Jekyll2024-03-19T00:01:01+00:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/feed.xmlRosemary Orchard | I am a blogger, podcaster and screencaster who loves automation and productivity.Rosemary Orchardcontact@rosemaryorchard.comDocumenting My Smart Home2023-01-10T15:00:00+00:002023-01-10T15:00:00+00:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/smart-home-documentation<p>There was a post on the Home Assistant subreddit today asking <a href="https://reddit.com/r/homeassistant/comments/10884ky/documenting_smart_home/">how people document their smart homes</a>. As I took a little bit of time to write up my response and include some links I thought it would be worth sharing!</p>
<p>I use <a href="https://obsidian.md">Obsidian</a> to document setup/installation processes, my network, and similar.</p>
<p>For example, my network note has a <a href="https://help.obsidian.md/How+to/Format+your+notes#Diagram">Mermaid diagram</a> for approximate layout (router, switches, and devices have their own shapes, lines connect ethernet devices, wifi devices aren’t on the diagram), and a table with names, MAC addresses and DHCP assigned IPs of devices as well as wifi vs ethernet. The table is generated with <a href="https://github.com/blacksmithgu/obsidian-dataview">Dataview</a> from a subfolder of device notes. I only document ethernet devices and wifi devices that are “important” (e.g. smart home devices that all show up on the router as Espressif will get noted so if I set my network config on fire then I don’t have to trial and error my way through setting it all up again).</p>
<p>The device notes contain the name, IP, MAC Address, approximate description (if needed) and so on. For more complex devices it also contains which OS is installed, and containers/services are running on the device as well as install instructions (e.g. Plex is installed straight onto my Plex server). Install instructions are just a numbered list, with links out to relevant instruction pages/forum posts (which I do my best to remember to throw into archive.org when I add the link to my note so it should be there in the future).</p>
<p>Docker compose files as well as related config for containers are all backed up to a private git repo, there’s a folder for each physical machine I use, and a readme with a note about the folder structure I’m using and anything important I might forget (such as why X container is using host networking). I could reverse engineer folder structure from the compose files, but why bother? 😁</p>
<p>I’ve just added another private git repo for my <a href="https://esphome.io/">ESPHome</a> configs, not that they need to be private, but if I screw up and put credentials into the YAML instead of secrets then it’s less worrisome 😉</p>
<p>The most important part of my system is backups though. I back everything up, and get it off the device, as well as another copy off my network: the <a href="https://www.backblaze.com/blog/the-3-2-1-backup-strategy/">3-2-1 rule</a>.</p>Rosemary OrchardThere was a post on the Home Assistant subreddit today asking how people document their smart homes. As I took a little bit of time to write up my response and include some links I thought it would be worth sharing! I use Obsidian to document setup/installation processes, my network, and similar. For example, my network note has a Mermaid diagram for approximate layout (router, switches, and devices have their own shapes, lines connect ethernet devices, wifi devices aren’t on the diagram), and a table with names, MAC addresses and DHCP assigned IPs of devices as well as wifi vs ethernet. The table is generated with Dataview from a subfolder of device notes. I only document ethernet devices and wifi devices that are “important” (e.g. smart home devices that all show up on the router as Espressif will get noted so if I set my network config on fire then I don’t have to trial and error my way through setting it all up again). The device notes contain the name, IP, MAC Address, approximate description (if needed) and so on. For more complex devices it also contains which OS is installed, and containers/services are running on the device as well as install instructions (e.g. Plex is installed straight onto my Plex server). Install instructions are just a numbered list, with links out to relevant instruction pages/forum posts (which I do my best to remember to throw into archive.org when I add the link to my note so it should be there in the future). Docker compose files as well as related config for containers are all backed up to a private git repo, there’s a folder for each physical machine I use, and a readme with a note about the folder structure I’m using and anything important I might forget (such as why X container is using host networking). I could reverse engineer folder structure from the compose files, but why bother? 😁 I’ve just added another private git repo for my ESPHome configs, not that they need to be private, but if I screw up and put credentials into the YAML instead of secrets then it’s less worrisome 😉 The most important part of my system is backups though. I back everything up, and get it off the device, as well as another copy off my network: the 3-2-1 rule.Using Pushcut to run Make automations2022-12-17T12:00:00+00:002022-12-17T12:00:00+00:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/pushcut-run-make-automation<p>One of the many things I do with Make is “clean up” a number of tables in various Airtable bases (i.e. remove records which are no longer needed), delete/archive some Google Documents, and similar. This is an automation which I wanted to integrate into a number of other automations, but also to be able to run it in an adhoc fashion.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/2022/shortcuts_check_calendar_make.png" alt="" /></p>
<p>The solution to this was to use a webhook as the trigger. I can run the Make scenario through any other Make (or IFTTT/Zapier) automation through a simple HTTP request to that webhook. But then I stumbled across another scenario: I wanted to run this automatically the day after I record any podcast. Instead of trying to set up multiple automations involving each of the 4 calendars I use for podcasting (one for each podcast, plus another for any podcasts I guest on), I turned to Pushcut.</p>
<p>Every day at midnight Pushcut runs an action which gets my calendars events for the last day filtered to just those for calendars. If there were any events, it calls the webhook to run the tidy up.</p>
<p>It’s very simple, 3 actions, but it’s a great way to re-use that same automation as a component. If I need something else tidied up regularly I can add it to that one Make scenario and voilà.</p>Rosemary OrchardOne of the many things I do with Make is “clean up” a number of tables in various Airtable bases (i.e. remove records which are no longer needed), delete/archive some Google Documents, and similar. This is an automation which I wanted to integrate into a number of other automations, but also to be able to run it in an adhoc fashion. The solution to this was to use a webhook as the trigger. I can run the Make scenario through any other Make (or IFTTT/Zapier) automation through a simple HTTP request to that webhook. But then I stumbled across another scenario: I wanted to run this automatically the day after I record any podcast. Instead of trying to set up multiple automations involving each of the 4 calendars I use for podcasting (one for each podcast, plus another for any podcasts I guest on), I turned to Pushcut. Every day at midnight Pushcut runs an action which gets my calendars events for the last day filtered to just those for calendars. If there were any events, it calls the webhook to run the tidy up. It’s very simple, 3 actions, but it’s a great way to re-use that same automation as a component. If I need something else tidied up regularly I can add it to that one Make scenario and voilà.Improving my Label Maker with Keyboard Maestro2022-03-14T18:30:00+00:002022-03-14T18:30:00+00:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/keyboard-maestro-label-maker<p>One of the things I mentioned in the <a href="/blog/automators-097/">most recent episode of Automators</a> was how I’ve been fixing small annoyances with automation tools, particularly Keyboard Maestro. I encountered another one with my label maker which I was happy to be able to solve!</p>
<p>I have a Brother P-Touch PT710BT label maker. Naming aside, it’s an excellent device—and the Brother software on the Mac allows me to do a mail merge with CSVs—including print a list of labels. Collecting the list and merging that into a CSV is a Shortcuts story for another time, but the thing that annoyed me the most is connecting the label maker to my Mac didn’t automatically open the software. It was just <em>one more step</em> getting in my way. So I fixed it—with Keyboard Maestro.</p>
<p>Keyboard Maestro has a trigger for <a href="https://wiki.keyboardmaestro.com/trigger/USB_Device">connecting USB devices</a>. Because I’m me, I didn’t check the documentation when I went to set this up, so I found the name of the trigger the hard way—through the Apple Menu, System Report, USB, and then scrolling.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/2022/macos_usb_devices.png" alt="My Label Maker in the System Report" /></p>
