No Automator plug-in in 10.6?

old style contextual menu plugins are completely gone in Snow leopard. they have been replaced by services. you can create an service using automator (you have to choose to do so when you start creating a workflow, not at the end when you do 'save as'). then you can activate this service in system preferences->keyboard->keyboard shortcuts and it will become available as a conetxtual menu in all relevant applications.

Although you have to do a little recreation, it is really worth it. After you've converted your Finder Automator applications to Services, when you select a file or folder and right click, your Service is available at the bottom of the Contextual Menu, no navigating sideways thru hierarchical folders for several steps (go to More, go to Automator, go to Finder, select action...ARGGHHH!...what a pain). I'm using my own Automator actions again. This is definitely a big improvement!
Francine


Francine
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"you can create an service using automator (you have to choose to do so when you start creating a workflow, not at the end when you do 'save as')."

Working with Automator that's NOT running under SL, there is no NEW "service" option so there seems no way create Workflows that will run on SL.

Did Apple relize that REMOVING a way a Workflow works makes it impossible to create a single flow that works on ALL recent versions of OS X?

Worse, I see no way of using SERVICES on a specific folder. Of course, I don't have SL. So that means two sets of documentation to end-users of flows.

Try these links Mike:

http://www.macworld.com/article/142419/2009/08/snowleopardservices.html

http://www.macosxautomation.com/services/learn/index.html

They are what I referred to trying to learn the Services technology. My intent was to replace a "Batch rename" workflow" that I was using in Tiger for my photos.

you are not creating the workflow as a service which is why it's not working. when you first start automator it gives you a screen where you can choose what type of workflow you want to make. at that screen you must choose to create a service. you created a regular workflow which is wrong and you can not change it later. so you youud to redo it from the beginning. when you save it it will be automatically activated asa service and placed in ~/library Services (not in ~/library/automator).

a simple walk-thru.
1. start automator.
2. in the popup select "service".
3. go to library->utilities section in the left pane in automator and double-click on "run apple script" action.
4. copy and paste your applescript into that action.
5. set the conditions of the service (input type and what applications it's for) and save.

I looked at the "Make Names Web Friendly" that I got here
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/automator/makenameswebfriendly.html

and they make it even easier than what I described because they provide the actual automator actions for you.

step-by-step.
1. download the dmg from the link above and mount it.
2. double-click on the action "Make Names Web Friendly". this will add it to your automator library so it will be available as a standalone action.
3. go to the folder "snow leopard services" on the mounted dmg and double-click on the service "Make Names Web Friendly". It will open the service in an automator window.
4. save the service.

Message was edited by: V.K.

Mike James3 wrote:
Thank you for those examples.

After following your steps exactly, the action now appears in the "Services" menu, as well as the Finder contextual menu. (That's an improvement.) But… The script (which I've used for quite a while on Leopard) now fails with an error report.

things have changed in Snow leopard from leopard so it's no great surprise that an apple script might need to be modified to work in snow leopard correctly. I can not say more without seeing the details of the script but there is no need because now you have an automator action in your library that you can use instead of the script.

*Trying the second "easier" method, the installation issue finally shows itself… (Thank you!)*

I've been mounting the JuneCloud DMG, then dragging just the "Make Names Web-Friendly" file out onto the desktop, and trying the method above, rather than double-clicking it.

instead of double-clicking you can also put the workflow "Make Names Web-Friendly" (not the service "Make Names Web-Friendly") in ~/library/automator. then after you restart automator this action will be available in the list of all automator actions and you can add it to any services or workflows. double-clicking does the same thing.

Anyway… Following this second method makes both the contextual menu and the Services menu function correctly, so I cannot thank you enough for your efforts.

Now, maybe someone else with this problem can use your fix, too.
Thanks very much for the solution!

you are welcome.

things have changed in Snow leopard from leopard so it's no great surprise that an apple script might need to be modified to work in snow leopard correctly.

Just wanted to chime in here--I was recently helping someone who wanted to use Doug's old Applescript/Automator method for adding lyrics you find on the web to the lyric's pane in iTunes. The poster couldn't figure out how to convert the old workflow into a service. In tinkering with it I discovered the fault was in the Applescript. Not being especially handy at writing Applescripts it took me half and hour or so to finally figure out the correct syntax for a working Applescript. Once I got the Applescript to work the rest was easy (as V.K. describes above). So if you have an old Finder Automator action that you can't get to work, check to see if it includes an Applescript in one of the steps. If it does you may have to rewrite the Applescript. If you are a klutz with Applescript and just can't figure it out, try the Applescript forum:

http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=724

There are some very helpful folks who post there. I've had someone write an Applescript for me that did more than I had originally thought possible. 😉
Francine


Francine
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