QuickTimer: Control Clock.app Timers Directly from Alfred

[karutt]

QuickTimer for Alfred

This workflow allows you to directly set timers and control the stopwatch on macOS's standard Clock app right from Alfred.

Feature Introduction

Timer

The default keyword is `t`. By starting with this keyword and following it with a space and a time format, you can set a timer. The format is flexible, generally using units (`h` for hours, `m` for minutes, `s` for seconds) to specify time.

• Specifying Units: Using `t 1h30m10s` sets a timer for 1 hour, 30 minutes, and 10 seconds.
• Arbitrary Units: Command `t 1h30s` initiates a timer for 1 hour and 30 seconds.
• Omitting the Unit: Simply typing `t 30` starts a 30-minute timer.
• Decimal Time: Inputting `t 1.5h` results in a timer for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Automatic Conversion: Entering `t 100` automatically sets a timer for 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Stopwatch

Use the `sw` command to start, stop, lap, and reset the stopwatch.

• Start Stopwatch: Use `sw start` to begin timing.
• Stop Stopwatch: Input `sw stop` to halt the stopwatch.
• Lap Time: The `sw lap` command marks the current time without stopping the stopwatch.
• Reset Stopwatch: Utilizing `sw reset` resets the stopwatch to zero.

 

Installation

Setting up QuickTimer requires installing both the Alfred Workflow file and a specific file for Shortcuts.app. Follow these steps for installation:

1. Download the workflow and Shortcuts.app file from the links below.
   • Alfred workflow file
   • Shortcuts.app file
2. After downloading, double-click each file to import them into Alfred and Shortcuts.app respectively. Complete the setup by following the on-screen prompts.

 

The usability is quite nice. While not many people may use the standard timer, I highly recommend giving it a try.

 

[Cipri]

It would be nice if it were possible to give the timer a name and when it finished the warning would appear in large text on the screen.

[vitor]

Welcome @karutt,

 

Thank you for sharing the workflow. A few notes:

• You should always prefer with input as argv over with input as {query}. You do so in the Script Filters, but not the Run Script.
• Instead of having a separate download for the shortcut, I recommend including it with the workflow. See for example Shrieking Chimes or Share with AirDrop for ways to do it.
• Default keywords should in general be at least three characters long so as to not get lost amongst user results or conflict with other workflows. This will be relevant when considering for inclusion in the Gallery. Naturally, this does not prevent anyone from having single-character keywords if they so choose, since you correctly added custom keyword support.
• Also important if you want the workflow to be considered for the Gallery is sharing it somewhere updates can be tracked, such as GitHub, instead of just a Google Drive/Dropbox/etc link.

If anything is unclear, don’t hesitate to ask!

[karutt]

Thank you for the advice! I noticed that you also left a comment on another one of my workflows. Your feedback has been extremely helpful.