8: File Automation

Putting files in the right places is a pain in the neck. It's tedious and way too easy to make a mistake. Our intrepid automators are here to save the day on the Mac and iOS.

This episode of Automators is sponsored by:

• TextExpander, from Smile: Communicate smarter. Use this link for 20% off your first year.

Links and Show Notes

What do you do with all of the files on your devices? David and Rose try to solve the problem of document filing. Since it’s something you can easily automate, Rose and David share their tips and tricks. Keeping them all on the desktop would be madness (or marital strife if you’re David).

File location and file saving is busywork and inaccurate. It’s dumb work and none of us want to do it, says David. You could spend your time organizing your documents but wouldn’t you rather spend your precious time doing something else? Yeah! So let automation do the work for you. It’s easy. David teaches one of his favorite moves (pun intended): Command + C and then Option + Command + V. Rose reminds us to take a look at what we’ve got and to ask ourselves where we’re going with this. We need a good foundation so everything doesn’t fall down around us and save us from angst down the line. Rose and David agree that nested folders and a good naming system are key.

When automating files on the Mac, Smart Folders, Hazel, and Keyboard Maestro will become your best friends. How? You gotta listen to find out.

The Episode Blog Post

Home | Automators

Automators Talk

Automators Screencast: Keyboard Maestro to Rename Files with Patterns - YouTube

Automators Screencast - File Automation with Siri Shortcuts and Hazel - YouTube

David screencasts his Siri Shortcut/Hazel automation to save and file PDFs from iPhone and iPad.

Shortcut

David's File Automation Siri Shortcut

Best Note Taking App | Organize Your Notes with Evernote

DEVONthink — Smart document management for Mac - DEVONtechnologies

Noodlesoft – Noodlesoft – Simply Useful Software

The holy grail of file automation tools

Hazel Field Guide | MacSparky Field Guides

David's Field Guide on the holy grail of file automation. There is a discount at the end of this episode.

Keyboard Maestro 8.2.4: Work Faster with Macros for macOS

Scanner App for iPhone and iPad | Best Scanning App | Scanner Pro

Scanbot | The PDF Scanner App for iPhone and Android

Airmail - Lightning Fast Mail Client for Mac and iPhone

Drafts. Where Text Starts. | Drafts

Editorial for iOS

Home | Zapier

Discover IFTTT and Applets - IFTTT

GoodReader

MacStadium | Apple Mac Infrastructure & Private Clouds

MacinCloud - Rent a Mac in the Cloud! - Mac in Cloud

Mr. Belvedere Full Opening