PAUL R FONTENOT

I accidentally wiped out all of my preferences and settings.  I did a restore from Time Machine but somehow, the settings and preferences were still all gone from within Alfred.  I still have the preferences file but I can't get it to load into Alfred.  I have tried opening the file with Alfred and that didn't work.  I have entered it into the search bar and hit Enter and that didn't work.

I need help here to load my preferences back into Alfred. ?

I am surprised that this issue has not already been addressed.  It seems to me that with all of the creative brain power existing in the Alfred community, that there is no workflow with a script to re-install preferences into Alfred.  

Thank you, Andrew, for the positive feedback; it makes me feel like my journey to learn Alfred is progressing and fruitful.

You are exactly correct deanishe!  I wanted to get the full effect of the notification, sound effects and large type on my screen which gives me gratification.

I am just a beginner, but I thought I would share this simple workflow that does not rely on scripts or variables.  It is basically a workflow designed to launch Microsoft Office applications and produce a new document from a template document.  I have split the workflow by application so you won't be opening a slew of applications and files at once; I believe, in the real world, you may not really want to launch a bunch of applications and files all at once.

There is not much documentation to go with this workflow; it uses tools already accessible within the "All Workflow Objects" workflow as a smorgasboard of tools readily accessible.  There are no scripts and it does not rely on variables; just basic stuff.

Please send me some feedback and let me know if you like this workflow.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hgkff2sdv7sgq6d/LAUNCH 2 OFFICE DOCUMENTS.alfredworkflow?dl=0

Good afternoon Vero,

The attached link is my latest rendition of   "Launch 2 Office Documents"   workflow now going under the name of     APPLICATIONS.alfredworkflow

This latest one is working just fine, except for one thing; when I trigger one of the workflows within it, my iMac gives me this error sound; the workflow goes about
it's business and opens the applications & files, gives notification, plays the sound, and posts large type across the screen but every time I trigger the workflow, I get this noise that I normally get when pressing a key that the Mac doesn't like.  Maybe you could run the workflow and see if your Mac gives you the same sound when you trigger it?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0llny72f3wv2qz6/APPLICATIONS.alfredworkflow?dl=0

RE:  Launch 2 Office Documents  workflow

(time now is 11:56 Monday) I can't explain it; my workflow is working flawlessly now.  It was not working this afternoon;   I just kept trying and it started working.  ?

re: your message of Posted Friday at 03:09 AM  concerning uses for the remote, I have come around to see the potential for the remote by having the ease of launching files within applications with the tap of a finger instead of doing it manually.  Thank you for your insight on this matter.  ?

RE:      Launch 2 Office Documents           workflow

Out of curiosity, I just added a keyword input to the original workflow in the workflow tab and tried running this workflow from there;  the workflow works fine from the workflow tab, but not from the remote page.  

I decided that under real-world conditions, I don't really want to be launching several programs and files at once even if I can.  So, I opted to change my previous workflow up a bit and divide it by application.  I created this new workflow (attached) and I loaded it into the remote page (exactly) according to your instructions above.  I still come up with the same results as before; my workflow launches the files and applications but it does not post notification or play sounds.

Don't know what I did that was different than when I loaded the last workflow in according to your instructions with good results.

As before, running the latest version of Alfred & the latest version of Mac OS and I have not made any changes to the operating system.

I'm stooped!   ?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hgkff2sdv7sgq6d/LAUNCH 2 OFFICE DOCUMENTS.alfredworkflow?dl=0

Here is the link to my workflow on Dropbox.   

I am using Alfred version 3.6.2

I am using Mac OS High Sierra, latest update 10.13.5 (17F77)

I have made no changes to the operating system on my MAC

I am not using any programming language or scripts.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jlph940zp5n0exe/REMOTELY LAUNCH MULTIPLE FILES.alfredworkflow?dl=0

I have created the workflow below and the remote trigger is working; the specified file is opened when I tap it on my remote page; but the workflow does not post notification or play sound.  ?

Am I missing a  piece to the puzzle?  Are there some action modules that need to be inserted into the workflow for it to post notification and play sound??

Thank you for your explanation, Andrew.

I appreciate you taking the time to address my concerns.

1 hour ago, Andrew said:

@PAUL R FONTENOT In answer to your questions:

 

1. As explained before, dropping sound files is literally copying sound files from one folder in Finder to another. You use the little squares button in the Play Sound output to open Finder to the folder where you should be dropping sounds for that workflow which can then be used by all Play Sound objects in that workflow.

 

2. The "Launch Apps and Files" action is different to "Open File" action. The former can open multiple apps or files, the latter is for opening the passed in files with the given app (or default app).

 

I'm moving this to to the Workflow sub forum as these aren't bugs with Alfred.

I was able to figure out my hotkey problem (I think) by going back to square one and pulling up the "ALL WORKFLOW ITEMS" WORKFLOW " and duplicating it and then deleting all the modules that I didn't need for a new workflow.  I was then able to reproduce the Advanced Hotkey Workflow from there (at least my version of it).  (I included a keyword module for safety in case I was still not able to find a hotkey that worked).

My workflow is attached.    ?

