Keyboard Maestro

More file management with Keyboard Maestro

Published March 8, 2020 | By Don Pedro

The spring cleaning of my drives has begun and with it comes several more helpful commands set up within Keyboard Maestro. While you can buy utilities that perform these same actions, by using Keyboard Maestro you can configure exactly how they work and chain them all together into a very handy set of utilities.

I used my previous applet to move a whole series of files and folders, now I'm using another to clean my drive of all sorts of useless and wasteful files. For example, I don't need readme.txt files of 1k. Or file_id.diz of 1k. Or empty directories. Or .nfo files. Or .url files. Just to name a few.

The may not take up much space, but in reality, they do. They occupy the full block of hard drive space, even if they are only a few bytes in size. Why clutter up the drive? Why clutter up a duplicate manager tool? Why clutter up an index tool like NeoFinder?

It's time to get rid of these and dozens more with some easy shell help and a quick UI from Keyboard Maestro.

In my case, the UI has a button to List, Count or Remove the items in question. It then has a dropdown for the drive I want to work with. The results are a text window where I can confirm what's to be removed. If I like what I see, I can run the command again to delete them.

The command in question looks something like this:

filename="Sample*"
find * -iname "$filename" -type d
find * -iname "$filename" -type d | wc -l
#find * -iname "$filename" -type d -exec rm -rf {} +

I also set up a small util to show me the largest files. Again, it has a simple UI to pick the file size I'm interested in, such as 1GB, 5GB, 10GB. In this case, show me all the files larger than 5GB, since those might need to be dealt with. The executed shell command is:

find * -type f -size +"$KMVAR_instance_size"

As I find more and more files I don't need, I add them to my growing list. I can either execute them as shell command within Keyboard Maestro, or create an .sh shell script that processes them as a batch.

Using Keyboard Maestro allows me to make a helpful UI that fills in the parameters of the shell command and lets me get the work done without worrying about the syntax.

Now that I have my command set up, I can use it over and over again, across multiple drives and delete hundreds, if not thousands of files, and clean up a slew of files with a single click.

Making applications with Keyboard Maestro

Published March 4, 2020 | By Don Pedro

The more I work with Keyboard Maestro, the more impressed I am with it’s power, and how the name doesn’t do it justice.

Yes, it certainly sets up keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys, but you can develop applications using the tools it has to offer. To my point, I recently put together an small app that helped to move and organize 1TB worth of data on my drive. I had literally downloaded so much that I was on the verge of running out of space. I had YouTube videos, tutorials, PDF files, documents, spreadsheets, shell scripts, Groovy files, audio files, and pretty much anything and everything you can snag from the Internet these days.

Taking a few cues from Hazel, I created an “app” within Keyboard Maestro that performs many of the same features. The goal was to move all these from the Downloads folder to one of the several other drives I have connected, and into a folder with a useful name.

Using the “Prompt for User Input” feature, I set up a dialog box that allowed me to select a destination drive. I added an input field to enter the file criteria such as jmeter.mp4, Katalon.doc, .sh, rush.mp3, as well as the destination folder such as Jmeter Tutorials, Jira docs, or Photoshop Interview.

After going through the Keyboard Maestro IF and CASE statements to determine which options were selected on the dialog, these parameters were passed to the “Execute Shell Script” action. This accepted the filename and location, then moved to the files to the appropriate place. Keyboard Maestro would construct the correct move command using variables.

As a bonus, that command is displayed in a Text Window so it can be added to a full shell script file for future use.

Additional features include a check to make sure the destination folder exists. If not, the folder is created.

Since it’s making shell commands, there is an option to execute a full .sh file using all of the previously created move statements.

I was able to pass Keyboard Maestro variables into the shell script, and return shell script variables back to Keyboard Maestro.

By the time I was done, I had a full fledged app, with UI, that allowed me to move files I already knew where there, as well as move new types of files. It also logged the output so I could use the commands next time.

It took the better part of a weekend to move everything. But again, it was 1TB of data. The next run will take a fraction of the time because the full script will run with minimal input from me. It is now scheduled to run on the weekends, so the file processing will be done in the background on a regular basis.