<p>The macro is very simple: <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Activate "Brother P-touch Editor"</code>. One action. But it works! And that’s one less annoyance in my life.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/2022/keyboard-maestro-activate-application.png" alt="Keyboard Maestro Macro to activate the label maker software when the device is connected" /></p>Rosemary OrchardOne of the things I mentioned in the most recent episode of Automators was how I’ve been fixing small annoyances with automation tools, particularly Keyboard Maestro. I encountered another one with my label maker which I was happy to be able to solve! I have a Brother P-Touch PT710BT label maker. Naming aside, it’s an excellent device—and the Brother software on the Mac allows me to do a mail merge with CSVs—including print a list of labels. Collecting the list and merging that into a CSV is a Shortcuts story for another time, but the thing that annoyed me the most is connecting the label maker to my Mac didn’t automatically open the software. It was just one more step getting in my way. So I fixed it—with Keyboard Maestro.Automators 97: Automating Rosemary Orchard2022-03-11T22:30:00+00:002022-03-11T22:30:00+00:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-097<p>This week on Automators I turned into a robot! Just kidding, but David and I took a deep dive into how I do a lot of the nerdy things I’m up to every day.</p>
<p>As well as diving into a <a href="http://relay.fm/automators/97">whole bunch of geeky awesomeness</a>, we also launched <a href="https://www.relay.fm/membership">Automators Max</a> which is part of the Relay FM membership program. As well as ad free episodes of Automators and a members only after show (this time it’s about me hacking some door sensors), you’ll also get access to the Relay FM member’s only Discord server, access to Crossover with member’s only Relay FM special episodes, exclusive wallpapers, and more.</p>
<p>One of the things I mentioned was <a href="https://www.home-assistant.io">Home Assistant</a> which I’ve really been getting into. The automations are a <em>lot</em> more powerful than those available in HomeKit—for example, I can finally turn my heating off if my door has been open for a minute or longer (with the door being open for a minute as the trigger), instead of checking a few times over the span of the minute if the door is open and then turning it off.</p>
<p>I’ve talked David into ordering <a href="https://www.home-assistant.io/blog/2021/09/13/home-assistant-yellow/">Home Assistant Yellow</a> and plan to drag him down that rabbit hole and give this a whirl once that arrives! In the mean time though, if you’re curious, I’ve started putting up my <a href="https://github.com/RosemaryOrchard/home-assistant-config">Home Assistant Configuration</a> on GitHub. There’s no documentation (yet!), but you can see some of what I’m doing!</p>Rosemary OrchardThis week on Automators I turned into a robot! Just kidding, but David and I took a deep dive into how I do a lot of the nerdy things I’m up to every day. As well as diving into a whole bunch of geeky awesomeness, we also launched Automators Max which is part of the Relay FM membership program. As well as ad free episodes of Automators and a members only after show (this time it’s about me hacking some door sensors), you’ll also get access to the Relay FM member’s only Discord server, access to Crossover with member’s only Relay FM special episodes, exclusive wallpapers, and more.Rocketbook & Pens2022-02-27T17:00:00+00:002022-02-27T17:00:00+00:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/rocketbook-and-pens<p>On the <a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/96">latest episode of Automators</a> with <a href="https://mikah.co">Mikah Sargent</a>, we went down a little bit of a rabbit hole with my RocketBook. After the show, both Sparky and Mikah decided to give it a try! Since then I’ve been contacted by a few people asking about my RocketBook, so here are the full details.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/2022/rocketbook.png" alt="RocketBook and Pilot Frixion Fineliners and Markers" /></p>
<p>I have a <a href="https://amzn.to/3Hnq5lf">RocketBook Core</a>, in A4 dot grid. A4 is big enough that I have plenty of space to draw out diagrams, and the dot grid lets me draw and write neatly, without lines getting in my way.</p>
<p>I use a combination of the <a href="https://amzn.to/3poiHzX">Pilot Frixion Fineliners</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/357QcQh">Pilot Frixion Markers</a>. These are a bit thicker than the Pilot Frixion rollerball that comes with the RocketBook pack, but I find this works better for my handwriting—and the ink is much easier to erase.</p>
<p>Erasing is easy, you just use a microfibre cloth (one comes with the RocketBook), and some water. I keep a small spray bottle of tap water in my office for plants, and cleaning my RocketBook.</p>
<p>There’s something incredibly satisfying about finishing something and then erasing your notes afterwards.</p>Rosemary OrchardOn the latest episode of Automators with Mikah Sargent, we went down a little bit of a rabbit hole with my RocketBook. After the show, both Sparky and Mikah decided to give it a try! Since then I’ve been contacted by a few people asking about my RocketBook, so here are the full details.Elsewhen, An App For Translating Times2021-10-25T23:00:00+01:002021-10-25T23:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/elsewhen-launch<p>Time is hard, and moreso when you and your friends are spread out around the world. Fortunately, technology can help us handle these things!</p>
<p>Discord has a feature where if you paste a time code with specific formatting, it displays it in the local timezone for each user, but creating these manually is cumbersone - and prone to error. So some <a href="https://tildy.dev">friends of mine</a> pooled their skills and made a little app to do it, <a href="https://apps.apple.com/app/elsewhen/id1588708173">Elsewhen</a>. Whilst it was in beta, <a href="http://twitter.com/imyke">Myke Hurley</a> asked for a format to share times formatted for his <a href="https://twitter.com/imyke/status/1450853405740699651">Friday Keyboard Club</a>, which is a list of times with an emoji flag to indicate the timezone - and within what seemed like no time, the app gained “Myke Mode”! (Officially known as “Time List”, but in my heart, and the source code, it’s called Myke Mode.)</p>
<p>The app is out now and <a href="https://apps.apple.com/app/elsewhen/id1588708173">free to download</a>!</p>Rosemary OrchardTime is hard, and moreso when you and your friends are spread out around the world. Fortunately, technology can help us handle these things!Nested Folders 44: Getting the Little Things Done2021-01-12T18:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-44-getting-the-little-things-done<p>In this week’s episode of Nested Folders, Scotty and I discussed approaches to
managing the smaller tasks we are always faced with, trying to making it
easier and more enjoyable to tackle the myriad of little things we have to
tend to.</p>
<p>Some things we mention and love:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-27-the-two-minute-rule/">Nested Folders Episode 27: The Two Minute “Rule”</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-i-use-time-blocking-to-increase-my-efficiency/">Rose on The Sweet Setup: How I Use Timeblocking to Increase my
Efficiency</a>
</li>
<li><a href="https://darknoise.app">Dark Noise</a></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p>If you enjoy Nested Folders, we’d love your support as a subscriber of
<a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/unnested">Unnested Folders</a>,
where we produce monthly bonus supporter-only episodes to discuss and try to
help solution listener questions and challenges. Thanks everyone!</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-44-getting-the-little-things-done/">Listen to Nested Folders 44: Getting the Little Things Done</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn this week’s episode of Nested Folders, Scotty and I discussed approaches to managing the smaller tasks we are always faced with, trying to making it easier and more enjoyable to tackle the myriad of little things we have to tend to.iOS Today 531: Rosemary’s Top 10 Apps - OmniFocus, Drafts, Apollo, Cardhop, and More2021-01-09T16:46:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/ios-today-531-rosemarys-top-10-apps-omnifocus-drafts-apollo-cardhop-and-more<p>I recently joined the team at TWiT and will be releasing iOS Today weekly with
the lovely Mikah Sargant! This week was our first show, so of course, we had
to take a look at my top 10 apps: Shortcuts, OmniFocus, Drafts, Carrot
Weather, Apollo, Cardhop, Widgetsmith, NetNewsWire, Yoink, Pushcut</p>
<p>We also covered news: Guided audio walking workouts may be coming to Apple
Watch. After claiming it was working with Apple on its car project, Hyundai
has reversed course. A new iPad Pro with a mini-LED display may be coming in
March. After more rumors of Apple’s AirTags, accessory makers seem to be
