I then mentioned UI Browser twice last month for Automation April: it was thanks to the app that I managed to create shortcuts to toggle the Lyrics and Up Next sidebars in the Music app for Monterey. I first covered UI Browser in 2019, when I published a story on how I could control my Mac mini from the iPad Pro using Luna Display and some AppleScript, which I was able to learn thanks to UI Browser. UI Browser is both incredibly well-designed and well-named: it lets you browse the user interface of an app and copy the scripting syntax to automate elements of it. Arguably - but I’ll argue this side - “regular” AppleScript scripting is easier than “UI” AppleScript scripting, but “UI” AppleScript scripting with UI Browser is easier than anything else. The only downside: scripting the user interface this way is tedious ( very verbose) at best, and inscrutable at worst. They’re not APIs per se but just ways to automate the things you - a human - can do on screen.Ī great idea. UI scripting is, basically, a way to expose everything accessible to the Accessibility APIs to anyone writing an AppleScript script. But as an expansion of accessibility features under Mac OS X, Apple added UI scripting - a way to automate apps that either don’t support AppleScript properly at all, or to accomplish something unscriptable in an otherwise scriptable app. If you ever merely tinkered with writing or tweaking AppleScript scripts, this is almost certainly what you know. Long story as short as possible: “Regular” AppleScript scripting is accomplished using the programming syntax terms defined in scriptable apps’ scripting dictionaries. Here’s what John Gruber wrote about UI Browser last week: UI Browser developer Bill Cheeseman, having turned 79 years old, has decided it is now time to “bring this good work to a conclusion”, and the app will be retired in October. UI Browser lets you discover the AppleScript structure of an app’s menu system, taking advantage of Apple’s Accessibility APIs to make it easier to script UI, which is not – how do I put this – normally “fun”, per se. Longtime MacStories readers may be familiar with UI Browser, an incredible scripting tool for macOS created by Bill Cheeseman. You can also follow MacStories’ Automation April coverage through our dedicated hub, or subscribe to its RSS feed. To learn more about how to submit a shortcut to the Automation April Shortcuts Contest, be sure to check out my story with all the details that was published on MacStories yesterday. As Jack points out, personal automation is about making your devices work for you and not the other way around, which is what Automation April is all about. It wasn’t the most complex shortcut we received, but it had the perfect combination of originality, thoughtful design, and everyday utility that our judges look for. He was the winner of our Best Overall Shortcut in last year’s Automation April Shortcut Contest. On top of the many automation apps and features included with Apple’s platforms, there are also a slew of great third party apps that unlock even more possibilities. Apple’s Shortcuts app is completely drag-and-drop, and makes building personal automation easy enough for even basic users. It can be something as simple as customizing keyboard shortcuts or defining text replacement macros. Personal automation doesn’t need to involve expensive third party hardware, or require scripting. Using personal automation, I have also changed how Time Machine works, streamlined pasting links from Safari, and made joining Zoom meetings practically effortless. Now I can rate songs regardless of what app I am currently using, and in one step instead of five. I used Shortcuts and AppleScript to elevate star ratings using dedicated keys on my Stream Deck. Personal automation gives individuals the ability to choose which of their features should be most easily accessed. This is where personal automation comes in. However, as Jack explains, there’s a solution: While the approach is understandable from a design standpoint, it can be frustrating if any of those semi-hidden features are ones you rely on. Jack Wellborn, one of our Automation April Shortcuts Contest judges, has a great post on his website that’s perfect for Automation April.Īs Jack explains, apps built for a general audience require some features to make way for the ones that most people use.
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