Mac OS X Tiger/Meet the Applications/Automator

Automator is a powerful app for quickly accomplishing a set of repetitive or time-consuming tasks. It allows the user to automate actions for other apps to take. The user does this by creating "workflows," sets of commands for the automator to take. =When to Use Automator= One should use Automator if one must accomplish a series of simple, repetitive tasks and UI (user interface) is not an issue. The Automator should generally be used only for very simple actions, for creating a complicated workflow can take longer than the time saved. =Creating a Workflow= To create a workflow, simply drag the desired actions from the left pane to the central one. One will notice that the inputs and outputs of each action link. These show where information flows from one action to the next. This can be turned off by clicking on the input then clicking "Ignore results from previous action." =Using a Workflow= After a workflow has been created, it can be run by clicking the "run" button in the upper-right hand corner. The workflow will then execute all specified actions. A workflow can be canceled at any time by clicking "stop" (next to "run") =List of Actions= This section lists all actions that can be taken by Automator. They are grouped by application of origin, as they are in Automator.