The programming itself was relatively easy. I had to look up how to pass variables around, but the Keyboard Maestro documentation is very extensive. Now that I have it working, there are many more opportunities to combine the built-in features of Keyboard Maestro with the power of shell scripting. Not to mention calling out to run Groovy or Java code, AppleScript code, or Javascript.

I have turned several shell commands into small apps that can be called at will to clean up my drive and manage folders.

keyboard-maestro-app

Wait for a Volume to Mount or Unmount/Eject in AppleScript

Published January 6, 2020 | By Don Pedro

In working with Alfred, I've created a workflow that loads files from a Volume (DMG) file. In order for this to work correctly, I need the script to wait until the volume is actually loaded and visible in Finder before continuing.

This can be done a few different ways, but here is the AppleScript code I'm using which works with Alfred or Keyboard Maestro. It's based on several examples I found.

The first script gets the name of the mounted volumes and keeps looping until the expected volume shows up in the list.

The second script is the opposite. It keeps looping and trying to eject the disk until the name isn't in the list of mounted volumes.

Wait for Volume to be Mounted

set mountedDisk1 to list disks
set thevolume1 to "Insert Volume Name Here"
set wasmounted to false
set counter to 0
set max_number_of_iteration to 30

--activate
--use activate to bring dialog to front
if mountedDisk1 contains thevolume1 then
    set wasmounted to true
end if

if wasmounted is false then
    delay 1
    tell application "Finder"
        if (not (exists (disk thevolume1))) then
            repeat until (mountedDisk1 contains thevolume1 or counter is greater than max_number_of_iteration)
            set mountedDisk1 to list disks
            if mountedDisk1 contains thevolume1 then
                --successful
            end if
            delay 1
            set counter to counter + 1
            end repeat
        end if
    end tell
end if

Wait for Volume to be Unmounted/Ejected

set mountedDisk1 to list disks
set thevolume1 to "Insert Volume Name Here"
set wasmounted to false
set counter to 0
set max_number_of_iteration to 30

--activate
--use activate to bring dialog to front
if mountedDisk1 contains thevolume1 then
    set wasmounted to true
end if

if wasmounted is true then
    delay 1
    tell application "Finder"
    eject disk thevolume1
        if ((exists (disk thevolume1))) then
            repeat until (mountedDisk1 does not contain thevolume1 or counter is greater than max_number_of_iteration)
            set mountedDisk1 to list disks
            if mountedDisk1 contains thevolume1 then
                eject disk thevolume1
            end if
            delay 1
            set counter to counter + 1
            end repeat
        end if
    end tell
end if

Adapted from:
https://macscripter.net/viewtopic.php?id=29886
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/14266855/applescript-to-mount-drive-and-once-finished-report-if-successful

It’s all about templates, macros and workflows in 2020

Published January 4, 2020 | By Don Pedro

Over this holiday break I have been excitedly playing with Alfred and Keyboard Maestro to the point where I might be wasting time trying to find ways to save time.

In reality, I've created multiple workflows in each application to accomplish some trivial, but still useful tasks.

While looking up some examples for Keyboard Maestro, I followed the demo and set my machine to empty the system trash every Friday night at 10pm. Yes, the system does it, but this is more efficient.

I took that idea and set Keyboard Maestro to empty the trash in DevonThink Office at the same time. Keyboard Maestro can enter keystrokes and press dialog buttons. That's nice!

It even adds the extra option to make sure the system was idle in case I was doing something.

Because I've done it more than once manually, I built a Keyboard Maestro workflow to copy files out of my Dropbox folder to my local system so they could be used by DevonThink.

Again, these are rather trivial tasks, but they are solid learning blocks and they perform useful work. Work that I don't have to worry about.

I took that same idea and applied it to Alfred. I've created several keywords to make consistent work environments. One Alfred workflow for automation starts Katalon, CodeRunner, SnippetsLab, Github Desktop and opens the project in Finder.

