Evernote - Text Color Change Workflow (using Color Picker or any other method)?

[Jasondm007]

Has anybody created a workflow that can change the color of text to a specific color within the Evernote app?

 

At the moment, Evernote only allows you to show and hide the Color Picker with a shortcut (C-Command-Shift for both hiding and showing). However, it doesn't even make the Color Picker window/pane active, so it's not entirely clear to me how to script something that would could pick a color and close the Color Picker. I'm a scripting newbie, but I find it really annoying to constantly have to fidget with the mouse to get this repetitive task done. In fact, several other people have complained about the issue on Evernote's message boards. Like most people that use Evernote, I commonly highlight text in articles and change its color when I want to draw my attention to something or take a note, etc. However, the app only has a menu item shortcut for highlighting text, and it does not include anything to help people change the text's color without clicking around with their mouse.

 

For example, I'd love to just assign a shortcut in Alfred that changes the text's color to red. Within Evernote's Color Picker-restricted system, it would need to do something like the following: After text has been manually highlighted by the user (i.e., not highlighting, as in its format, but just selected with the cursor), use an Alfred workflow to assign a keyword or a shortcut to:

 

1. Open the Color Picker (C-Command-Shift)
2. Make the Color Picker window active
3. Select the Color Palette option - which is the 3rd one from the top on Macs without anything else installed
4. Click the "Apple" palette - which is the default option that should already be selected
5. Click the boring old Red color towards the bottom, and
6. Close the Color Picker (C-Command-Shift)

 

Of course, I'm completely open to suggestions for a solution outside of Evernote, too - i.e., one that happens out of plain sight and does not depend on clunkily opening and closing the Color Picker. 

 

Thanks for any help you can lend!!

 

 

 

 

 

[deanishe]

If you want to automate opening the color picker and clicking in it, Keyboard Maestro would be the tool for that job: it can simulate the keyboard shortcut, recognise an image on screen (i.e. the color picker), and then click within it.

 

A much better way would be to use an Alfred Hotkey to get the currently selected text, wrap it in a RTF header, footer and colour definition, put it back on the clipboard as rich text, then simulate a paste keystroke (⌘V)

 

That would be much more reliable, and also work in apps other than Evernote.

Edited January 5, 2018 by deanishe

[Jasondm007]

@deanishe Thanks for your help! The RTF method sounds like the best option, however, I'm afraid it also sounds like it's far beyond my limited skill set.

 

I'll try to poke around and see if others have workflows or applescripts that edit text as an RTF; that way, I can just try and modify it for Evernote. If you know of any, please let me know. 

 

Thanks again!

[deanishe]

Here's the RTF header and footer you need.

 

Here's code to copy RTF to the pasteboard.

 

I linked the colour definitions you'd need to add above.

[Jasondm007]

Thanks a ton @deanishe!! I'll see if I can make sense of these materials over the weekend. Much appreciated!!!

[Snorrew]

Figured this out? Looking for the same!

[maverator]

You can change the font color using the simple Alfred workflow described here: https://www.alfredapp.com/blog/tips-and-tricks/manipulating-selected-text-in-macos-with-alfred-workflows/

However I can't figure out how to change the background color.

The Fonts panel has functionality to change the background color, and it works in the panel's preview, but for some reason it is not reflected in the "Copy to Clipboard" component of the workflow.

I'm trying to mimic inline code formatting like Slack has with a single keyboard shortcut.

[robrobrob]

I can't figure out how to change the color or, much of anything... I'd love to teach myself but does anyone have steps? Apologies!