Workflow to display recent Finder files and folders featuring:
5 default categories
2 custom categories
Favorites, including a file action
Keywords and hotkeys for Favorites and all categories apart
Interaction with Open/Save dialogs and Finder Go To Folder
Preview, reveal, open or use Alfred file actions
Usage
Show Alfred and type the keyword rec:
You can also use the category keyword if you prefer to access the recent files directly, without an initial menu:
Now: keyword now
Folders: keyword fol
Applications: keyword apps
Documents: keyword docs
Downloads: keyword dow
Custom Category 1: keyword c1
Custom Category 2: keyword c2
Favorites: keyword fav
In addition, there is a hotkey for the keyword rec, Favorites and all categories apart.
Note that all keywords, as well as the hotkeys, can be changed (go to Alfred Preferences > Workflows).
Finally, once inside a category you have the following actions:
Return key: open the file or folder
Command key: reveal the file or folder in Finder
Option key: pass the file/older path to an open/save dialog or Finder window
Control key: add/remove an item to/from Favorites
Shift key: preview (Quick Look) the file or folder
Custom Categories
You can set up to two custom categories:
Show Alfred and type the keyword recpref
Select a category to configure and press return key
Type an unique category name with at least 3 characters
Type one or more (separated by comma) file types e.g.: com.adobe.pdf,public.plain-text
To find a file type you can use Alfred Metadata Analyzer.
To remove a custom category press command key while highlighting one of them in recpref.
Favorites
All files or folders set as a favorite item will remain in the list no matter how old they are.
To add an item to Favorites just highlight a file or folder, hold control key and press return key.
To remove an item go to Favorites, highlight an item, hold control key and press return key.
You can also add items utilizing Alfred File Action (accepts multiple files).
Note that Favorites has also its own keyword (fav) and hotkey.
Interacting with Open/Save Dialog or Finder
You can pass a recent file or folder path, or an item in Favorites, to an open/save dialog or even the current Finder window to go to that folder:
when an open/save dialog is displayed type the keyword rec or any other category keyword
find an item (a file or folder or an item from Favorites), highlight it, hold option key and press return key
wait a bit so the workflow can load and paste the item path
Default Folder
The workflow remembers the last path used per application. To use the feature just type the keyword df when an open/save dialog is displayed.
If the workflow was never used for the application, or the path does not exist anymore, then the keyword rec will be automatically triggered so you can select a path from a file or folder.
There is also a hotkey to make things even faster.
Make sure to give the feature time to process because e.g. if you hold keyboard keys way too long then the feature may not work as expected.
What’s new
Up to 2 custom categories (keyword recpref)
Downloads category
Keyword for each category
Hotkey for each category
Multiple files in Add to Favorites file action
Changed Auto-path to Default Folder (keyworod df)
Changed Just Now category to Now
Added Help (keyword rechelp)
Update to Alfred 2.3 features
Several internal improvements
Download
Version 4.3 beta 2 (removed Alfred 3 references)
Release date: 12 Jul 2020
Requires Alfred 4
Download
Version 4.2
Release date: 19 Jun 2016
Requires Alfred 3
Download
Usage
You can press Enter to open the file in result, or press ⌘CMD-Enter to reveal it in Finder.
Tap rr to list files opened recently by the foremost app.
For example:
Recent folders will be listed when Finder is foremost.
Recent rtf, text files will be listed when TextEdit app is foremost.
Recent *.sketch files will be listed when Sketch app is foremost.
Recent *.xcodeproj project files will be listed when Xcode app is foremost.
The subtitle of each result consists of ⏱modified time and ?path of the file.
Tap rf to list recent folders.
Opening recent folders is very common in use. Tapping rf is a more efficient way, even though you can activate Finder and then tap rr.
Tap rd to list recent files.
These files were recently opened by user, not like rr which is just for the foremost app.
Tap ra to list apps opened recently.
Exclude folders from the results.
You can add private folder pathes separated by colon : to the Workflow Environment Variable ExcludedFolders. The results will not show private folders and any files inside them.
For example: ~/privateFolder1/:/Users/G/privateFolder2/