It's hardly a chore to start some apps, but it means I don't have to go looking for an app. It's already running. When I need it, it's there, and my flow isn't disrupted.

The same is true for my writing apps. I type a keyword and Scrivener, WordWeb, WordPress, TextSoap and MWeb are all launched. My writing project is loaded and is ready to go. I could even add options to close apps like Messages, Slack and email so my focus doesn't wander.

Again, not difficult, but consistent. And a consistent environment means I can get more done with less distraction.

Another workflow that came up was specifically because I was at home.

While working from home over the holiday break, I needed to share my screen a few times. It's no problem to do so, however, I wanted to shut down multiple apps so notification messages wouldn't pop up. This meant closing Messages, Mail, monitoring tools, Affinity Dashboard, and others.

No one needs to know that a pair of shoes I'm interested in has gone on sale. Nor do they need to see some scammer trying to tell me my iTunes account has been suspended and I need to log in to confirm ownership.

That is a horrible business presentation.

Now, I can use Alfred to close these apps without my need to remember the name of each one. When I'm finished, I restart them all, and restore the state of my machine.

I'm even working on creating shell scripts and triggers that emulate some of the functionality of Hazel. I can move and copy files based on their name or extension. I can have the action triggered by keyword or run on a schedule.

Using these two tools, I'm very quickly creating a set it and forget it mentality.

Just think of what will happen when I actually know what I'm doing!

Keyboard Maestro makes a last minute appearance on the Party Barge

Published December 27, 2019 | By Don Pedro

While researching Alfred, CopyLess and PopClip, I saw many references to Keyboard Maestro, but never quite understood what the app was for. It came across as a text expander, or a clipboard editor, or a keyboard mapper.

So, taking a moment out to pause and reflect, it finally became clear to me. All those functions are a part of Keyboard Maestro. How is that possible?

It makes a little more sense when Keyboard Maestro is presented as an extension or the next version of Automator. It uses a similar style of building blocks to chain actions together to accomplish tasks. At one end you can tie an action to a hotkey, and at the other, actions can be triggered by system events such as switching networks, or a USB drive being inserted.

After downloading a copy, trying it out, watching some videos and assembling some blocks of my own, Keyboard Maestro jumps aboard the Party Barge just as we cast off for 2020.

In reality there is some overlap between Alfred and Keyboard Maestro. They are both development environments for creating shortcuts for repetitive tasks. And in many ways they go about it the same way. However, they both offer distinct tools and functionality.

To give a simple example, in Alfred you can create a workflow to stop and start multiple applications using AppleScript.

In Keyboard Maestro, the same job can be set up as a macro using a series of the “Application Control” actions that list the applications to stop and start. It can also be done using the Execute AppleScript module.

In Alfred:

    tell application "Firefox" to activate
    tell application "Mail" to activate
    tell application "Messages" to activate

In Keyboard Maestro:

Same end results, slightly different way of getting there.

But where Keyboard Maestro comes into it’s own is with system events. You can create actions for when a file is added to a folder, when you login, when the system goes idle, when the system wakes, when an application starts or stops, when text is copied to the clipboard, etc. There are dozens of events you can monitor and take action on.

Additionally, you can build loops, use IF statements, employ variables, set up decision making, and even prompt for input before continuing.

Or if you prefer, you can skip the module building part and use straight scripting in AppleScript, a shell script, Swift, or JavaScript.

I even watched a couple of videos where Keyboard Maestro was used to fill in forms on a Google page.

Once I took a serious look, I saw just how powerful Keyboard Maestro can be. I’ve already built a few simple macros with many more coming. There is a fair bit to learn, but like Alfred, there is a very active community of users and plenty of examples to study.

With their combined powers, very few computer tasks will escape me.

Keyboard Maestro

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More file management with Keyboard Maestro

Other articles of interest:

Making applications with Keyboard Maestro

Other articles of interest:

Wait for a Volume to Mount or Unmount/Eject in AppleScript

Other articles of interest:

It’s all about templates, macros and workflows in 2020

Other articles of interest:

Keyboard Maestro makes a last minute appearance on the Party Barge

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