An Automation Golden Age

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An Automation Golden Age

I’ve mentioned several times on my podcasts that we’re experiencing a renaissance in automation, particularly on the Mac. This shift isn’t driven by a single tool but rather by the interoperability of a collection of tools.

AppleScript has been available on the Mac for decades, offering significant automation opportunities if you want to learn it. AppleScript allows users to connect applications and work with the same data to accomplish unified tasks. However, for many, learning AppleScript was a challenge. Programmers found it too different from traditional programming languages, and non-programmers struggled with its syntax. As a result, AppleScript adoption remained relatively small.

Apple and Sal Soghoian introduced Automator in early 2005 to address this, bringing drag-and-drop automation with its original version. Meanwhile, tools like Keyboard Maestro and Hazel, developed outside of Apple, have been actively filling the gaps in Apple’s automation solutions for years.

Then came Shortcuts (né Workflow). Initially developed for iOS, Shortcuts is now firmly embedded in the Mac ecosystem. It’s a spiritual (if not direct) descendant of Automator, and in recent years, these tools have learned to work together. You can run Keyboard Maestro macros from Shortcuts, and Shortcuts can be triggered from within Hazel. Users can now mix and match these tools to create robust automation chains, combining the strengths of each.

For those willing to invest the time to master—or at least gain a working knowledge of—these tools, few tasks on the Mac can’t be automated today.

The next big shift in this process is the integration of artificial intelligence. AI is already proving useful in helping generate automation, but if Apple Intelligence can fully tap into user data while still protecting user privacy and integrate it with Shortcuts, we could see a new era of powerful, personalized automation. This leap could be as significant as the jump from AppleScript to Automator. Of course, this depends on Apple getting both Apple Intelligence and the integration right, but I suspect this is already on the big whiteboard in Cupertino.

Shortcuts and Apple Intelligence both use the Intents system to work their magic. Developers who build for Shortcuts benefit from Apple Intelligence and vice versa. With this common architecture, I believe Apple will eventually tighten the connections between Shortcuts and Apple Intelligence. It won’t happen overnight, but over the coming years, I expect this combination to become the next frontier of automation in the Apple ecosystem.

Hazel 5.2

Hazel, my favorite file and document automation app for the Mac just got the version 5.2 update. Improvements include:

Support for macOS Ventura.
Revamped relocate folder interface (now called “Replace Folder”).
Numerous fixes.

Full release notes can be found here.

This is a free update if you purchased Hazel 5. If you are running version 4 or earlier, you can purchase an upgrade for $20. The price is the same regardless of whether you have a single user license or family pack.

Because of the Hazel Field Guide, I hear from folks pretty often that are new to the magic of this app. There really is nothing like it for document and file automation. My congratulations to Hazel on another solid update.

The Hazel Field Guide 2021 Update and Discount

Over the past several weeks, I’ve been busy recording new screencasts for the Hazel Field Guide. Hazel recently released version 5, which doesn’t make many changes to the way the application works, but lots of changes to the way the application looks. Hazel is now an app, not a system preference.

I decided that it didn’t make sense to make a new edition of the Hazel Field Guide because there isn’t a lot of new features to cover, and it didn’t make sense to charge everyone a second time. So instead, I’ve made a free update with 14 new videos clocking in a little over 30 minutes.

Get the Free Update

If you’ve already purchased the Hazel Field Guide, just log in, and you’ll see a lot of videos with (2021) in the name. Those are the new ones. The captioning and transcripts are still in process and will be uploading over the next few weeks.

Get It on Sale

If you haven’t purchased the Hazel Field Guide, now’s the time. I’ve lowered the price from $29 to $19, but that’s only good for a week. Enjoy.

Hazel 5 and the Next Hazel Field Guide

With the release of Big Sur, Paul Kim released a brand new version of Hazel. Version 5 adds several new features. Just a few of them include:

Support for macOS Big Sur.
A standalone app form factor instead of a preference pane.
A pile of UI improvements making creating and organizing rules easier and better.
Way better match text tools

If you purchased Hazel 4 anytime during 2020, you can upgrade for free. Otherwise, the upgrade is $20. I paid immediately. I’ve received a lot of email about the Hazel Field Guide. With this new interface and toolset, I will be making a second edition Hazel Field Guide in early 2021. It will be a new purchase but have an upgrade price for prior customers. Stay tuned.

