Recent Items 4.2 for Alfred 3: Docs, Folders, Apps + Custom Categories + Favorites + Interaction with Open/Save Dialogs and more...

[Carlos-Sz 260]

Overview

Workflow to display recent Finder files and folders featuring:

• 5 default categories
• 2 custom categories
• Favorites, including a file action
• Keywords and hotkeys for Favorites and all categories apart
• Interaction with Open/Save dialogs and Finder Go To Folder
• Preview, reveal, open or use Alfred file actions

Usage

Show Alfred and type the keyword rec:



You can also use the category keyword if you prefer to access the recent files directly, without an initial menu:

• Now: keyword now
• Folders: keyword fol
• Applications: keyword apps
• Documents: keyword docs
• Downloads: keyword dow
• Custom Category 1: keyword c1
• Custom Category 2: keyword c2
• Favorites: keyword fav

In addition, there is a hotkey for the keyword rec, Favorites and all categories apart.

Note that all keywords, as well as the hotkeys, can be changed (go to Alfred Preferences > Workflows).

Finally, once inside a category you have the following actions:

• Return key: open the file or folder
• Command key: reveal the file or folder in Finder
• Option key: pass the file/older path to an open/save dialog or Finder window
• Control key: add/remove an item to/from Favorites
• Shift key: preview (Quick Look) the file or folder

Custom Categories

You can set up to two custom categories:

• Show Alfred and type the keyword recpref
• Select a category to configure and press return key
• Type an unique category name with at least 3 characters
• Type one or more (separated by comma) file types e.g.: com.adobe.pdf,public.plain-text

To find a file type you can use Alfred Metadata Analyzer.

To remove a custom category press command key while highlighting one of them in recpref.

Favorites

All files or folders set as a favorite item will remain in the list no matter how old they are.

To add an item to Favorites just highlight a file or folder, hold control key and press return key.

To remove an item go to Favorites, highlight an item, hold control key and press return key.

You can also add items utilizing Alfred File Action (accepts multiple files).

Note that Favorites has also its own keyword (fav) and hotkey.

Interacting with Open/Save Dialog or Finder

You can pass a recent file or folder path, or an item in Favorites, to an open/save dialog or even the current Finder window to go to that folder:

• when an open/save dialog is displayed type the keyword rec or any other category keyword
• find an item (a file or folder or an item from Favorites), highlight it, hold option key and press return key
• wait a bit so the workflow can load and paste the item path

Default Folder

The workflow remembers the last path used per application. To use the feature just type the keyword df when an open/save dialog is displayed.

If the workflow was never used for the application, or the path does not exist anymore, then the keyword rec will be automatically triggered so you can select a path from a file or folder.

There is also a hotkey to make things even faster.

Make sure to give the feature time to process because e.g. if you hold keyboard keys way too long then the feature may not work as expected.

What’s new

• Up to 2 custom categories (keyword recpref)
• Downloads category
• Keyword for each category
• Hotkey for each category
• Multiple files in Add to Favorites file action
• Changed Auto-path to Default Folder (keyworod df)
• Changed Just Now category to Now
• Added Help (keyword rechelp)
• Update to Alfred 2.3 features
• Several internal improvements

 

Download

• Version 4.2
• Release date: 19 Jun 2016
• Requires Alfred 3
• Download

 

Edited February 19, 2018 by Carlos-Sz

[boomchaos 1]

Works perfectly! This is awesome

[Carlos-Sz 260]

Works perfectly! This is awesome

 

Great! Thank you for your feedback.

[Jono 16]

Great workflow, thanks!

[Carlos-Sz 260]

Great workflow, thanks!

 

Thank you!

[Carlos-Sz 260]

Workflow version 1.8 is out (25 Mar 2013)!

• Favorites
• improved drill-down menu
• interaction with open/save OS X dialogs

See initial post for details.

[Jono 16]

 

Workflow version 1.8 is out (25 Mar 2013)!

• Favorites
• improved drill-down menu
• interaction with open/save OS X dialogs

See initial post for details.

 

Excellent, thanks.

[Davduf 1]

Works perfectly! 

[nickwild 1]

Great thanks. A hotkey to the favourites would be perfect.

Thanks again

 

Love the interaction with the open/save dialogue!

Edited March 25, 2013 by nickwild

[Carlos-Sz 260]

Excellent, thanks.