working on products for the Find My devices.</p>
<p><img class="wp-image-5588 size-thumbnail alignleft" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2021/01/ios-today-531-1-150x84.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="84" /></p>
<p>And then some listener feedback: iPad purchasing advice, THE {} AND
relationship app, and installing a VPN at the router level.</p>
<p>Finally, we rounded off the show with our App Caps:
<a href="http://apple.co/3s9fuDZ">Doubletake</a> and
<a href="https://apple.co/399wgKF">Textcraft</a>.</p>
<p>Download or subscribe to this show at
<a href="https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today">https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today</a>.</p>
<p>You can contribute to iOS Today by leaving us a voicemail at 757-504-iPad
(757-504-4723) or sending an email to
<a href="mailto:iOSToday@TWiT.tv">iOSToday@TWiT.tv</a>.<br />
Sponsors:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://itpro.tv/twit">itpro.tv/twit</a> promo code TWIT30</li>
</ul>Rosemary OrchardI recently joined the team at TWiT and will be releasing iOS Today weekly with the lovely Mikah Sargant! This week was our first show, so of course, we had to take a look at my top 10 apps: Shortcuts, OmniFocus, Drafts, Carrot Weather, Apollo, Cardhop, Widgetsmith, NetNewsWire, Yoink, PushcutAutomators 49: Reusable Shortcuts with Scotty Jackson2020-05-08T23:30:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-49-reusable-shortcuts-with-scotty-jackson<p>In today’s episode of Automators, Scotty Jackson, my co-host on
<a href="http://nestedfolderspodcast.com/">Nested Folders</a> crossed over
into the parallel universe of automation to talk to David and myself about how
he’s using Shortcuts to log, commuicate, and even handle complex project
management across multiple systems!</p>
<p><a href="http://relay.fm/automators/49">Automators 49: Reusable Shortcuts with Scotty Jackson</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. Thanks to our sponsors for this week’s episode: Ahrefs, Pingdom, and
ExpressVPN.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn today’s episode of Automators, Scotty Jackson, my co-host on Nested Folders crossed over into the parallel universe of automation to talk to David and myself about how he’s using Shortcuts to log, commuicate, and even handle complex project management across multiple systems!ScreenCastsOnline: NetNewsWire2020-04-17T17:31:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/screencastsonline-netnewswire<p><img class="alignright wp-image-4489 size-full" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2020/04/file-1.png" alt="" />In my latest video for ScreenCastsOnline, I walk you through the newest version of NetNewsWire on the Mac and iPad. After getting a tour of the user interface, you learn how to add news feeds, organise them into folders, and sync all your content between your Mac and iOS devices using Feedbin.</p>
<p><a href="https://screencastsonline.com/tutorials/mac-apps/netnewswire?ref=cascades42">NetNewsWire Tutorial | ScreenCastsOnline</a></p>Rosemary OrchardIn my latest video for ScreenCastsOnline, I walk you through the newest version of NetNewsWire on the Mac and iPad. After getting a tour of the user interface, you learn how to add news feeds, organise them into folders, and sync all your content between your Mac and iOS devices using Feedbin.Nested Folders 21: Boundaries2020-04-07T17:27:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-21-boundaries<p>In this episode of Nested Folders, Scotty and I discussed the importance of
defining and managing boundaries, as well as how we might need to shift them
in the context of significant change.</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-21-boundaries/">Listen to Nested Folders 21: Boundaries</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn this episode of Nested Folders, Scotty and I discussed the importance of defining and managing boundaries, as well as how we might need to shift them in the context of significant change.Nested Folders 20: Scotty’s DEVONthink Setup2020-04-01T17:59:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-20-scottys-devonthink-setup<p>This week we have a special episode of Nested Folders, sponsored by
DEVONtechnologies, this special episode features me interviewing Scotty about
how he has set up and is using DEVONthink in his workflow.</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-20-scottys-devonthink-setup/">Listen to Nested Folders 20: Scotty’s DEVONthink Setup</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardThis week we have a special episode of Nested Folders, sponsored by DEVONtechnologies, this special episode features me interviewing Scotty about how he has set up and is using DEVONthink in his workflow.Automators 46: Automating Dark Noise with Charlie Chapman2020-03-27T17:43:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-46-automating-dark-noise-with-charlie-chapman<p>In this episode of Automators, David and I interviewed Charlie Chapman, host
of <a href="https://launchedfm.com/">Launched</a>, and creator of
<a href="https://darknoise.app/">Dark Noise</a>, about adding automation to
your life with a little white noise, and the process and benefits of adding
support for Shortcuts to apps.</p>
<p><a href="http://relay.fm/automators/46">Automators 46: Automating Dark Noise with Charlie Chapman</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn this episode of Automators, David and I interviewed Charlie Chapman, host of Launched, and creator of Dark Noise, about adding automation to your life with a little white noise, and the process and benefits of adding support for Shortcuts to apps.Nested Folders 19: Dealing with Sudden Change2020-03-24T18:44:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-19-dealing-with-sudden-change<p>In this episode of Nested Folders, Scotty and I discussed approaches to
handling and managing sudden and large changes. There are plenty of changes
going on around the world right now, and it can be tricky to keep on top of
them all!</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-19-dealing-with-sudden-change/">Listen to Nested Folders 19: Dealing with Sudden Change</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn this episode of Nested Folders, Scotty and I discussed approaches to handling and managing sudden and large changes. There are plenty of changes going on around the world right now, and it can be tricky to keep on top of them all!Automators 45: LaunchCuts, Feedback, and More!2020-03-14T00:59:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-45-launchcuts-feedback-and-more<p>In this week’s episode of Automators, David and I dove into our pile of
feedback. As well as looking at Launchcuts, we also looked a how you can file
feedback when things are broken on iOS (as some actions break in Shortcuts
from time to time!), and reviewed our Streamdeck setup and more.</p>
<p>While recording the show I thought I’d found a way to generate URLs to
specific views in Airtable through a formula, but it turns out I had links to
a record - not what I wanted! So if you know of a way to generate a link to a
view then let me know!</p>
<p><a href="http://relay.fm/automators/45">Automators 45: LaunchCuts, Feedback, and More!</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. Thanks to our sponsors for this week’s episode: Pingdom, ExpressVPN, and
Kensington.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn this week’s episode of Automators, David and I dove into our pile of feedback. As well as looking at Launchcuts, we also looked a how you can file feedback when things are broken on iOS (as some actions break in Shortcuts from time to time!), and reviewed our Streamdeck setup and more.Automators 44: Automating with Doug Adams from Doug’s AppleScripts2020-02-28T18:30:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-44-automating-with-doug-adams-from-dougs-applescripts<p>In episode 44, David and I spoke to Doug Adams, the man behind Doug’s Scripts,
about AppleScript, automating Music, and more!</p>
<p><a href="http://relay.fm/automators/44">Automators 44: Automating with Doug Adams from Doug’s AppleScripts</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn episode 44, David and I spoke to Doug Adams, the man behind Doug’s Scripts, about AppleScript, automating Music, and more!Nested Folders 17: Managing Overwhelm2020-02-27T12:32:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-17-managing-overwhelm<p>This week on Nested Folders, Scotty and I discussed how we manage through
feelings of overwhelm, how we think about overwhelm, and we reflected on our
personal strategies to prevent overwhelm.</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-17-managing-overwhelm/">Listen to Nested Folders 17: Managing Overwhelm</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardThis week on Nested Folders, Scotty and I discussed how we manage through feelings of overwhelm, how we think about overwhelm, and we reflected on our personal strategies to prevent overwhelm.Automators 43: Capture and Review2020-02-14T23:47:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-43-capture-and-review<p>In this episode of Autmators, David and I took a headlong plunge into
