OS X Services integration

[thiagoaraujos]

I've been trying Launchbar for the first time, and noticed it integrates well with OS X services. Things like "open selection in TextEdit" work very well with instant send, all with the keyboard. No need to right click or use the menu. Or even "send the text to Translate Tab", and many other useful services. I always wished that for Alfred. If it had that feature, workflows wouldn't need to duplicate the Mac's native feature, Services. And there are things services can do that workflows can't.

 

I prefer Alfred, but my biggest itch is it doesn't have the ability to send text to a OS X service.

[derico]

Hi thiagoaraujos,

 

I was looking for exactly the same and found a solution in Ted's Menu Bar Search workflow. Since each applicable OSX service has a menu item, this works very well.

Make sure to download the latest version from github.

 

I use it mostly for text based services and iTunes scripts.

 

Rico

Edited May 4, 2014 by derico

[Sridhar Katakam]

On 5/4/2014 at 8:38 PM, derico said:

Hi thiagoaraujos,

 

I was looking for exactly the same and found a solution in Ted's Menu Bar Search workflow. Since each applicable OSX service has a menu item, this works very well.

Make sure to download the latest version from github.

 

I use it mostly for text based services and iTunes scripts.

 

Rico

 

Hi,

 

Can you tell me how to use this workflow to use a macOS service in Alfred's file actions panel?

[xilopaint]

4 hours ago, Sridhar Katakam said:

Can you tell me how to use this workflow to use a macOS service in Alfred's file actions panel?

 

If by macOS services you mean those you can see in the right-click menu the answer is "you can't". This workflow is meant to search the commands of the menu bar, not the right-click menu.

 

Also that workflow was built for Alfred 2 and is currently unmaintained. This other one, written in Swift, is newer with a similar implementation and works with Alfred 3 and 4.

Edited June 1, 2019 by xilopaint

[deanishe]

22 minutes ago, xilopaint said:

This workflow is meant to search the commands of the menu bar, not the right-click menu.

 

Services are also available via the Menu Bar (App > Services), so the menu bar workflow should still find them.

[xilopaint]

9 minutes ago, deanishe said:

 

Services are also available via the Menu Bar (App > Services), so the menu bar workflow should still find them.

 

Jesus, you're right! Because I never use these services I forgot they also live in the menu bar.

[Sridhar Katakam]

While the Menu Bar Search workflow is useful, it is not the answer to what OP and I are looking for - replicating the Instant Send feature of LaunchBar.

 

https://www.obdev.at/resources/launchbar/help/InstantSend.html

 

https://www.obdev.at/resources/launchbar/help/SendingItems.html

 

We can send files/folders and text to Alfred alright but the number of available options in the Actions list is limited. There seems to be no simple way to add system Services to this list.

 

There is a feature request to make all OS X Services available in Alfred's Actions list here.

[deanishe]

3 hours ago, Sridhar Katakam said:

it is not the answer to what OP and I are looking for - replicating the Instant Send feature of LaunchBar.

 

We know. We are just pointing out that it is possible to run services from within Alfred, albeit not the way you want (and not as nicely, either).

 

For my part, I think it would be a great feature.

[Jan Peeters]

I would love a feature like this too. I'd love using Alfred but I keep going back to Launchbar for this.