I tried to find threads or help pages on this, but was not able to find any that specifically addressed this issue;  Why are my hotkeys, that were once working just fine no longer working?    ?   I even tried disabling some that were working  in the hopes of using the same hotkey in another workflow, but that did not work.  I am not able to set any new hotkeys ( and I have been up and down the road trying every combination of modifier key with function key, special character key, number key; trying just one and then two and then 3 modifier keys; I can't find anything that works.  is it possible that I have flipped a setting switch somewhere without realizing it?  ?

On 5/20/2014 at 7:15 PM, alexcory said:

 

Awesome, I just tried this and I guess some other app is overriding the ⌥+C command.  I know this doesn't pertain to you guys, but any advice on how to find out what's causing this?  Maybe like some sort of global "key conflicts" or just  away to see which apps are controlling which hotkeys?  I really appreciate the help by the way!

I just tried this tactic; if I put c in the search box, I only get my own workflows categorized by "c"

If I put "c" in the box, I get nothing.   ?

Dear DEANISHE

While my accolades on your treatise of this workflow stands, I have to tell you, I went through all of your suggestions on how to enter my email address to set up an email using this workflow, nothing I put into the search box was liked by Alfred.  I used              "  "          ,           <    >          ,              @

Alfred did not like any of them!

So, while I still say that you did an excellent job of describing how to use the workflow back when you wrote the help page on this workflow, I venture to say that maybe some things have changed since then because the information does not work for me.

Have the formatting rules changed perhaps since you wrote that help page?
 

I just finished reading a great how-to article @ http://www.deanishe.net/alfred-mailto/.  It was an exhaustive treatise on every little detail about that workflow (Mail To: workflow).  We should have this sort of documentation downloaded with every Alfred workflow!  ?

Alas, I was finally able to load the sound bank files; I first had to

1.  select the files in finder 

2. go to the All Workflow objects 

3.  Open the Play Sound action module and click configure

4.  Clicked on the "squares" button  (then the finder addressed itself to my highlighted aif files.

5.  Clicked Save  

and, Voila!  the sounds were copied into the play sound action module.

Then, I tried to copy that module into other workflows from the ALL WORKFLOW OBJECTS workflow; that didn't work.

What I had to do was duplicate the ALL WORKFLOW OBJECTS and then delete the modules I didn't need.

Once I did that I was able to copy the play sound action module into the same workflow.

I have reached the point where I was confident enough to build a workflow from scratch; opening a new file in Word, Excel, Power Pont and Notes and opening a URL in Google Chrome.  I put in some delay filters so I would not get overwhelmed with the results happening all at once.  It all works!  ?

See the attached jpeg on my new workflow.

I just read the article "Help and Support > Workflows > Actions > Open File"  which (I guess) was supposed to answer my question above posted just a few minutes ago.  It seems that Safari is supposed to be able to open different kinds of image files?  I did not know that after all these years as being a computer hound. ?

I also just read the guidelines on submitting a bug report which I failed to do before (I apologize for my indiscretion); sorry, my bad, as the millennials say.

1.  I cannot drop aif files or mp3 files into the Sound Dialog folder.?

2.  I cannot drop anything whatsoever into the  "Open App/Files" Action module folder after I have put Safari into them; it seems like once you put 1 item into the box, it will not accept a new item afterward.?

              Ref:  Help and Support > Workflows > Actions > Launch Apps and Files (from Safari) (What kinds of files is Safari supposed to be able to open anyway???)   ?

(On the other hand, I am starting to see some light peek through the clouds of my frustration; I am actually starting to make some of these workflows to do what they are advertised as doing) ?

Exactly where in Finder do I go to; which file; which folder?

So far, I have just been opening the workflow action item folder and tried to drag the sound files in or "drop them in" as you say.  The workflow folder just won't accept them.  ?

Thank you Andrew for trying to help.  Your instructions were very comprehensive and succinct.

I have gone through all of the steps that you have delineated several times.

When I get to the part where you "Drop any sound into that folder (this is the folder the workflow lives in)", the workflow folder will not let me "drop in" any sound files.  I have tried several times to drag them over from where they are installed but the folder will not accept them.

I also don't understand why the sound folder cannot index the location of my sound files if I install them according to your instructions.

I went back and read the webpage:   https://www.alfredapp.com/help/workflows/outputs/play-sound/; I have loaded the files into my user account/library/sounds; the sound files still don't show up in the play sound dialog boxes.   ???

I have a challenge for robwalton.  Could you try and find the time to write a script that would: 1.  Open an Excel workbook, copy all of the spreadsheets within, and paste to a new Excel workbook, then close both files and Excel.  2,  Open a Word document, copy everything, open a new document, paste everything (including formatting and macros), Save both, close both.  3.  Open a PowerPoint presentation, copy all, open a new PowerPoint template, paste everything (including formatting and macros) to a new  PowerPoint presentation, and close both.

Author an action item dialog that would do that, separately for Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

That would be of real help to me, running workflows that merely post text to the clipboard or to an unneeded black text file or play a sound is for children; I find that many of the examples on Alfred are not practical workflows that offer the user real work answers to real challenges.

If I know how to code, I would write the script myself, unfortunately, I am too old and set in my ways to embark on such a challenge as learning code now. (64)

I would be greatly appreciative if you did that; that would be some real-world problem-solving.