automating our capture and review processes. As we mentioned on the show,
automated capture is a double-edged sword - capturing too much can lead to
overwhelm, but I also find automated capture to be a problem solver as then I
don’t have to do the actual capturing myself, something that could be
dangerous!</p>
<p>Since we recorded the show I’ve been experimenting even more with Pushcut and
the automation server to create projects in OmniFocus. It’s not ready to share
yet, but I’m working on that!</p>
<p>For me, the biggest automation and productivity win recently has come from
looking at review. I’m building an automated review of both tasks due today,
tasks tagged with my Forecast tag, and tasks completed today into different
parts of my day. This is really keeping me on top of things and things are
slipping through the cracks less and less now.</p>
<p>I’m also very glad that David is experimenting with the Shortcuts home screen
again. I’m still not completely sold on this for myself, but there are several
use cases where I can see myself benefitting. For the time being I’m working
on using LaunchCuts to set up a good folder structure - and I’ve added a few
Shortcuts to my home screen which just open specific folders. This means I
only have to maintain the folders in one place, and with the smart folders
this is pretty easy to do.</p>Rosemary OrchardIn this episode of Autmators, David and I took a headlong plunge into automating our capture and review processes. As we mentioned on the show, automated capture is a double-edged sword - capturing too much can lead to overwhelm, but I also find automated capture to be a problem solver as then I don’t have to do the actual capturing myself, something that could be dangerous!4 Ways I Use Mind Maps to De-Stress My Life2020-02-13T17:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/4-ways-i-use-mind-maps-to-de-stress-my-life<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2020/02/file-1.png" class="aligncenter wp-image-5355 size-medium" max-width="300" max-height="300" /></p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/4-ways-i-use-mind-maps-to-de-stress-my-life/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardNested Folders 16: The Maker and the Manager2020-02-11T23:42:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-16-the-maker-and-the-manager<p>According to the internet there are two kinds of people. What kinds these
people are varies dramatically depending on the meme in question, but on this
week’s episode of Nested Folders, Scotty and I looked at the idea of the Maker
and the Manager.</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-16-the-maker-and-the-manager/">Listen to Nested Folders 16: The Maker and the Manager</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardAccording to the internet there are two kinds of people. What kinds these people are varies dramatically depending on the meme in question, but on this week’s episode of Nested Folders, Scotty and I looked at the idea of the Maker and the Manager.Customize Suggested Replies on Apple Watch2020-02-05T17:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/customize-suggested-replies-on-apple-watch<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2020/02/file.png" class="aligncenter wp-image-5346 size-medium" max-width="300" max-height="300" /></p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/customize-suggested-replies-on-apple-watch/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardAutomators 42: Toobox Pro with Alex Hay2020-01-31T17:38:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-42-toobox-pro-with-alex-hay<p>Toolbox Pro developer (and documentary film editor) Alex Hay joins us to
explain how he stumbled from scratching his own itch to making a powerful Siri
Shortcuts utility app, Toolbox Pro.</p>
<p><a href="http://relay.fm/automators/42">Automators 42: Toobox Pro with Alex Hay</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. Thanks to our sponsors for this week’s episode: TextExpander from Smile,
Zapier, and Kensington.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardToolbox Pro developer (and documentary film editor) Alex Hay joins us to explain how he stumbled from scratching his own itch to making a powerful Siri Shortcuts utility app, Toolbox Pro.Nested Folders 15: Staying on the Rails2020-01-30T23:01:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-15-staying-on-the-rails<p>In the latest episode of Nested Folders, Scotty and I discussed our systems
and mechanisms to keep consistent in our workflows and systems to avoid going
off the rails, as well recognising as those tell tale signs that signal it
happening.</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-15-staying-on-the-rails/">Listen to Nested Folders 15: Staying on the Rails</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn the latest episode of Nested Folders, Scotty and I discussed our systems and mechanisms to keep consistent in our workflows and systems to avoid going off the rails, as well recognising as those tell tale signs that signal it happening.iOS Calendar Automation with Shortcuts and Fantastical 32020-01-30T16:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/ios-calendar-automation-with-shortcuts-and-fantastical-3<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2020/01/file.png" class="aligncenter wp-image-5338 size-medium" max-width="300" max-height="300" /></p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/ios-calendar-automation-with-shortcuts-and-fantastical-3/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardAutomators 41: Automated Health Tracking2020-01-17T22:49:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-41-automated-health-tracking<p>In this week’s episode of Automators, David and I dove into health tracking.
As it’s the start of the year I’ve been trying to figure out what my health
goals are - but I couldn’t let them get away from me without a little
automation!</p>
<p>After we recorded I stumbled across
<a href="https://chartyios.app/">Charty</a>, an app in beta which like many
new apps popping up on my radar at the moment, is designed to integrate with
Shortcuts. This one is, as you may guess from the name, designed to help you
create charts with data. I’ve not yet figured out how to give it health data
to make a chart (I suspect I need to split the times and data points first),
but I’ll be experimenting with this over the next few weeks!</p>
<p>One of my favourite things to do with Shortcuts, is to make “dumb” devices
smart. I’ve helped my parents track blood pressure and blood glucose, as well
as added Health integration to my FitBit scales, all with just a few
Shortcuts.</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy the 41st episode of Automators:
<a href="https://relay.fm/automators/41">Automated Health Tracking</a>!</p>Rosemary OrchardIn this week’s episode of Automators, David and I dove into health tracking. As it’s the start of the year I’ve been trying to figure out what my health goals are - but I couldn’t let them get away from me without a little automation!Nested Folders 14: You’ve Got to Have a Plan2020-01-17T19:01:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-14-youve-got-to-have-a-plan<p>The key is to have a plan, so that you know what you’re changing when you
change it. In this episode, Scotty and I talk about what it is to have a plan,
make a plan, and deal with having a plan.</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-14-youve-got-to-have-a-plan/">Listen to Nested Folders 14: You’ve Got to Have a Plan</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardThe key is to have a plan, so that you know what you’re changing when you change it. In this episode, Scotty and I talk about what it is to have a plan, make a plan, and deal with having a plan.Automators 40: Automating with Tim Stringer2020-01-03T17:38:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-40-automating-with-tim-stringer<p>Tim Stringer from LearnOmniFocus.com joined us on Automators to talk about his
Mac, iOS, and web-based automation.</p>
<p><a href="http://relay.fm/automators/40">Automators 40: Automating with Tim Stringer</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. Thanks to our sponsors for this week’s episode: Clean My Mac X, Pingdom,
and Kensington.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardTim Stringer from LearnOmniFocus.com joined us on Automators to talk about his Mac, iOS, and web-based automation.Nested Folders 13: The Year End Review2019-12-31T17:38:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-13-the-year-end-review<p>Scotty and I discussed our approaches to year-end reviews, reflecting on what
has been and planning for what is to come. Some questions we ask ourselves:
What did I do this year that was awesome? Why did that work so well? What do I
