How do you automate moving the exported workflow to root folder?

[nikivi]

I want to create a macro that will export a newly updated workflow and update the download path that I always put in beginning of workflows (this one).

 

Currently I distribute workflows with Dropbox and I can achieve a very fast release by using a keyboard maestro macro that will export the workflow to my Dropbox : 

 

 

 

Essentially I hover over a workflow in here : 

 

 

 

Press a hotkey, and it will export this workflow to Dropbox, replace the workflow there and the new updated workflow can be downloaded from the link.

 

This is pretty great and fast. However I want to use @vitor's amazing script to inform users that I released a new update to a workflow and for that I need to put the workflow at the root directory of the GitHub repo. I also noticed that all the workflow veterans put their workflows in the root GitHub repo like Searchio for example.

 

My question is whether I can achieve the same workflow of one hotkey press and everything is updated + the user is informed of the update with this setup? I can only think of having workflows exported to Desktop and then have hazel rules that will move the workflow to an appropriate place and then issue a git command update but that seems a bit excessive and I would need to create a new rule for each new workflow which sucks.

 

How do you guys release and update your workflows fast?

 

Edited May 8, 2017 by nikivi

[vitor]

Again, you’re taking the long route. You’re overcomplicating. You are already pushing your workflow updates to Github, just push the compiled workflow as well. Its download link won’t change, like it does with Dropbox.

 

Dropbox sucks for this, and it’ll just keep sucking more. They are incredibly and increasingly hostile to hotlinking. At this point in time (and likely in the future) Dropbox sucks for distributing software. And they know it. They crippled those features on purpose.

[nikivi]

5 hours ago, vitor said:

Again, you’re taking the long route. You’re overcomplicating. You are already pushing your workflow updates to Github, just push the compiled workflow as well. Its download link won’t change, like it does with Dropbox.

 

Dropbox sucks for this, and it’ll just keep sucking more. They are incredibly and increasingly hostile to hotlinking. At this point in time (and likely in the future) Dropbox sucks for distributing software. And they know it. They crippled those features on purpose.

Thank you @vitor. You are right, I did overcomplicate things. I will pass in the workflow as I update. I have a small question though, what would my new 'download' hyperlink point to then? Can I specify a specific file in GitHub to download? I don't really like dealing with GitHub releases if I can avoid that.

[deanishe]

17 hours ago, nikivi said:

I also noticed that all the workflow veterans put their workflows in the root GitHub repo like Searchio for example

 

That's just a convenience for users who don't read instructions. GitHub releases are the "official" download source (Alfred-Workflow pulls updates from there), but as I have to build the workflow somewhere anyway, I leave a copy in the repo root, too. 

[vitor]

2 hours ago, nikivi said:

Can I specify a specific file in GitHub to download?

 

When you open an .alfredworkflow in Github, it’ll have a View Raw link. That’s the one you use.

 

47 minutes ago, deanishe said:

GitHub releases are the "official" download source

 

Agreed. And in your case it makes sense to use them, @nikivi (though no one will force you to). OneUpdater supports that just as well. I don’t use releases and instead keep the packaged Workflows in the repo simply because releases aren’t really geared for a case like mine, where multiple unconnected apps (Workflows) live under the same repo. For other apps I do use releases.