Error sound and delay when Argument "Selection in OS X" fails

[jay-squared]

OS X version: 10.10.0

Alfred version: 2.5 (299)

 

I have a number of workflows that I trigger using a keyboard shortcut where the keyboard shortcut passes the current selection in OS X to the next step in the workflow. One example is a workflow that searches the CanLII database. The idea is that I can select the name of a case in a text I am reading, trigger the workflow, and look it up immediately. However, there are also instances where I don't want the workflow to use the selected text - or rather where I have no text selected - but want to input my own search query (for instance, reading a non-electronic text or a non-OCR'd text, or just when I am thinking for myself). This is not a problem. If I have no text selected and press the relevant key combo, Alfred just allows me to enter my own text. However, I have recently noticed that it will make a highly irritating error sound if no text is selected and the key combo has the Argument set to "Selection in OS X". There will also be a noticeably longer delay before Alfred appears. It didn't use to be that way. I can't tell whether that is due to Yosemite or the new Alfred version.

[Vero]

OS X version: 10.10.0

Alfred version: 2.5 (299)

 

The behaviour for this hasn't changed between Mavericks and Yosemite, but I think the error sound has gotten a little more aggressive in Yosemite. You can change the error sound to be less irritating in the OS X preferences

 

As for the delay, this is due to Alfred waiting a fraction of a second in case the situation changes and OS X does pass the current selection.

 

You can always set an alternative hotkey which just pops up Alfred ready for your search query, which would be quicker. And you can always play with making hotkeys faster with the tip below:

http://support.alfredapp.com/kb:faster-hotkeys

[jay-squared]

I guess the changed alert sound is the cause for me noticing it for the first time. Maybe I would like to change my "bug report" to a feature request then. I think it would make sense - if it is possible - to not emit an error sound when nothing is selected because from my perspective, it makes a lot of sense to use the same key combo regardless of whether text is selected or not. That way, I have to memorise less key combos (I have quite a few search workflows set up that work like this).

[Andrew]

I guess the changed alert sound is the cause for me noticing it for the first time. Maybe I would like to change my "bug report" to a feature request then. I think it would make sense - if it is possible - to not emit an error sound when nothing is selected because from my perspective, it makes a lot of sense to use the same key combo regardless of whether text is selected or not. That way, I have to memorise less key combos (I have quite a few search workflows set up that work like this).

 

It's actually OS X doing the error sound, not Alfred... If it were Alfred in control of this, I definitely wouldn't be sounding an alert.