want to do next year? What could I have improved?</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-13-the-year-end-review/">Listen to Nested Folders 13: The Year End Review</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardScotty and I discussed our approaches to year-end reviews, reflecting on what has been and planning for what is to come. Some questions we ask ourselves: What did I do this year that was awesome? Why did that work so well? What do I want to do next year? What could I have improved?ScreenCastsOnline: Tip - Bobby for iOS2019-12-31T17:38:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/screencastsonline-tip-bobby-for-ios<p><img class="alignright wp-image-4489 size-full" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/12/file-2.png" alt="" />Do you have a few different subscriptions to keep track of? This week’s tip video shows you how Bobby for iOS can help you stay on top of any subscriptions or even regular bills you have. With reminders, custom intervals, and even suggested bills there’s plenty to love.</p>
<p><a href="https://screencastsonline.com/tutorials/ios-apps/tip-bobby-for-ios?ref=cascades42">Bobby for iOS | ScreenCastsOnline</a></p>Rosemary OrchardDo you have a few different subscriptions to keep track of? This week’s tip video shows you how Bobby for iOS can help you stay on top of any subscriptions or even regular bills you have. With reminders, custom intervals, and even suggested bills there’s plenty to love.Enhance Your File Search with Alfred2019-12-26T17:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/enhance-your-file-search-with-alfred<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/12/file-1.png" class="aligncenter wp-image-5276 size-medium" max-width="300" max-height="300" /></p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/enhance-file-search-alfred/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardAutomators 39: Automating iBeacons2019-12-20T23:30:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-39-automating-ibeacons<p>On this week’s episode of Automators, David and I dove into the wonderful
world of iBeacons! We explored our uses for these handy location triggers
including taking them on the road with us. As well as this, we looked at which
iBeacons really work for us, and what apps give you the most benefit.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/39">Automators 39: Automating iBeacons</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Thanks to our sponsors for this week’s episode: ExpressVPN, Freshbooks and
Kensington.</p>Rosemary OrchardOn this week’s episode of Automators, David and I dove into the wonderful world of iBeacons! We explored our uses for these handy location triggers including taking them on the road with us. As well as this, we looked at which iBeacons really work for us, and what apps give you the most benefit.Announcing Take Control of Shortcuts2019-12-19T17:54:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/announcing-take-control-of-shortcuts<p><img class="aligncenter img-fluid" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/12/572883D8-F699-4CCF-B18D-24E97168E75B.png" alt="Take Control of Shortcuts cover" /></p>
<p>Today I’m excited to announce my new book: <em>Take Control of Shortcuts</em>.<br />
Shortcuts is a handy app, but even with examples it can be hard to know where to begin. People have asked me if I could recommend a guide to Shortcuts to them, and this book is my answer.<br />
It explains everything, from the user interface basics and essential terminology, to building and debugging your own complex shortcuts.<br />
The book includes 15 example shortcuts with exact steps to build them and download links for each. There are also chapters on working with APIs, as well as complementary applications you can use to enhance your Shortcuts experience.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>Take Control of Shortcuts</em> is part of the fabulous Take Control series. It’s a privilege to join the ranks of their knowledgeable and experienced authors.<br />
I hope you enjoy the book. I’ve enjoyed writing it and hope that everyone can learn something new from it.<br />
Get the book at <a href="https://www.takecontrolbooks.com/shortcuts/">Take Control</a>!</p>Rosemary OrchardHow to Pick Up Playback From Your HomePod or See What’s Playing2019-12-18T17:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-pick-up-playback-from-your-homepod-or-see-whats-playing<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/12/file.png" class="aligncenter wp-image-5206 size-medium" max-width="300" max-height="300" /></p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-pick-up-playback-from-your-homepod-or-see-whats-playing/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardNested Folders 12: Actions vs. Reference2019-12-17T22:05:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-12-actions-vs-reference<p>Is it a reference item or is it an action? In this week’s episode of Nested
Folders Scotty and I discuss what we do with our reference material, and what
we put into our task managers!</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-12-actions-vs-reference/">Listen to Nested Folders 12: Actions vs. Reference</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIs it a reference item or is it an action? In this week’s episode of Nested Folders Scotty and I discuss what we do with our reference material, and what we put into our task managers!Managing My Reference Material with DEVONthink, OmniFocus and Shortcuts2019-12-17T18:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/managing-my-reference-material-with-devonthink-omnifocus-and-shortcuts<p>Reference material is a big challenge, and I find if I don’t set myself up for success from the beginning, then I am most definitely doomed to fail. I found DEVONthink some years ago and really like it for managing my reference material.</p>
<p>I realized a while ago that creating a place to store material related to a project when I create my project is critical—if it doesn’t happen then, when will it happen? As I have a strong tendency to reach for my iPad or my iPhone rather than a Mac, I solved this problem with a little help from Shortcuts and X-Callback URLs!<br />
When you import the shortcut, it asks you for a DEVONthink destination. I keep all of my project material in one database, so I used that as my destination. You could also use a group - or remove the destination components entirely to put everything in the global inbox.</p>
<figure><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/12/5518B066-B2A7-4AC9-8C02-D478EF85F295.jpeg" alt="Copy the item link in DEVONThink so you can get the ID for Shortcuts." />
<figcaption>Copy the item link in DEVONthink so you can get the ID for Shortcuts.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When you run the shortcut, it asks you for a name, you can cheat and add lots of names though (use a return to separate them), and it will run through each item.<br />
For each one, you can choose if this is a project or a task. For projects, the shortcut automatically creates a group, and for a task, you get the choice of markdown, text, or a group.<br />
The shortcut creates the DEVONthink item first, then creates the project or task in OmniFocus with a link back to the DEVONthink destination in the note. It’s a simple system but works well for me!<br />
You can download <a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/5d6102a575c1464a8ec9e840c44a1bac">DEVONthink And OmniFocus here</a>.</p>Rosemary OrchardReference material is a big challenge, and I find if I don’t set myself up for success from the beginning, then I am most definitely doomed to fail. I found DEVONthink some years ago and really like it for managing my reference material.Finding Lyrics and Using Lyrics To Find Songs with Apple Music on iOS2019-12-11T18:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/finding-lyrics-and-using-lyrics-to-find-songs-with-apple-music-on-ios<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/12/file.jpeg" class="aligncenter wp-image-5158 size-medium" max-width="300" max-height="300" /></p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/finding-lyrics-and-using-lyrics-to-find-songs-with-apple-music-on-ios/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardDrafts Action: Fix Empty Markdown Links2019-12-08T21:51:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/drafts-action-fix-empty-markdown-links<p>As is often the case, as I use Drafts I find things that I need to do and
write a script to fix it for me! In this case, I have a habit of planning to
add links later in my text, but find it a pain to go through the whole article
to find them and the find function is too darn <em>manual</em> for me. There
were already a few actions in the Actions Directory, but they didn’t quite
work the way I wanted them to. If you haven’t guessed where this is going yet:
I wrote my own!</p>
<p>This action using the Script function in Drafts, and some good old
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/34">regular expressions</a>. The code
itself can be broken down into eight steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Get the contents of the Draft.</li>
<li>Create the regular expression.</li>
<li>
Parse the contents of the Draft with the regular expression to get a list of
<code>matches</code>
</li>
<li>Create a prompt</li>
<li>Add each match to the prompt</li>
<li>Show the prompt</li>
<li>
Go through each match again and replace it (within the whole content) with
the information provided through the prompt.