Hazel is Catalina Ready and Discount on Hazel Field Guide

When Catalina first released, there were a few tricky problems for Hazel. Those are all resolved now and version 4.4 is out fully and updated for Catalina. I’ve been running it for a while and have no problems. I have heard from several listeners that were holding off on their Catalina update until Hazel was ready. Now it is. For version 4 owners, this is a free update. To celebrate, I am putting the Hazel Field Guide on sale for a week. Use code HAZELLOVESCATALINA to get five dollars off.

Hazel 4.1 Update

I’m a little late on this story but Hazel got a very nice update over the last few months. The new version 4.1 adds several useful features including:

Better date matching
The ability to make a match based on file attributes of another file in the same folder
There’s also a new token for “any non-blank character”

These and other additions make this a nice improvement to an already useful Mac utility. I’m working on some new video content based on the updates. It will get added to the Hazel Video Field Guide when it’s finished. I’m not making any promises on a release date just yet.

Happy Birthday Hazel

Today Hazel, one of my favorite Mac utilities, turns 10. Hazel takes care of me every day renaming and filing documents and so much more. In celebration the app is 50% off for a short time. For today only it’s just $16. If you’ve not purchased Hazel yet, today’s your day. Want to learn more about Hazel? There’s a pretty good video on that.

The Hazel Video Field Guide

I’m pleased to announce the release of my latest Video Field Guide. This one is all about Hazel. For years, Hazel has been one of the best kept secrets on the Mac. Using Hazel, anybody can automate large portions of their work. The thing I love about Hazel is the way it can turn mere mortals into automation gods. Anybody can do this. You don’t need a lick of programming knowledge.

The Hazel Video Field Guide assumes that the viewer has no knowledge of Hazel and starts with the basics but by the end ramps up to advanced techniques including home automation via Hazel. One of the workflows, for instance, shows the viewer how to automatically lock their Mac when they leave their home or office using a combination of IFTTT, a simple AppleScript, and Hazel.

The Hazel Video Field Guide is a two-and-a-half hour video screencast with 35 separate chapter markers that teaches you everything you need to know about Hazel. You can start the screencast without knowing a thing about it and by the end of the screencast you’ll be using Hazel to automate everything from filing your bills to having your Mac play some of your favorite music as you arrive home. There is a lot you can do with Hazel and this screencast explains it all including:

1. MASTER OF DOCUMENTS

Hazel will manage your documents for you. Not only can Hazel help you name and file documents, it can also reach inside documents and look at their contents and then use that data in naming the file and putting it in the right place. Hazel is a document management beast and both more efficient and reliable than having a human manage electronic documents. Hazel is also an excellent copilot as you start tagging files. Some of the workflows in this Video Field guide explain how to automatically apply tags to categories of documents so you have the benefit of tagging without the work of creating them.

2. TAMER OF FILES

Hazel can do a remarkable job of cleaning up after you on your Mac. Hazel can keep an eye on any folder on your Mac, including your downloads folder and your desktop, and keep things nice and tidy. Set your rules once and never have a messy computer again.

3. MEDIA AUTOMATION

Sorting and filing your media is a pain in the neck. Hazel can take this burden on for you. Using Hazel, you can have your images automatically filed in the Photos application or you can have Hazel automatically sort and organize folders full of images by their date. You can even use a Hazel to automatically rename your images while you’re organizing them. Hazel can also manager music for you. Hazel has the ability to automatically import new music into iTunes so you don’t have to.

4. REMOTE CONTROL

Not many people realize what a powerful tool Hazel can be for automation. Hazel is always watching. It will jump into action with something as simple as a new text file being added to your hard drive. Moreover, once Hazel kicks in, it can do just about anything on your Mac. One section of this Video Field Guide demonstrates how you can use AppleScript and services like IFTTT to easily create automation scripts for your Mac. One of the sample Hazel workflows will automatically lock your Mac when you leave your house. Another will play your favorite music when you arrive home. Once you understand how these work, and I demonstrate every step, you can alter the scripts to make your Mac do just about anything you want at anytime you want.

5. Manage Your Trash and Smart App Deletion

Another common pain point for Mac owners is managing the trash. If you’re not watching it, your Mac’s trash can fill up your hard drive. Hazel takes care of this problem for you with the ability to automatically empty the trash after a set period of time or when the trash gets to a predefined size. The settings are easy and completely remove this problem from your life. Likewise, Hazel can also take care of deleting and restoring applications from your Mac. Hazel doesn’t just delete the application but all those obscure resource files that are scattered over your drive.

INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY

Hazel does the tedious work so that you can do the important work. This lovingly crafted video is just shy of two-and-a-half hours. There are 35 chapter markers and the video covers every aspect of this super-powerful Mac application. Who doesn’t want to wield super-powers over their technology?

