Drag and drop from Finder

[jackjeff]

I'm considering switching to Alfred, since it performs more tasks than my current launcher which is QuickSilver.

 

It looks very promising, however there is a workflow that I do frequently using QuickSilver and does not seem possible in the free version of Alfred, and I am not sure if this can be achieved with the PowerPack either.

 

Steps

- Bring up popup window with shortcut

- Type name of application (e.g. preview, photoshopt, etc…)

- Drag and drop a file (or folder) from finder into the icon

 

Result

- The app is opened with the selected document

 

I tried a similar behavior with Alfred, but the popup window disappears as soon as I start draggin a Finder icon.

 

I read on this forum something about a cmd-opt-\. But I do not understand how it's supposed to work, and I did not manage to make it work.

 

Thanks in Advance.

Edited June 24, 2014 by jackjeff

[vitor]

No, you cannot do it with Alfred in the exact manner you describe. The option you’ve read about (if we’re talking about the same thing), would work in the following way:

• Select a file in the Finder.
• Press a shortcut. An Alfred window will appear with several options.
• You pick “Open with…”.
• You select the application.

Both steps 2 and 3 will leave you in a state where you’re in a search field with immediate feedback, though, meaning you can type to quickly access those options. Step 2 can also be cut entirely with a workflow — but you’d have to setup up one to use the specific application you want to open your file with; those are extremely simple to do, and there are already a bunch of them in these forums.

In sum, it is possible to do it quickly, yes, but you’d have to reverse your action — instead of picking the application and then the file, you need to pick the file and then the application (in this case, the action of opening with a certain application).

[nikolaus]

I, like Jackjeff, have made an account just to request this functionality All I want is for the Alfred window to not disappear when I begin a drag, and for it to be a valid drop target. In Quicksilver I can even start a drag, hit the Quicksilver hotkey, type an application name, and drop the file I've been holding the whole time. In Alfred I can bring up the window but it won't let me type while dragging.

 

Vitor, I'm not sure what you mean in your step 2. What shortcut do I press to get this window with options? Jackjeff mentioned cmd+opt+\, but for me this opens 1Password and I don't see any shortcuts like this in the Alfred preferences. Does it require the Powerpack?

 

Thanks!

[vitor]

Does it require the Powerpack?

Yes. I believe it does.