Apple® Automator with AppleScript® Bible

Chapter 3. Automator Basics

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Opening Automator for the first time

• The Automator interface

• What are workflows?

• What kinds of workflows are possible?

• What are actions?

• What else can I do with actions?

• How can workflows be saved?

• What are Templates?

In this chapter, you'll learn about Automator: its interface, how to put together workflows, what actions are, and many of the same topics covered in the Quick Start chapter, but with more detail. By the end of this chapter, you'll also learn how to save your workflows in different configurations. All of this will prepare you for Chapter 4, in which you'll learn about more advanced topics like variables and loops.

Opening Automator for the First Time

You can find Automator under Applications

Here's something else that you'll notice when you open Automator: It asks you to select a template. Don't worry about any of that now; just select Workflow and click Choose. It's time to take a quick tour of the Automator interface.

The Automator Interface

This section takes a closer look at the Automator interface. You got a very brief rundown in the Quick Start chapter, and I'll be covering some of the same ground here, but this time, I'll go at a slower pace.

Figure 3.1 shows the entire Automator interface. It's a shot that's pretty similar to the one you saw in the Quick Start chapter.

Figure 3.1. The Automator interface

The Automator interface is ...