MacVoices Interview > Road to Macworld – Ben Waldie Will Automate The Web

2014-03_MacVoices

Chuck Joiner's Road to Macworld series continues with AppleScript guru Ben Waldie, who will deliver a session that you will want to attend if you’re interested in getting more out of your Internet activities. In Automating The Web, Ben will discuss making your workflow faster and more efficient by integrating your online workflow with your Mac and other web-enabled devices and services. He gives us preview, and also updates us on the state of AppleScript in iWork and beyond.

[Listen in iTunes]

[Listen or Download Online]

MacVoices Interview > Ben Waldie Clarifies the Situation with AppleScript and Mavericks

Screen Shot 2013-11-18 at 11.21.43 AM

Ben Waldie helps cut through the controversy surrounding OS X Mavericks, the iWork suite and get to just the facts. There has been concern about the current lack of support in Mavericks, and also in Numbers, Pages and Keynote. Ben calms the waters a bit, explaining what is missing, what still works, and what his expectations are for scripting in both Mavericks and iOS 7 going forward.

[Listen in iTunes]

[Listen or Download Online]

MacVoices Interview > The Road to Macworld

Screen Shot 2013-01-24 at 4.18.11 PMWant a preview of my Macworld sessions? I spoke with Chuck Joiner on MacVoices about the automation, security, and productivity sessions I'm presenting, and what cool stuff to expect at the conference. Find the audio here or the video here. You can also find it in iTunes.

Maccast Podcast 2012.02.26 – Automator Basics

I recently spoke with Adam Christianson about Automator in Mac OS X for the Maccast.  Topics included getting started with Automator, building a simple workflow, and troubleshooting workflow problems.  Check it out on the Maccast website or in iTunes!

Now Available: New Mac Automation Made Simple Videos!

Peachpit has bundled a new series of my Mac Automation Made Simple videos on Automator.  They're now available for purchase as DRM-Free downloads, so you can play them on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad.  Topics in this 8-part series include:

  • Automate generating job folders - If you use job folders for multiple projects to keep organized, learn how to save time and reduce errors by building workflows in Automator to create job folders consistently and quickly. You'll also learn the basics of actions and variables in Automator.
  • Batch-create folders from an Excel list - If your workflow ever requires you to create a large number of folders or sets of subfolders with specific naming conventions, Excel and Automator can work together to eliminate the manual creation of folders. By using the powerful features in Excel to build lists of file names in large numbers and use Automator to process those lists into hundreds of folders in minutes.
  • Display Growl notifications for new content - File sharing over a network is great for larger files that you wouldn't send via email, but how can you be sure that you're always notified when a new file lands in your folder? Learn how to team Automator with the popular notification software Growl to build a great workflow that eliminates the need for you to get an email or phone call notifying you of new files.
  • Schedule backups via a network - Do you manually back up your Mac to a server? If so, you've probably had to set up calendar reminders and run through the process on a regular basis or risk losing your data. In this lesson, learn how to make that process automatic and painless with Automator and iCal.
  • Share files via Dropbox - Take the powerful PDF tools offered in OS X a step further by building your own Print Plugin with Automator. You'll learn how to set up a Print Plugin that automatically posts any document you print to PDF to the online file sharing tool Dropbox. You'll also learn the basics of setting up actions to rename files to be friendly for upload tools by removing offending characters.
  • Batch-convert image files to PDF - If you've ever had the daunting task of scanning a book or a box of images with a flat bed scanner, you know that it isn't easy to combine all those files into a single PDF without some heavy-hitting applications like Photoshop and Acrobat Pro. But what if you don't have those applications or are just looking for an easier way? Learn how to set up a quick and easy way to combine multiple images into a single PDF without the hassle.
  • Batch-process images for iPhoto - If you're like most people with a smart phone, an amature photographer or have a large photo digitizing project on your plate, you'll import, manipulate and save hundreds to thousands of images a year. In this lesson, you'll learn how to unleash the power of Automator and free third-party tool to streamline your workflow and make importing images to your iPhoto library a snap.
  • Batch-process multiple InDesign files to PDF - Exporting multiple InDesign files to PDF can be as quick and easy as dragging and dropping your files. You'll learn how to create a drag-and-drop application with AppleScript and Automator that opens, exports, names, and saves PDFs from InDesign. You'll be able to use the same custom application for both InDesign CS4 and CS5.

Sold as a set, or individually, you can find them on Peachpit's website.

Mac Power Users Podcast Episode 070 – Working with Automator

I recently spoke with Katie Floyd and David Sparks about the automation capabilities in Mac OS X for episode 070 of the Mac Power Users podcast.  Topics included getting started with Automator, troubleshooting Automator workflows, Services, and differences between AppleScript and Automator.  Check it out on the Mac Power Users website or in iTunes!

Mac Automation Made Simple Video Podcast > Creating Branching Automator Workflows with AppleScript

Episode 30
Date: 02.23.2010
Duration: 00:10:34
Creating Branching Automator Workflows with AppleScript
One of Automator's key limitations is its inability to perform branching. In this episode of Mac Automation Made Simple, Ben Waldie demonstrates how AppleScript can be used to work around this limitation and create a branching Automator workflow..
[View in iTunes...] [View at Peachpit.com...]

Mac Automation Made Simple Video Podcast > Creating Scheduled AppleScripts

Episode 29
Date: 01.26.2010
Duration: 00:08:39
Creating Scheduled AppleScripts
In this episode of Mac Automation Made Simple, Ben Waldie discusses how to create AppleScripts that run at scheduled intervals. Learn to write scripts that back up your music library at night and automatically reconnect to server volumes..
[View in iTunes...] [View at Peachpit.com...]

Mac Automation Made Simple Video Podcast > Creating Drop Scripts in AppleScript

Episode 28
Date: 12.29.2009
Duration: 00:07:49
Creating Drop Scripts in AppleScript
In this episode of Mac Automation Made Simple, Ben Waldie discusses how to drop scripts in AppleScript. Learn how to write a simple image processing AppleScript application that processes dropped files and folders..
[View in iTunes...] [View at Peachpit.com...]

Mac Automation Made Simple Video Podcast > Getting Started with Handlers in AppleScript

Episode 27
Date: 11.25.2009
Duration: 00:10:57
Getting Started with Handlers in AppleScript
In this episode of Mac Automation Made Simple, Ben Waldie demonstrates how to write AppleScripts more efficiently through the use of handlers. Learn how to modularize your scripts, making them more expandable, easier to update, and more..
[View in iTunes...] [View at Peachpit.com...]