Get the Hazel Video Field Guide today for $19.99.

Want a peek? Here’s 30 minutes of the Hazel Video Field Guide.

Hazel 4.0

Today sees the release of Hazel version 4.0. I’ve talked, written, and screencasted about Hazel at length over the years. It’s one of my very favorite Mac utilities. The new version has some great features like:

The ability to apply rules to smart folders
Rule syncing between Macs
Previewing your rules while editing them
The ability to toggle extensions

There’s more. Put simply, Hazel can materially improve your productivity. About a month ago I committed to creating a Hazel Video Field Guide. I’ve got a lot of time in this project already and it is looking great. I expect I’ll have a release within the next two weeks. Stay tuned.

Automating Invoice Processing on My Mac

When I first opened my solo law practice, one of the unanswered questions in my mind was how I would go about billing clients. This is supposed to be hard. Some law firms spends days every month on getting bills out the door. Others pay outside vendors. I decided to nerd the s%*t out of this problem and do it myself.

I use an online practice management solution, Clio, to track my time. At the end of the month, the service creates PDFs of my invoices that go into my Mac’s Downloads folder. Rather than show an actual client invoice, I’ll use this dummy invoice for my side landscaping business.

One of the tricks of this workflow is that when I push a button in Clio, the PDF is created and opens automatically on my Mac in the Preview application. The first tool to help me automate the process is Hazel. I’ve talked a lot about Hazel at this site and on the podcast over the years. One of Hazel’s many talents, is the ability to identify, name, and move files. So I’ve got Hazel constantly looking at my Downloads folder. If it sees a PDF file that has the text “Lawn Care Products and Livestock”, “PO number”, and “Gunther’s Gardening”, it will start acting on that file. My logic is that there will be no PDFs in my Downloads folder that have all of those words in that order that are not an invoice. Here’s the Hazel Rule.

Once Hazel finds a match, usually within seconds of the file downloading, Hazel renames the file with the current date, client name, and a further description of the invoice. Because the PDFs open on my desktop at the time of the download, it’s fun to watch the name change as I’m reading the invoice over. Next Hazel moves the invoice to a folder I’ve designated in the client’s Admin/Invoices folder.

So within seconds of downloading the invoice, my Mac has named and moved the invoice to its appropriate folder.

Next I click on the sharing button in the Preview App (which is diplaying the invoice). From there I click on the Mail icon and this creates a new blank email with the invoice already attached.

My next big tool is TextExpander. I manually type in the client’s name as an email recipient. Then I tab down to the s ubject line and fire off a TextExander snippet. The snippet phrase is “newbill”. The snippet first fills in the subject line with the terms “Sparks Law %B Invoice” which TextExpander fills in as “Sparks Law October Invoice”. Next month the snippet will automatically change “October” to “November”. (TextExpander recognizes the wildcard %B as the current month.)

Next, the snippet asks me to fill in the client name and let’s me choose from several frequent options. Three common issues in these cover emails are questions about whether the client wants to pay online via credit card, wants a snail mail copy of the invoice, and if there is someone else at the company that needs to get the invoice. I use TextExpander Optional Selection phrases for this. I can check or uncheck the appropriate phrases for the particular invoice.

Finally, I have a multi-line field at the bottom where I can write or dictate in a further description of services or plans for the coming month.

Here is the finalized email from the above snippet screen.

Here is a screenshot of the snippet form TextExpander.

Here is the full text of the snippet if you want to adapt it for use use it in your copy of TextExpander at home.

Sparks Law %B Invoice
%key:tab%Hi %filltext:name=field 1%,

Attached is this month’s invoice. %fillpart:name=online pay:default=yes%I also sent you a separate email with online payment instructions if you’d prefer to pay that way via credit card.%fillpartend% %fillpart:name=optional part 3:default=yes%Also, please let me know if you’d like hard copies of these invoices in the mail.%fillpartend% %fillpart:name=someone else:default=yes%Finally, if you’d like me to direct these to someone else at the company, let me know.%fillpartend%

%fillarea:name=Message:default=Thank you for your business.%

Kind regards,

David Sparks
Sparks Law
SparksEsq.com

So this detailed explanation probably sounds like a lot but in action, the whole process is wicked fast. It takes just moments for me to approve and download a PDF invoice, at which point my Mac names and files the invoice, and I send it off to the client with a customized email. I love being a nerd.

As an aside, I have had very few clients take me up on the offer to get snail mail invoices. Almost everyone wants things in just PDF form. I have brilliant clients.