Alfred + BetterTouchTool touch bar integration

[Mingwei]

TLDR: Use this BetterTouchTool preset to display touch bar buttons for triggering Alfred workflows when the Alfred search bar is activated with a keyboard shortcut. 

Inspired by: 

 

 

Here's what it looks like (workflows not included):

 

 

It works by:

1. Using BTT to setup a keyboard shortcut that simultaneously activates the Alfred search bar (via applescript) and a touch bar group
2. Setting up an external applescript trigger for the workflows in Alfred and creating buttons for triggering those workflows in the touch bar group
3. Using BTT to create an escape key that also closes BTT touch bar groups

 

It works this way because there's no way to detect the Alfred search bar itself. This does cause some problems:

1. This wouldn't work for you if you don't want the escape key to close groups. A possible workaround is to have the Alfred workflows group to close on a timer instead (see: https://community.folivora.ai/t/auto-closing-touch-bar-groups/5935/3)
2. Left clicking anywhere outside the Alfred search bar when it is open closes the search bar, but not the workflows touch bar group.

 

On the whole though I find that it works quite smoothly.

 

Installation:

• Requires BetterTouchTool, which costs $6.50 after a 45 day trial (https://folivora.ai/downloads)
• BTT preset: https://share.folivora.ai/sharedPreset/918335e2-5596-4e0d-a1cb-388e568f8cd0
• Example Alfred workflow: http://www.packal.org/workflow/alfred-bettertouchtool-integration

Edited April 16, 2019 by Mingwei

[dfay]

12 hours ago, Mingwei said:

Using BTT to setup a keyboard shortcut that simultaneously activates the Alfred search bar (via applescript) and a touch bar group

 

Very clever.

[nutmeg]

I'm getting an Alfred 3 vs Alfred 4 error message. Cool idea, but it doesn't work.