 

 

Works perfectly! 

 

 

Great thanks. A hotkey to the favourites would be perfect.

Thanks again

 

Love the interaction with the open/save dialogue!

 

 

Thank you all.

 

Hotkeys will be added for sure.

[Carlos-Sz 260]

Version 1.9 is out!

 

Added hotkey to display Favorites category

 

See initial post for details.

[nickwild 1]

Wow! Speedy work!

 

I can't get the interaction to work with the open/save box after the update, it comes up with a folder cannot be found error 

 

Also will this interaction work with attach for emails too (I use Outlook)

 

Thanks again for all your work on this.

Awesome!

[CarlosNZ 102]

Great stuff. Thanks for this.

 

(Just one small typo: "There are no favorit items" - missing an e there, buddy! )

[Carlos-Sz 260]

Wow! Speedy work!

 

I can't get the interaction to work with the open/save box after the update, it comes up with a folder cannot be found error 

 

Also will this interaction work with attach for emails too (I use Outlook)

 

Thanks again for all your work on this.

Awesome!

 

I don’t have Outlook but basically the interaction will work as long as the open/save dialog supports Command+Shift+G to set the folder.

 

Regarding the issue, please try version 1.9.2 (see initial post)

 

Great stuff. Thanks for this.

 

(Just one small typo: "There are no favorit items" - missing an e there, buddy! )

 

Thank you. Fixed.

[nickwild 1]

Brilliant. What a workflow!

 

Is there any way to amend the file types rather than scripts and plain text I would like Word docs and Excels docs?

 

Thanks again.

[phyllisstein 81]

Extraordinarily well done. Thanks!

[andy 0]

I can't get it works . it always in state "Loading Recent Items" 

http://d.pr/i/pzQr

[Carlos-Sz 260]

Brilliant. What a workflow!

 

Is there any way to amend the file types rather than scripts and plain text I would like Word docs and Excels docs?

 

Thanks again.

 

Thank you.

 

Yes, it is possible. I’ll send you a PM about it.

 

Extraordinarily well done. Thanks!

 

Thank you.

 

I can't get it works . it always in state "Loading Recent Items" 

http://d.pr/i/pzQr

 

The one thing hard coded, and maybe it shouldn’t, is the Applications category icon that points to /Applications/App Store.app. Are you using Mountain Lion?

 

Anyway, please try to delete the workflow, download it and install it again. Once I got a corrupted download and got stuck in a Loading screen.

[Carlos-Sz 260]

Version 1.9.5 is out with small improvements.

 

See initial post.

[andy 0]

The one thing hard coded, and maybe it shouldn’t, is the Applications category icon that points to /Applications/App Store.app. Are you using Mountain Lion?

Yes. I'm using Mountain Lion. But reinstalling the workflow with the new one seems fix the problem. Thanks

[CarlosNZ 102]

I love how this has combined about 3 workflows into one, but I'm wondering if it's possible to create keywords to access "Folders", "Favorites", etc. directly?

 

If I want to access my Favorite folders, say, it would be easier to just type "fav", than have to go "rec", then select from a list. I mean, the branching structure is cool too, and I like having the option, but it'd be really great if we could do it both ways. Do you think this is possible?

 

[Carlos-Sz 260]

Yes. I'm using Mountain Lion. But reinstalling the workflow with the new one seems fix the problem. Thanks

 

Great! Thank you for your feedback.

 

I love how this has combined about 3 workflows into one, but I'm wondering if it's possible to create keywords to access "Folders", "Favorites", etc. directly?

 

If I want to access my Favorite folders, say, it would be easier to just type "fav", than have to go "rec", then select from a list. I mean, the branching structure is cool too, and I like having the option, but it'd be really great if we could do it both ways. Do you think this is possible?

 

 

Yes it is planned. I kind of think the same way.

[Carlos-Sz 260]

Version 1.9.6 is out:

 

- fav keyword to access only Favorites items

 

See initial post for details.

[Carlos-Sz 260]

Version 2.0 is out:

• Just Now category
• Keyword justn for faster access
• Hotkey for Just Now category
• Support for Alleyoop workflow

See initial post for details.

[Carlos-Sz 260]

Version 3.0 is out:

• Auto path
  
• Improved favorites sorting
  
• Improved recent items filter
  
• Alleyoop 2.0 support
  

See initial post for details including the new Auto Path feature.