pontus

Hi,

one reason I don’t use universal actions as much as I want to is that the list seems a bit cluttered (I know of the uncheck feature).

Maybe a way to make the list more relevant could be to filter it more narrowly on types? 
shortcuts input types are an obvious inspiration, as well as common patterns from workflows: app/frontmost app, webpage, finder item (as opposed to Alfred selected files), different file types…

It’s a huge success but have the smallest button in a corner of the app!

I had to download a workflow to get gallery workflows in my search result. 
 

Suggestions:

 - Gallery view is first thing you see when installing Alfred or opening settings or clicking menu bar icon. 
 - Gallery view is graphic and nice, includes both installed workflows and not installed (with clear marking of course)

- gallery suggestions as fallback results. for example when writing “timer”  the timer workflow could be suggested. 
- suggested workflow when running a related app (clock.app)

- special treatment for workflows extending apples native apps (maps, home etc). Those will be perceived as almost native functionality in Alfred (think of similarities/differences between music.app features and Spotify workflow).

The run script workflow object has always been the integral piece in all advanced workflows (to be honest a workflow with more than 10-15 objects is a nightmare even if you just want to edit a trigger).

Why not make the run script object into a mini IDE with a couple of  environments:

 - Apple automation 

    - select language (JXA or apple script)

    - explore app dictionaries

    - explore and support UI accessibility scripting with built in tools

     - included framework for interacting with Alfred (items, settings etc)

- Shell environment

     - zsh is default in macos so could be limited to that
    - separate outputs for stdout, errout

    - native support for file handling, text output etc. 

     - included framework for interacting with Alfred (items, settings etc)

If it seems a bit too much, I would be very happy with just syntax highlighting

Shortcuts became the automation Apple didn’t manage to create by themselves. 
In addition to shell script and JXA this should be a cornerstone for Alfred workflows for a long time to come

Several features could be added for Alfred to handle them natively:

 - List folders in prefs and check/uncheck which ones should be included in search results. 
 - Prefs for listing shortcuts in default search, file search, with keyword, with hotkey. 
- List shortcuts with their native icon.

In addition, shortcuts could be the basis for a new type of workflow.

- Select a shortcut and wrap it in an Alfred workflow. Alfred automatically does a number of things:

     - Hide that shortcut from regular results

      - Detect input types allowed and exposes the shortcut in universal actions etc. 

      - Detect keyboard trigger for shortcut (to avoid clashes).

      - set workflow icon to default the same icon as the shortcut has.

- A shortcut type workflow would have the shortcut as its mandatory object, but could also include other objects. 
- When installing a new workflow the workflow would have the shortcut bundled and asked to be installed as it is done here (awesome!) but without the extra objects: https://alfred.app/workflows/vitor/shrieking-chimes/

- dependency management keeping track of which workflows uses which shortcut (and if they are removed).

Hi,

I have realized that I quite often modify an otherwise perfect workflow just to make it work together with my other workflows. Most often the keyword or shortcut, sometimes the universal actions. 
 

This feature would be similar to the existing Universal Actions but with all the Workflows universal actions as well (not only handled by “type” as now).

Also, with a more elaborate UI. 

And, as said, for keywords and hotkeys as well. 

Hi,

I have this feeling that Alfred is a bit isolated from the macOS UI and have some ideas:

- Widget that let you choose from the external triggers. 
- Widget that displays a list filter result. 
- Add choosen external triggers to menu bar icon menu.

- Register Alfred and external triggers/universal actions as Extensions in macOS. I could see uses for all possible (sharing, file, actions, preview, photo, quick actions..)

To make this realistic I think the Native app would need to have an UI handling what shows up where.

The second alternative in the official documentation lacks quotation marks around "myvariable"

Thanks a lot for this @Floating.Point! 

Can believe I missed the browse object. 

I've updated the workflow, now even simpler (I like that!).

Another benefit with the browser object is that user configuration can be used to select the folder.

I decided to add this since it's one of my most used Hotkey triggered workflows. No doubt you all have created a couple of similar ones covering your own needs.

---

Say if you’re the author or submitting someone else’s workflow.

I'm the author.

Share a link to its main page (e.g. GitHub).

https://github.com/psu/alfred-list-screenshots

This is so good it should be a native Alfred feature. Absolutely necessary for your productivity, not only can you do more without the mouse, you don't even have to create a Hotkey! I'm triggering it with Cmd+Space.

---

Say if you’re the author or submitting someone else’s workflow.

I'm not the author, @Benzi is.

Share a link to its thread on the Alfred Forum, if available.

Share a link to its main page (e.g. GitHub).

https://github.com/BenziAhamed/Menu-Bar-Search

Are there any plans for this to be integrated as a feature in Alfred itself?

On 5/5/2020 at 4:15 AM, possertive said:

Has there been a solution to exclude node_modules and/or specific named folders from being indexed? Not just filtering as denishe mentioned?

 

My workaround is to add the project folders to the Privacy tab in Spotlight prefs. It's not perfect but I rarely search for source code files with Alfred or Spotlight. 

Of course you could also add all folders named node_module but that would be harder to back track. For this approach, do a Finder search and just drag n drop.

On 2/3/2019 at 5:41 PM, pawelgrzybek said:

☝️just landed 

Yeah, made me rediscover this workflow. Super handy! Big thanks

2 hours ago, rpowellweb said:

Hello all - as a workaround I have found this script works. 

 

Just create a normal alfred workflow - keyword (with space, argument required)  to run applescript and use this

 

on alfred_script(q)
  tell application "Notes"     activate     tell application "System Events" to keystroke "0" using command down     tell application "System Events" to keystroke "f" using {command down, option down}
tell application "System Events" to keystroke q 
end tell
end alfred_script

 

Hope that helps,

 

Thanks, I've done the same thing with native workflow objects. Works ok as a temporary solution.

