter the width and height you want your images to be in the “Width” and “Height” fields.

When you’re finished, your workflow should look like this:

Now, it’s time to test your workflow. Select a group of images in the Finder, and then click the “Run” button in the Automator window.

If everything goes as planned, your images will be resized and saved in the same location.

Creating a Calendar Event

If you use Apple’s Calendar application, you probably find yourself creating the same events over and over again. For example, you might have a weekly meeting that always happens on the same day and time.

Luckily, Automator can help you automate the process of creating calendar events. To do that, launch Automator and create a new “Workflow” document.

Then, drag the “New Calendar Event” action from the “Calendar” category into the workflow area.

Now, it’s time to configure the action. Double-click on the “New Calendar Event” action to reveal its settings.

In the “New Calendar Event” settings, enter the title, location, and other details for the event. You can also choose when the event should occur by clicking the “Date & Time” field and entering the date and time.

When you’re finished, your workflow should look like this:

Now, it’s time to test your workflow. Click the “Run” button in the Automator window, and a new event will be created in your calendar.

If everything goes as planned, your event will be created and saved in the calendar you specified.

Creating a Contact

If you use Apple’s Contacts application, you probably find yourself creating the same contacts over and over again. For example, you might have a client that you need to add to your contacts list on a regular basis.

Luckily, Automator can help you automate the process of creating contacts. To do that, launch Automator and create a new “Workflow” document.

Then, drag the “New Contact” action from the “Contacts” category into the workflow area.

Now, it’s time to configure the action. Double-click on the “New Contact” action to reveal its settings.

In the “New Contact” settings, enter the first name, last name, and other details for the contact. You can also choose which contact group the contact should be added to by clicking the