</li>
<li>Update the draft.</li>
</ol>
<pre><code class="language-javascript">let content = draft.content; //get the content of the draft
let pattern = /\[[^\]]+]\(\)/g; //build the regex
let matches = content.match(pattern); //find all the empty links
//create the prompt
let p = Prompt.create();
p.title = "Missing Links";
//add each empty link to the prompt
matches.forEach(function (match, index){
p.addTextField(index, match.replace('[', '').replace(']()', ''), "");
});
//show the prompt
p.addButton("OK");
let didSelect = p.show();
//if the prompt wasn't cancelled
if (didSelect) {
if (p.buttonPressed == "OK") {
//go through each empty link and replace it with the updated information
Object.keys(p.fieldValues).forEach(function (index) {
content = content.replace(matches[index], matches[index].replace('()', '('+p.fieldValues[index]+')'))
});
}
}
//update the draft
draft.content = content;
draft.update();</code></pre>
<p>The idea is I can run this at the end of writing, deal with all my links in
one prompt, and get on with things. It’s the kind of action I’ll include as a
step in other actions to make sure I don’t accidentally post empty links!</p>
<p><a href="https://actions.getdrafts.com/a/11o">Get it from the action directory</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardAs is often the case, as I use Drafts I find things that I need to do and write a script to fix it for me! In this case, I have a habit of planning to add links later in my text, but find it a pain to go through the whole article to find them and the find function is too darn manual for me. There were already a few actions in the Actions Directory, but they didn’t quite work the way I wanted them to. If you haven’t guessed where this is going yet: I wrote my own!Automators 38: Simon Leeb and Pushcut2019-12-06T22:30:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-38-simon-leeb-and-pushcut<p>On this week’s episode of Automators we got to tallk to Simon Leeb, creator of
Pushcut. As well as diving into the origins of Pushcut, we also explored
Simon’s home automation setup before wandering into the wonderful world of
iBeacons!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/38">Automators 38: Simon Leeb and Pushcut</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. Thanks to our sponsors for this week’s episode: PDFpen from Smile ,
Flatiron School and Freshbooks.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardOn this week’s episode of Automators we got to tallk to Simon Leeb, creator of Pushcut. As well as diving into the origins of Pushcut, we also explored Simon’s home automation setup before wandering into the wonderful world of iBeacons!Nested Folders 11: Someday/Maybe/Never2019-12-04T22:51:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-11-someday-maybe-never<p>My Someday/Maybe list combination got <a href="https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/keeping-track-of-my-someday-maybe-tasks-with-git/">pretty nerdy</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>in this episode, but Scotty and I had a great discussion on the purpose of
these lists too!</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-11-someday-maybe-never/">Listen to Nested Folders 11: Someday/Maybe/Never</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardMy Someday/Maybe list combination got pretty nerdy</a in this episode, but Scotty and I had a great discussion on the purpose of these lists too!Keeping Track of My Someday & Maybe Tasks with Git2019-12-03T18:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/keeping-track-of-my-someday-maybe-tasks-with-git<p>Someday and maybe tasks and projects are one of those things where I can never
seem to find the perfect system. I’ve tried putting these things in OmniFocus
and tagging them, using Trello (which I still use, but for different purposes)
and I know there has been more than one paper planner over the years!</p>
<p>Some of you may be asking “what is a someday maybe task?”. The name comes from
Getting Things Done by David Allen, the idea is something is a task or project
you want to do, but you can’t work on it right now - so you put it on a list
called “Someday/Maybe” to get around to when the time is right.</p>
<p>A few months ago I turned to Git to try and solve my problem. There were a few
features I knew I wanted from a system:</p>
<ul>
<li>
Some interoperability with OmniFocus to make it easy to take things out as
well as put things back in, or something I could easily script.
</li>
<li>
The ability to track what changed, when, and optionally _why_ .
</li>
<li>The ability to tweak my system easily without rebuilding it.</li>
<li>Automation options.</li>
</ul>
<pre><code>- [ ] This is a sample task in the format I started with
</code></pre>
<p>I started in Drafts, using the task format. This is nice and visual but
doesn’t offer all the other features I wanted without setting up lots of
actions and cobbling things together. Drafts has versions - which satisfies my
want to be able to look back in time, but it lacks explicit change messages
connected to these. While Drafts is the right tool for many jobs, it wasn’t
quite what I was looking for here.</p>
<p>Next, I did some digging around and stumbled across my old friends
<a href="https://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/">BBEdit</a> and
<a href="https://www.textasticapp.com">Textastic</a>. These are my preferred
text-based file editing apps on macOS and iOS, but alone neither of them
really hit the spot - until I decided to take some lessons from the
professional side of my life and use Version Control.</p>
<p>Version Control systems are designed for programming, so you can track who
changed what, when, and assuming they wrote a decent commit message to
accompany the change, <em>why</em>. There are quite a few services out there
offering these, I chose to use Git and to use GitLab for this. (That said, the
sample to accompany this blog post is on GitHub because I know most people are
more familiar with that!)</p>
<p>Now, I can make a change to my Someday/Maybe lists from any device, including
the web, and just type why I changed it. Version control, in this case, Git,
automatically stores what changed and when. You can even do a diff, compare
two files side by side so see exactly what was added or removed!</p>
<p>Now it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty! Let’s start with the apps. As
mentioned above, on macOS I use BBEdit, this has Git integration so I can
theoretically do everything with that. That said, sometimes I switch up my
apps so I also have
<a href="https://www.sourcetreeapp.com">SourceTree</a> around to handle the
Git stuff. I <em>could</em> use the command line, but I usually don’t want to.
On iOS I use two apps
<a href="https://workingcopyapp.com">Working Copy</a> and Textastic. There’s
<a href="https://www.textasticapp.com/v8/manual/integration_other_apps/git_client_working_copy.html">good documentation on how to connect the two of them together</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>so I won’t go into detail on that here. To be clear, I use Working Copy for
the Git side of things and Textastic for the writing.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Next up: Files. I have two primary lists, Someday and Maybe. Someday is “I
really want to do this and will make time for it, but that time is not now”,
whereas Maybe is “I like the sound of this”. Projects/tasks stay within these
lists until they become unwieldy. If a project has more than 10 tasks that I
want to document I create a special list for it. To keep things organised I
start these file names with an underscore (_) and then add a note below the
task to see that file.</p>
<p>Finally: Format. This took a while to nail down. As I mentioned I started in
Drafts so as of when I recorded an episode of
<a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-11-someday-maybe-never/">Nested Folders 11: Someday/Maybe/Never</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>I was still using <code>- [ ]</code> to indicate a task. This does give you
the look of pretty checkboxes - but the point of your Someday/Maybe list isn’t
to keep of what you have <em>done</em>, but what you want <em>to do</em>. This
means I would never check the tasks off. Instead, I’ve changed to just
Taskpaper (at least the elements that OmniFocus uses) as this allows me to
copy items over directly when I am ready to do so, and also to export easily.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Now I can update my someday/maybe list whenever I like, across devices, and
see what I changed, and when. If you want to see a sample of this check out my
<a href="https://github.com/RosemaryOrchard/Someday-Maybe-Sample">GitHub Repository</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>for a sample!</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardSomeday and maybe tasks and projects are one of those things where I can never seem to find the perfect system. I’ve tried putting these things in OmniFocus and tagging them, using Trello (which I still use, but for different purposes) and I know there has been more than one paper planner over the years!Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals!2019-11-29T22:31:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/black-friday-and-cyber-monday-deals<p>There are a few Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday deals on things I use regularly, so I thought it was a good idea to collect them all together!</p>
<div class="card-deck mb-3">
<div class="card">
<img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/11/luna-display.jpg" class="card-img-top" alt="Luna Display" />
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title">
Luna Display
</h5>
<h6 class="card-subtitle mb-2 text-muted">
30% off & free shipping
</h6>
<p class="card-text">
Use your iPad or even another Mac to extend your Mac's display! Unlike Sidecar you can actually touch your display, and you can even use it as a wacom style tablet with Astropad.
