Stephen_C

Version 4.5 requires Alfred 5.5 so if you are not using that please stay on your earlier version.

The new version allows preview of plain text and markdown links files using Alfred's new Text View. Editing of plain text links files also uses Alfred's text view. Full instructions for use of the workflow are contained in the ReadMe.

Stephen

Important note
Version 3.0 (and later) of this workflow requires Alfred 5.5 (and above). Please stay on your earlier version if you are not using Alfred 5.5 (or later). The workflow is now called simply "Find and replace text”.

Version 3.0 is a significant update using Alfred's new Text View to allow you to preview, and if necessary edit, the result of the find and replace. The ReadMe has been substantially re-written and contains full instructions on use of the workflow.

There are no dependencies.

If all goes well the workflow should be updated on the Alfred Gallery in due course.

GitHub download link

Stephen

Note
This workflow requires Alfred 5.5 (or later). It makes use of both the new Grid View and the new PDF View in Alfred 5.5.  As the workflow is based on Alfred 5.5 beta there may be changes to the workflow during the beta phase of Alfred 5.5 following changes made in the beta.

Introduction
The workflow searches for PDF files in a folder within Alfred's default search scope. You select the folder and the workflow displays thumbnails of the PDF files from that folder in a grid. In essence the use is exactly the same as that for the Search for JPEGs workflow—with one significant difference. When viewing the thumbnail of a single PDF in Alfred's new PDF View (i.e., after selecting it in Grid View) you can press fn↓ and fn↑ to move through the pages of the PDF. Of course, when highlighting a PDF file in Grid View or viewing it in PDF View you can open it with your default PDF viewer using ⌘O (“O” for “open”)—and also by using ⏎ in PDF View. There are full instructions in the workflow ReadMe.

This workflow has no dependencies.

GitHub download link

Stephen

Note
This workflow requires Alfred 5.5 (or later). It makes use of both the new Grid View and the new Image View in Alfred 5.5.  As the workflow is based on Alfred 5.5 beta there may be changes to the workflow during the beta phase of Alfred 5.5 following changes made in the beta.

Introduction
The workflow searches for markdown files in a folder within Alfred's default search scope. You select the folder and the workflow displays thumbnails of the markdown files from that folder in a grid. You can then view within Alfred's Text View a selected markdown file and page through that file. In essence the use is almost exactly the same as that for the Search for JPEGs workflow—with one significant difference. When viewing the thumbnail of a single markdown file in Alfred's new Text View (i.e., after selecting it in Grid View) you can press fn↓ and fn↑ to move through the pages of the file. Of course, when highlighting a markdown file in Grid View or viewing it in Text View you can open it with your default markdown viewer using ⌘O (“O” for “open”)—and also by using ⏎ in Text View. There are full instructions in the workflow ReadMe.

This workflow has no dependencies.

GitHub download link

Stephen

Note
This workflow requires Alfred 5.5 (or later). It makes use of both the new Grid View and the new Image View in Alfred 5.5.  As the workflow is based on Alfred 5.5 beta there may be changes to the workflow during the beta phase of Alfred 5.5 following changes made in the beta.

Introduction
The workflow searches for PNG files in a folder within Alfred's default search scope. You select the folder and the workflow displays thumbnails of the PNG files from that folder in a grid. In essence the use is exactly the same as that for the Search for JPEGs workflow but instead of searching for JPEGs you are searching for PNGs. Of course, when highlighting a PNG file in Grid View or viewing it in Image View you can open it with your default PNG viewer or editor using ⌘O (“O” for “open”)—and also by using ⏎ in Image View. There are full instructions in the workflow ReadMe.

GitHub download link

Stephen

Welcome the forum.

Run the built-in troubleshooting as mentioned in the article to which you linked, drop into it one of the markdown files that Alfred cannot find and copy and post the entire output of the troubleshooter in another post here, please.

Stephen

Alfred 5.5 (which this workflow requires) has just been released in beta.

Note
As the workflow is based on Alfred 5.5 beta there may be changes to the workflow during the beta phase of Alfred 5.5 following changes made in the beta.

This release is part of a quartet of similar “Search for…” releases designed to make use of new Alfred 5.5 actions. (The other releases cover PNG, PDF and markdown files and will be the subject of separate forum posts cross-referring to this post where there is common usage between the workflows.) Because these new workflows make use of new Alfred 5.5 features I've covered this one in some detail so please excuse the length of the post. Each workflow also contains detailed instructions in its ReadMe.

Introduction
The workflow searches for JPEG files in a folder within Alfred's default search scope. You select the folder and the workflow displays the JPEG files from that folder in a grid (the Grid View is new in Alfred 5.5). You can then view within Alfred's new Image View a selected JPEG file.

Usage
Type the workflow keyword (the default is `fjg`—for "Find JPEG"—but you can change it in the configuration). You will be prompted to choose a folder in which you wish to search. Press space and start typing the name of the folder in which you wish to search.

Press ⏎ when the relevant folder name is displayed, or you have selected the relevant folder from a list, and you will see a grid of the JPEG files in that folder with the full name of and path to the selected image displayed at the bottom:


In that view you can do a number of things:

• Move through the thumnails using the arrow keys.
• Search for images in the grid by typing in the box at the top of the window.
• Click on an image, or press ⏎ on a highlighted image, to view only that image in Alfred's Image View. If you wish you can then press esc in Image View to return to the grid view.
• Press ⌘O (“O” for “open”) to open a highlighted image in your default JPEG viewer or editor.
• Use commands common to both Grid View and Image View (see below).
• Press esc to end the workflow.

