Distributing Workflows - Programming Language

[Rushi]

Hi, I'm new to developing workflows for Alfred and have one question which hasn't been obvious from the documentation. 

 

My workflow is written in NodeJS. If I have to distribute this workflow to anyone who is not a programmer they are unlikely to have NodeJS installed on their system. So, what can I do in this situation? How have other people solved this issue?

 

Is there any other language (apart from Bash) that I can use so that non-programmers can easily use my workflow? 

[vitor]

1 hour ago, Rushi said:

How have other people solved this issue?

 

They haven’t. They just say “you need to have node installed”. Node is a bad choice partly that reason: it doesn’t come bundled with the system.

 

1 hour ago, Rushi said:

Is there any other language (apart from Bash) that I can use so that non-programmers can easily use my workflow?

 

Yes. Look into the Run Scripts Language field:

• bash
• zsh
• php
• ruby
• python
• perl
• osascript (AppleScript)
• osascript (JavaScript)
  
  

[Rushi]

Thanks @vitor. Looks like I'll skip node and re-write it in Python instead. More likely to have that installed on an OSX box. 

 

[deanishe]

1 hour ago, Rushi said:

re-write it in Python instead.

 

Depending on what your workflow does, this library might be useful. Takes care of a lot of the boilerplate.

[Rushi]

2 hours ago, deanishe said:

 

Depending on what your workflow does, this library might be useful. Takes care of a lot of the boilerplate.

 

Thanks I did use it! It's awesome. I wish I read that before, i figured out a lot of stuff the hard way.