<a href="https://lunadisplay.com/products/luna-display" class="card-link stretched-link">Luna Display</a>
</div> </div>
<div class="card">
<img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/11/af5a6d65-3afb-4414-ab96-2dfd132b015f.jpg.png" class="card-img-top" alt="MacStock Ticket" />
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title">
Macstock Ticket
</h5>
<h6 class="card-subtitle mb-2 text-muted">
$100 off!
</h6>
<p class="card-text">
I had a great time at MacStock this year and will definitely be there again next year! As well as all the great talks there are lots of fantastic people to meet.
<a href="https://www.macstockconferenceandexpo.com/cybermonday2019" class="card-link stretched-link">MacStock</a>
<p class="card-text"><small class="text-muted">Cyber Monday Only</small> </div> </div>
<div class="card">
<img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/11/complete-training-bundle-hero.jpg" class="card-img-top" alt="The Sweeet Setup Courses" />
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title">
The Sweet Setup Course Bundle
</h5>
<h6 class="card-subtitle mb-2 text-muted">
$99 for all the courses
</h6>
<p class="card-text">
If you want to learn how to take advantage of Ulysses, GoodNotes, 1Password, Day One, Things, or even up your mobile photography game, then these courses are for you.
<a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/sale/?ref=18" class="card-link stretched-link">The Sweet Setup Bundle</a>
</div> </div>
</div>
<div class="card-deck">
<div class="card">
<img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/11/viticci_2019-Nov-27.jpg" class="card-img-top" alt="MacStories Shortcuts Icons" />
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title">
MacStories Shortcuts Icons
</h5>
<h6 class="card-subtitle mb-2 text-muted">
50% off
</h6>
<p class="card-text">
Thanks to iOS 13 we can put Shortcuts on our home screen and when we run them it just runs Shortcuts! Which means I ran out of icons _really_ quickly–thankfully MacStories rescued my Home Screen and my sanity!
<a href="https://www.macstories.net/news/macstories-shortcuts-icons-50-off-for-black-friday-and-cyber-monday/" class="card-link stretched-link">MacStories Shortcuts Icons</a>
</div> </div>
<div class="card">
<img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/11/Screenshot-2019-11-29-at-07.46.37.png" class="card-img-top" alt="Take Control Logo" />
<div class="card-body">
<h5 class="card-title">
Take Control Books
</h5>
<h6 class="card-subtitle mb-2 text-muted">
50% off selected books
</h6>
<p class="card-text">
Take Control has a lot of great books covering pretty much every Apple related topic you can think of! They're picking 13 of their books to put on sale this weekend, check them out!
<a href="https://www.takecontrolbooks.com" class="card-link stretched-link">Take Control Books</a>
</div> </div>
</div>
</p></div></div></p></div></div></div></p></div></div></p></p></div></div></p></div></div></div>Rosemary OrchardThere are a few Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday deals on things I use regularly, so I thought it was a good idea to collect them all together!Automators 36: Sal Soghoian’s Control Panel2019-11-28T10:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-36-sal-soghoians-control-panel<p>In this week’s episode David and I talked to Sal Soghoian to find out how we
can use an accessibility feature on the Mac, custom keyboards, to do almost
anything - including building a Keynote deck for us!</p>
<p><a href="http://relay.fm/automators/36">Automators 36: Sal Saghoian’s Control Panel</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. Thanks to our sponsors for this week’s episode: PDFpen from Smile,
Freshbooks, and Bottomless.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn this week’s episode David and I talked to Sal Soghoian to find out how we can use an accessibility feature on the Mac, custom keyboards, to do almost anything - including building a Keynote deck for us!Enhance Your Home Automations with Logic2019-11-27T18:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/enhance-your-home-automations-with-logic<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/11/file-12.jpeg" class="aligncenter wp-image-4923 size-medium" max-width="300" max-height="300" /></p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/enhance-your-home-automations-with-logic/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardAutomators 37: Mac Maintenance & Management Magic2019-11-22T21:45:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-37-mac-maintenance-management-magic<p>In episode 37 of Automators David and I got our enchanted brooms ready and
went to town on maintaining and managing your Mac. We did our best to get out
all the cobwebs and find a way to automate all of this, while there may not be
a robot vacuum for your Mac, there are plenty of tools you can use to make the
magic happen automatically - good whether it’s your system or one you end up
managing because the owner relies on you to do it!</p>
<p>First up we tackled trash. I realised after the show that while we talked
about how to use Hazel’s built in preference pane to manage the trash, I
didn’t go into detail about how I do the more specific things that don’t show
up there. The answer is (relatively) simple, I add the trash as a folder -
this is easiest to do if you have something in the trash as you can drag that
into the selector in Hazel. This lets me add all the usual Hazel rules, though
I should also mention I’m doing it this way because that’s how I’ve done it
for quite a while, rather than this being a good practice!</p>
<p>We also talked about Dropzone, there are a lot of actions available that you
can just install in Dropzone, there’s an
<a href="https://aptonic.com/actions/">official actions page</a> and a further
<a href="https://atika.github.io/dropzone3-actions/">action repository</a>, I
really need to look into deleting/moving files after I’ve done specific
actions, but these are a great way to automate nonetheless.</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy this episode of Automators, it was great fun to put together!</p>
<p><a href="http://relay.fm/automators/37">Automators 37: Mac Maintenance, Management Magic</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. Thanks to our sponsors for this week’s episode: ExpressVPN, Freshbooks, and
Flatiron School.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn episode 37 of Automators David and I got our enchanted brooms ready and went to town on maintaining and managing your Mac. We did our best to get out all the cobwebs and find a way to automate all of this, while there may not be a robot vacuum for your Mac, there are plenty of tools you can use to make the magic happen automatically - good whether it’s your system or one you end up managing because the owner relies on you to do it!Nested Folders 9: Professional and Personal2019-11-07T08:46:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-9-professional-and-personal<p>How many hats do you have? Probably lots! We all have different views of areas
of our lives and keeping these both separate and merged is the challenge we
tackled in this week’s episode!</p>
<p>A special thanks goes to J.F. Brissette and JFB Media Solutions for his audio
expertise!</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-9-professional-and-personal/">Listen to Nested Folder 9: Professional and Personal</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardHow many hats do you have? Probably lots! We all have different views of areas of our lives and keeping these both separate and merged is the challenge we tackled in this week’s episode!Automators 35: Automating Business with Don McAllister2019-10-25T22:41:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-35-automating-business-with-don-mcallister<p>In the latest episode of Automators David and I got a chance to talk to Don
McAllister about the systems and processes he has built over the years to
automate ScreenCastsOnline. As a recent addition to their team, it was a fun
look behind that side of the curtain, and I hope the system and processes Don
has in place will inspire you!</p>
<p><a href="http://relay.fm/automators/35">Automators 35: Automating Business with Don McAllister</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. Thanks to our sponsors for this week’s episode: PDFpen from ExpressVPN,
Freshbooks and Bottomless.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn the latest episode of Automators David and I got a chance to talk to Don McAllister about the systems and processes he has built over the years to automate ScreenCastsOnline. As a recent addition to their team, it was a fun look behind that side of the curtain, and I hope the system and processes Don has in place will inspire you!Nested Folders 8: Setting Up Your Workspace2019-10-24T22:35:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-8-setting-up-your-workspace<p>In this week’s episode of Nested Folders Scotty and I look at our workspaces,
yes - multiple! What makes them work for us? How do we identify pain points?</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-8-setting-up-your-workspace/">Listen to episode 8 of Nested Folders</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn this week’s episode of Nested Folders Scotty and I look at our workspaces, yes - multiple! What makes them work for us? How do we identify pain points?Mu Two: Skinny USB C Charger2019-10-16T15:54:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/mu-two-skinny-usb-c-charger<p>I’ve talked about my Mu One charger on a few podcasts so I was excited today to see they’re launching the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/muone/mu-two-next-generation-63w-dual-usb-type-c-wall-charger?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=Mu%20Two">Mu Two</a> on Kickstarter. I’ve backed it because a two port USB C charger with switchable heads deserves a place in my travel tech line up!</p>Rosemary OrchardI’ve talked about my Mu One charger on a few podcasts so I was excited today to see they’re launching the Mu Two on Kickstarter. I’ve backed it because a two port USB C charger with switchable heads deserves a place in my travel tech line up!Automators 34: Getting Cozy with Regular Expressions2019-10-15T09:14:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-34-getting-cozy-with-regular-expressions<p>When David first talked about doing a show on Regular Expressions I confess I
was a little nervous, how do you explain something so text based in audio?