Ok  Thanks for the swift reply.

Any chance this could be a built-in Alfred feature? @Vero

3 hours ago, deanishe said:

You're probably not seeing the files on macOS because they're hidden/private files only meant to sync between iOS devices and/or not useable by any other application.

This is exactly the reason I don't want them to show up in Alfred.

Btw I understand how mobile apps use iCloud to sync settings, but that's something else from the concept iCloud Drive imho.

Also, when I open the Mobile Documents-folder for eg. Monument Valley it is completely empty, not even any hidden files. So I really hope my progress in the game is saved somewhere else...  

3 hours ago, deanishe said:

You could try a few individual folders first by dragging them into Spotlight's Privacy pane and then back out again.

Thanks for the help on this, I will try it out. And a handy tips for the future (the touch setting is already on).

… and for the folder ~/Dropbox/Documents it must be something else going on.

It seems to have a weird behaviour in general.

Just now, deanishe said:

 

Did you open it in Finder first to make it the most-recently used folder?

Thanks for the tips but no luck.

Correction to my last post:

Since it was really strange that I got a different behaviour from you, I turned of some custom file search workflows that I was using, and that did change things.

The "strange" folders are now opening in Finder (still empty and irrelevant as described above).

And I am still not sure they should be visible as normal folders:

• Both spotlight search and finder search does show these folders but handles them differently. Spotlight does the same as Alfred, Finder shows me iCloud Drive.
• I am not able to navigate in Finder to these folders. I have tried "Go to Folder…" for example with this path ~/Library/Mobile Documents/8Z3V4F58RK~com~ustwo~monumentvalley/Documents
• Finder is hiding the contents of the "folder" Mobile Documents, see picture. If I double click on the name, Finder shows the iCloud Drive folder. 

Hi,

I have now had time to look more into this:

On 10/25/2017 at 1:02 PM, Andrew said:

mine open the correct relevant folders

This is not at all the case for me:

• I have actioned almost every single one of the items in Alfred, they all jump to the iCloud "root" folder (iCloud Drive) after Finder first shows my user folder (~/) for about 0,1 seconds.
• The folders that is shown in Finder on my iCloud Drive doesn't appear in the list in Alfred, so I am not able to try those, eg. Preview (picture attached).

On 10/24/2017 at 12:05 PM, Andrew said:

 as you've seen this is returning the Document folders within the mobile document folders for iCloud Drive.

That is possibly true but in my case I have no mobile app folders, only desktop app folders (see picture). But in Alfred I cannot see the desktop app folders – only mobile app folders and other "strange" ones.

And regarding the mobile app folders I don't believe the app Monument Valley uses iCloud Drive (there are a lot of other mobile apps showing up as well most of those apps doesn't have the functionality to save any documents, and certainly not syncing them on iCloud Drive).

Here are a few examples of "strange" folders:

• iCloud Drive/US-Canada/Documents
• iCloud Drive/Documents/Documents
• iCloud Drive/Spotlight/Documents
• iCloud Drive/Monument Valley/Documents

On 10/24/2017 at 10:51 PM, deanishe said:

move this thread to the "Feature Suggestions"

For me, the bug is that when I action a folder in Alfred the folder is not shown in Finder. 

The feature suggestion would be to be able to hide folders that is actioned correctly, but for the user still is "annoying" (but that feature exists already?).

On 10/24/2017 at 3:50 PM, deanishe said:

action it a couple of times in Alfred to keep it there

That would have been great, the problem is that the "Dropbox/Documents" doesn't even make it to the list in the first place.

All the best

Pontus 

10 hours ago, Andrew said:

Having said that, even though this isn't technically a bug in Alfred, I've added a ticket to look into what I can do to make this more graceful.

Thanks for your answer. I figured the problem was in spotlight rather than Alfred. 

The weirdest part is that they show up but at the same time cannot be opened.

I don't use these folders much so I should probably just make Alfred ignore them.

Cheers

Pontus

On 10/13/2017 at 5:20 PM, deanishe said:

What are you actually trying to do?

I am trying to open my two Documents folders (one extra in my Dropbox) – and I want them to show up on top of the results since that would be more relevant to me. 

On 10/13/2017 at 5:20 PM, deanishe said:

(Finder is lying to you about the names of the folders. It does that quite a lot.)

Yes and Alfred app is quite good at handling that so my results still are relevant (and not only correct). But after this change in iCloud the file search have become less usable.

The problem as I see it:

1. The default search results shouldn't show content of hidden/system folders.

2. It definitely shouldn't show all the contents of the folder ~/Library/Mobile Documents and present them as normal folders with the path iCloud Drive/(iPhone app name)/Documents. That is faulty for two reasons: 

a. The folder can not in any meaningful way be said to be a part of my (the users) files and folders on my computer.

b. macOS prevents me (and Alfred) from open that folder – that is, if I try to open it Finder shows the root folder for iCloud Drive

Hence the bug report.

PS. @deanishe maybe you should try a bit less defensive strategy when answering on the forum, your reply doesn't exactly make me want to report more bugs.

When doing a file search for "documents" I get almost only results like this "iCloud Drive > [app] > Documents" (see picture1). 

It has been like this on both Sierra and High Sierra and several versions of Alfred.

The [app]-folder could be both folders I actually see in Finder (picture2) and apps that I only have on my iPhone and doesn't show in Finder. 

Unclear to me if it is a problem with Alfred or the macOS index, but very annoying. 

Yeah that's what I figured

On 8/16/2017 at 1:32 AM, vitor said:

You’d need to show me your version working without for me to say for sure if I could use your approach.

This works fine for me:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7d357bo5wch0j46/Rename (version).alfredworkflow?dl=0