Image View
Image View displays a single selected image from the grid view when you press ⏎ or click on an image in the grid view.

In Image View you can do the following:

• Press esc to take you back to grid view.
• Press ⏎ or ⌘O (“O” for “open”) to open the image in your default JPEG viewer or editor.
• Use commands common to both Grid View and Image View (see below).
• Press ⌘esc to end the workflow.

Commands common to both Grid View and Image View

• Press ⌘0 (command zero) to toggle the size of the window.
• With a selected image hold down either ⌘ or ⌥ and press ⏎—the former to allow you to action the selected image in Alfred and the latter to reveal the selected image in Finder.

The workflow has no dependencies.

GitHub download link

Stephen

Note there is a rather better workflow, which does the same thing, here.

Stephen

If I've understood you correctly, it sounds as though Alfred's file navigation feature might help you. You can then move around your file system looking for an appropriate folder. Is that what you want to do?

Stephen

How will you know that what you have selected is, or contains, a file name?

It may be more helpful if you describe a little more fully exactly what you want to achieve (and the context) and why.

Stephen

So in effect you want to convert selected text to a file search? (Just to be quite clear.)

Stephen

Have you considered the File Action?

Stephen

1 minute ago, macrospect said:

Do I need to attach it to something else in a workflow? 

No: it's stand-alone. Make sure everything is set up in the script filter exactly as shown in the screen shot. Open the debugger, run the script filter and copy and post all of the output here.

2 minutes ago, macrospect said:

Is there a way for me to make the type less large?

No—but you could use a Dialog Conditional instead (you'd need only a single OK button to dismiss it by pressing ⏎).

Stephen

Well, you know I love a challenge, so here is something slapped together in a rather haphazard manner which may assist in doing the job.

The code being this:

local_Printer=$(lpstat -d)
local_PrinterStatus=$(lpstat -a)
cat << EOB
{"items": [

  {
    "title": "$local_Printer",
    "subtitle": "$local_PrinterStatus",
    "arg": "$localPrinterStatus"
  }
]}
EOB

That will show the system default printer and the status of it. Clearly it's nothing more than a start for the original poster for it caters only for the system default printer and not an array of printers. However, it may assist in providing a start for something more sophisticated.

Stephen

I think we're getting into Vitor territory here (but I'm not going to flag him specifically as I suspect he's rather busy). I have a few workflows that have done that sort of thing (Find the weekday for example) but it's pretty much at the limit of my current understanding and I leaned heavily on stuff learned from Vitor.

Stephen

Crikey…don't land me in it! 😀

14 hours ago, macrospect said:

I tried setting up a terminal command directly into a blank workflow

Don't use a terminal command: use a shell script. Open Alfred's Run Script action, keep it set to /bin/zsh --no-rcs, delete the existing (greyed out) script and try typing in the relevant lpstat command…the result of which you'll then need to feed to an action to display the result (like a notification of Large Type action).

That's a pretty basic guide and if you need more help just post back and a Real Expert (TM) will come along and help.

Edit: Actually, that does work rather well for me. 😁

Stephen

Perfect: thanks.

Stephen

Much obliged!

Stephen

It would, at least so far as I'm concerned, be useful to have a new Automation Task that is effectively the reverse of the current Expand Tilde in Path. In other words, to take something like /Users/fred/Documents and to output ~/Documents.

Why? Because sometimes in a workflow that is dealing with a long path you need to output some notification where it's rather more elegant to abbreviate the path. Yes, I know I can do that with shell and sed but an Automation Task would be simpler because all you'd need to do would be to add the appropriate variable to the task.

Stephen

Are your iCloud files made available off-line?

If so, and it's still not working, please do as I suggested in my previous post—run the file indexing troubleshooting, drop in a file that cannot be found and copy and paste the results here.

Stephen

Welcome to the forum.

Please confirm what versions of macOS and Alfred you are using.

What is the full path to the folder you are trying to find? Is that path within Alfred's Search Scope (listed under Alfred Preferences → Features → Default Results)?

You may also find it helpful to check the suggestions on this Alfred help page: Troubleshooting File Indexing Issues. If you're still not able to resolve the issue use the built-in troubleshooting as outlined on that page (dropping in to the troubleshooter a file that can't be found) and copy and paste the result in another post here.

Stephen

This ia very old workflow and there is no indication in this thread that it is currently supported. It may be worth considering using something like the Window Manager workflow in the Alfred Gallery.

Stephen

Welcome to the forum.

This sort of problem has been reported a number of times on the forum (see this thread, for example) and, for what it's worth, exactly the same happens to me.

7 hours ago, DwightB said:

Would be happy to find a work around, as I do this multiple times a day.

There are two workflows on the Gallery (here and here). (Full disclosure: the second one is mine.) Either will do what you wish.

Stephen

Well you could certainly tidy it using the Junction Utility. Here's an example of what I mean (missing the final links…but you'll see what I mean):

(Obviously you wouldn't need the last Junction in each chain and would replace it with the Launch Apps/Files action.) Someone else may well come up with a better idea but I think that would work.

In passing, the Junction Utility is useful when you need to tidy a workflow.

Stephen

You could also use the Contexts window switcher—as I do.

Stephen