Multiple Files / Workflow: Files open in wrong order

[papawasarodeo]

I have a couple of workflows that is highly dependent on files opening in the correct order. That is the order I tell alfred to open them using the action "Launch Apps / Files". Sometimes, this simply don't work. The biggest problem seem to lie with files that opens in the same app. Maybe somehow Alfred is a bit to fast here?

 

Anyhow. I hope this bug is quite easy to squash. If it's not: Maybe just have a small delay between the opening of files would help? If not, make it an option? That should be a good workarround anyhow...

 

I'm on the latest OSX 10.8.3 and Alfred 2.0.2.

 

/ Fredrik

Edited April 12, 2013 by papawasarodeo

[Andrew]

I have a couple of workflows that is highly dependent on files opening in the correct order. That is the order I tell alfred to open them using the action "Launch Apps / Files". Sometimes, this simply don't work. The biggest problem seem to lie with files that opens in the same app. Maybe somehow Alfred is a bit to fast here?

 

Anyhow. I hope this bug is quite easy to squash. If it's not: Maybe just have a small delay between the opening of files would help? If not, make it an option? That should be a good workarround anyhow...

 

I'm on the latest OSX 10.8.3 and Alfred 2.0.2.

 

/ Fredrik

 

Alfred launches the apps sequentially and without delay (so no bug here) - if you need something more specific, it would be better to create a small Run Script action instead of a launch file, and use the 'open' command, with your own sleeps between.

 

[moving into Workflow help]

 

Cheers,

Andrew

[papawasarodeo]

I don't think you understood. It's not that there is a delay. Files SOMETIMES launch in the WRONG ORDER. The order of files IS a feature in this action, so it SHOULD work. 

 

So yes. There is a bug. 

 

The delay-part was just a suggestion for a quick workarround that maybe could help...

 

Your suggested solution would clutter up what's already quite big worklflows, that also need to be quickly changed, so that's a no-go for me...

Edited April 12, 2013 by papawasarodeo

[Andrew]

I don't think you understood. It's not that there is a delay. Files SOMETIMES launch in the WRONG ORDER. The order of files IS a feature in this action, so it SHOULD work. 

 

So yes. There is a bug. 

 

The delay-part was just a suggestion for a quick workarround that maybe could help...

 

Your suggested solution would clutter up what's already quite big worklflows, that also need to be quickly changed, so that's a no-go for me...

 

As I said, Alfred launches the items in the correct order. I've just profiled this by adding two separate Launch Files / Apps processors (one above the other), in the first one adding Automator and Calculator, in the second one adding Contacts and Font Book. Running the keyword connected to these, it runs the top launch action first with the apps in order, followed by the bottom one with the apps in order. Here is the logging:

 

 

2013-04-12 11:52:22.593 Alfred 2[39411:303] [iNFO] Launching '/Applications/Automator.app' as part of group

2013-04-12 11:52:22.600 Alfred 2[39411:303] [iNFO] Launching '/Applications/Calculator.app' as part of group

2013-04-12 11:52:22.609 Alfred 2[39411:303] [iNFO] Launching '/Applications/Contacts.app' as part of group

2013-04-12 11:52:22.617 Alfred 2[39411:303] [iNFO] Launching '/Applications/Font Book.app' as part of group

 

Adding in a small delay would slow down launching apps for other users which would be undesirable (Alfred currently doesn't employ any workarounds like this). Also, there is no guarantee that adding a small delay would be enough if your Mac is being slow on launching apps and you'd still see the apps launching in the wrong order.

 

If you have a specific requirement, for launching files and waiting for certain things to be launched, your only option is using a script and running the files with the delays you need.

[papawasarodeo]

It's not that apps open in wrong order. It's files that opens with the same app that sometimes opens in the wrong order.

Don't see the meaning of a feature that's not a feature. 

This should be able to work. 

 

I don't see the speed of the computer in this situation to be the problem. It's small plaintext-docs. And I have a fairly speedy mac. 

[Andrew]

It's not that apps open in wrong order. It's files that opens with the same app that sometimes opens in the wrong order.

Don't see the meaning of a feature that's not a feature. 

This should be able to work. 

 

I don't see the speed of the computer in this situation to be the problem. It's small plaintext-docs. And I have a fairly speedy mac. 

 

 

While I can reproduce this, it appears to be an OS X / destination app behavioural issue. I have 3 text files which are dispatched to OS X to open in TextMate and they are launched sequentially:

 

 

2013-04-12 12:31:10.300 Alfred 2[40963:303] [iNFO] Launching '~/Desktop/t1.txt' as part of group

2013-04-12 12:31:10.308 Alfred 2[40963:303] [iNFO] Launching '~/Desktop/t2.txt' as part of group

2013-04-12 12:31:10.312 Alfred 2[40963:303] [iNFO] Launching '~/Desktop/t3.txt' as part of group

 

If TextMate is already running, they open in order. If not, t1 launches the app, TextMate then opens t2 and t3, then finally the initial t1.

 

I found that if I add TextMate to launch before launching the files, this works around this behaviour and the files always open in the correct order:

 

 

Let me know if that helps!