Adding AirDrop Support to Alfred

[Safari]

This workflow allows you to invoke AirDrop in Alfred by typing airdrop.

Compared to hackish solutions that require AppleScript such as this and this, this simply executes airdrop.app directly, giving you the same experience as what you'd get when you type airdrop in Spotlight, e.g. it won't create duplicates if you already have one or more AirDrop windows or tabs opened, and lauching AirDrop won't bring all Finder windows to the front.

 

I'm actually a bit curious about why Alfred couldn't find airdrop.app after I added /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/Applications/ to search scope. Until that works in Alfred, this is probably the best solution.

 

Download the workflow at Packal!

Edited December 30, 2019 by Safari

[xilopaint]

On 12/30/2019 at 2:52 AM, Safari said:

I'm actually a bit curious about why Alfred couldn't find airdrop.app after I added /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/Applications/ to search scope.

 

Maybe @Andrew can clarify this?

[deanishe]

On 12/30/2019 at 6:52 AM, Safari said:

I'm actually a bit curious about why Alfred couldn't find airdrop.app after I added /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/Applications/ to search scope.

 

AFAIK, the reason is that the contents of application bundles aren't indexed, so applications within other applications, like Airdrop.app or Alfred Preferences.app, won't show up in a search of the metadata index. They need to be specifically handled as special cases, which Spotlight does for Airdrop.app, but Alfred doesn't. Similarly, you can't launch Alfred Preferences.app via Spotlight.

Edited January 2, 2020 by deanishe

[lycopodiopsida]

Hi,

 

nice work! I still wonder, however, whether a workflow could be created which will send a selected file(s) with file action to airdrop.

[Safari]

3 hours ago, deanishe said:

 

AFAIK, the reason is that the contents of application bundles aren't indexed, so applications within other applications, like Airdrop.app or Alfred Preferences.app, won't show up in a search of the metadata index. They need to be specifically handled as special cases, which Spotlight does for Airdrop.app, but Alfred doesn't. Similarly, you can't launch Alfred Preferences.app via Spotlight.

 

Thanks for the explanation! Kind of wish AirDrop was supported natively in Alfred. I spent a whole night trying to write a perfect AppleScript for this before realizing I could just create a workflow to launch the AirDrop app inside Finder

[Andrew]

Huh, well I never... I wonder when they just became apps within Finder!!

 

I'll add these into Alfred 4.0.8

 

Cheers,

Andrew

[Safari]

On 1/2/2020 at 3:24 AM, Andrew said:

Huh, well I never... I wonder when they just became apps within Finder!!

 

I'll add these into Alfred 4.0.8

 

Cheers,

Andrew

 

The dad has spoken! Thanks Alf- Andrew :)

[Andrew]

If you update to the latest 4.0.8 b1133 pre-release, this is now included

[Terminal]

56 minutes ago, Andrew said:

If you update to the latest 4.0.8 b1133 pre-release, this is now included

Is there a setting to enable pre-releases ?

[deanishe]

40 minutes ago, Terminal said:

Is there a setting to enable pre-releases ?

 

[Alan He]

On 1/2/2020 at 5:10 PM, lycopodiopsida said:

Hi,

 

nice work! I still wonder, however, whether a workflow could be created which will send a selected file(s) with file action to airdrop.

you can have a try.

Now, it is only simplified, right click=》 share=》airdrop operation

 

https://github.com/alanhg/alfred-workflows/blob/master/airdrop/Airdrop.alfredworkflow

[JimmyTheSaint]

On 7/15/2020 at 5:47 AM, Alan He said:

you can have a try.

Now, it is only simplified, right click=》 share=》airdrop operation

 

https://github.com/alanhg/alfred-workflows/blob/master/airdrop/Airdrop.alfredworkflow

Thanks for this. It works for me when selecting files in Finder, but I user Path Finder as a Finder replacement, and it doesn't work with files selected in Path Finder. The Air Drop window simply never opens. Is there a fix?

[Alan He]

13 hours ago, JimmyTheSaint said:

Thanks for this. It works for me when selecting files in Finder, but I user Path Finder as a Finder replacement, and it doesn't work with files selected in Path Finder. The Air Drop window simply never opens. Is there a fix?

 

In principle, it depends on the selected file and opens it from finder, even if you select the file in path finder, I tested it and it is OK.

 

 

[JimmyTheSaint]

3 minutes ago, Alan He said:

 

In principle, it depends on the selected file and opens it from finder, even if you select the file in path finder, I tested it and it is OK.

 

 

What's the principle that it depends on? The workflow fails for me on every file I try in Path Finder, and I've tried mp3, text, doc, and pdf files. I select the  Send via AirDrop workflow from the file actions, and nothing happens at all.

[Alan He]

9 minutes ago, JimmyTheSaint said:

What's the principle that it depends on? The workflow fails for me on every file I try in Path Finder, and I've tried mp3, text, doc, and pdf files. I select the  Send via AirDrop workflow from the file actions, and nothing happens at all.

you can debug it , and post log-screenshot , like this

 

[JimmyTheSaint]

Thanks for introducing me to that debugger. Here's the screenshot. I guess it's some kind of n00bish mistake on my part, but I don't see it.

[todoublez]

is it possible to make it do even further ?

like type in "airdop"

 

it shows a person near by list that I can send to.

[vitor]

8 hours ago, todoublez said:

is it possible to make it do even further ?

like type in "airdop"

 

it shows a person near by list that I can send to.

Probably not. I doubt Apple would make that available (or simple) but I haven’t looked thoroughly. It might not be that great of an experience anyway, since Airdrop is slow to do discovery.