Automator Actions

This is probably a big project, but I was wondering if we could have some automator actions. I know applescript and all, but sometimes making a workflow in automator is easier.

Could you give some examples of actions that you’d like to see?

Some actions

  • Putting an incoming object into a specified folder in the library
  • If you had built-in ocr, ocr incoming pdf
  • Applying selected tags to an incoming item

I know that you could do this with applescript, but it would be nice to take output from another application directly rather than use the to import folder, and then apply the above things. These are just some ideas

I’d like to add some Automator actions, but I also want to point out that you can use EagleFiler from Automator via the “Run AppleScript” action. For example, to import into a particular folder and apply tags:

on run {_input, _parameters}
    tell application "EagleFiler"
        tell library document "EagleFilerTest.eflibrary"
            set _folder to library record "MyFolder" of root folder
            set _tags to {"unread", "from_automator"}
            import files _input container _folder tag names _tags
        end tell
    end tell
end run

To OCR and then import:

on run {_input, _parameters}
    tell application "EagleFiler"
        repeat with _file in _input
            my ocr(_file)
            tell library document "EagleFilerTest.eflibrary"
                import files {_file}
            end tell
        end repeat
    end tell
end run

on ocr(_file)
    tell application "PDFpen"
        open _file as alias
        tell document 1
            ocr
            repeat while performing ocr
                delay 1
            end repeat
            delay 1
            close with saving
        end tell
    end tell
end ocr

thanks for those scripts. I’ve had a brain storm. What do I need to change on those scripts to do a folder action. Especially the ocr to eaglefiler. The reason is my scanner does a lot but I can’t seem to make it do anything but scan to a folder. The driver and app is not applescriptable. Replace the on run to the folder action handler for handling files?

I understand if you don’t want to get into an AppleScript tutorial here.

I think that would be sufficient. I’ve added such a handler here.

that’s what I thought would be needed. You didn’t have to do that, but thanks anyway. More of a C, C++, Java programming teacher here. Just Getting used to Applescript.