Well, it turns out that with a lot of determination and research you can - and
hopefully you won’t confuse everyone on the way!</p>
<p>To dive into the world of magic with text search listen to
<a href="https://relay.fm/automators/34">Automators 34: Getting Cozy with Regular Expressions</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. Thanks to our sponsors for this week’s episode: PDFpen, from Smile, Zapier,
and Freshbooks.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardWhen David first talked about doing a show on Regular Expressions I confess I was a little nervous, how do you explain something so text based in audio? Well, it turns out that with a lot of determination and research you can - and hopefully you won’t confuse everyone on the way!How to Update Your Apps on iOS 13 and iPadOS2019-10-08T19:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-update-your-apps-on-ios-13-and-ipados<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/10/file.jpeg" class="aligncenter wp-image-4531 size-medium" max-width="300" max-height="300" /></p>
<p>Updating your apps on iOS is usually done automatically, but sometimes — especially if you haven’t charged your iPhone overnight — you need to do it manually.</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-update-your-apps-on-ios-13-and-ipados/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardNested Folders 7: How to Do Productivity With Others (Who May or May Not)2019-10-08T18:38:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-7-how-to-do-productivity-with-others-who-may-or-may-not<p>Working with other people can be a challenge, and not everyone likes to wave
their productivity system around so we often don’t know how they get things
done! In this episode Scotty and I talked about how to work with others -
whether or not we have a productivity system, how we can learn from them, and
what to do to make sure the work gets done.</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/how-to-do-productivity-with-others-who-may-or-may-not/">How to Do Productivity With Others (Who May or May Not)</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardWorking with other people can be a challenge, and not everyone likes to wave their productivity system around so we often don’t know how they get things done! In this episode Scotty and I talked about how to work with others - whether or not we have a productivity system, how we can learn from them, and what to do to make sure the work gets done.ScreenCasts ONLINE: iOS 13 Deeper Dive2019-10-04T13:35:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/screencasts-online-ios-13-deeper-dive<p>I’m very excited to be joining the ScreenCasts ONLINE team! My first short is a deeper dive into iOS 13, <a href="https://screencastsonline.com/tutorials/core-ios/first-look-at-ios-13-ipados-preview?ref=cascades42">Don did an overview</a> earlier this month when iOS 13 was released - and now iPadOS is out it seemed like a great opportunity to dive further into some of those new features.</p>
<p>In this episode, I’ll show you some of the new features in core applications, including operating system changes, to allow us to use our devices more effectively and efficiently with all that iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 has to offer.<br />
<a href="https://screencastsonline.com/tutorials/core-ios/ios-13-deeper-dive?ref=cascades42"> iOS 13 Deeper Dive on ScreenCasts ONLINE</a></p>Rosemary OrchardI’m very excited to be joining the ScreenCasts ONLINE team! My first short is a deeper dive into iOS 13, Don did an overview earlier this month when iOS 13 was released - and now iPadOS is out it seemed like a great opportunity to dive further into some of those new features.Shortcuts Adds Support for SSH Keys2019-09-28T14:27:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/shortcuts-adds-support-for-ssh-keys<p><img class="aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/09/IMG_0058.jpeg" alt="" width="500px" /></p>
<p>A recent update to Shortcuts has added support for SSH keys when using the Run Script over SSH action.</p>
<p>This does not allow you to import a key, only to generate them in a few formats (ed25519 and rsa). You can then copy the public key, and see the MD5 Hash as well as the SHA256 Hash.</p>
<figure><img class="aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/09/IMG_0060.jpeg" alt="" width="1385" height="2676" />
<figcaption></figcaption>
</figure>Rosemary OrchardA recent update to Shortcuts has added support for SSH keys when using the Run Script over SSH action.Automators 33: Packing List Extravaganza in Drafts2019-09-27T20:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-33<p>It’s no secret that I love to travel - and I also love to be organized! Making
a packing list is great fun, until you forget something so in this episode of
Automators David and I decided to find as many ways as we could to solve the
problem of creating a packing list. Naturally our techniques overlapped in a
few places, but we still came up with a variety of solutions - which you can
use to solve other problems too.</p>
<p>I’ve documented most of the Shortcuts in the show notes for this episode, but
my Drafts action group (and accompanying Shortcut) need a little more space -
so let’s dive in!</p>
<p>First of all, no matter how organised I might be I still need a task in my
task management system to actually do the packing, so I kick off my process
with a Shortcut, it looks through my calendar for all day events, I choose one
of them, and then it creates a new Draft (tagged with <code>packing</code>)
before adding a task to OmniFocus with the title “Pack”, a due date of the
start date of the trip, and a link to my Draft in the note. You can download
the Shortcut here:
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/fdd67dbb01c14d749566441a07cfd1e9">Create Packing List (Drafts & OF)</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p>Now let’s look at my Drafts action group, this has 8 actions (I’ve expanded a
little since recording).</p>
<p><strong>Manage Template List</strong></p>
<p>This gets you started with creating your basic lists if you don’t have them
yet - you choose categories (it suggests Clothes, Toiletries, and Technology),
and then set the emoji for each category before adding items to it.</p>
<p>If you already have a list you get 4 choices:</p>
<ul>
<li>
Add category - Asks you for the name of the category, an emoji to represent
it, and items to add to it.
</li>
<li>
Update Emoji - Shows you all your categories and the emojis associated with
them for editing.
</li>
<li>Delete Category - Gives you a choice of categories to delete.</li>
<li>
Manage Category Items - Allows you to add or remove items in a category as
well as correct spelling.
</li>
</ul>
<p>None of these actions affect anything in any of your packing list - maybe
someday I’ll get to it, but not yet.<br />
Tips:</p>
<ul>
<li>
To find emoji quickly use <a href="https://emojipedia.org/">Emojipedia</a>,
it has a great search and you can copy the emoji with just a tap.
</li>
<li>
Add a 🔋 emoji after anything that needs charging - I have a few actions to
help you keep track of those.
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Tag Packing List</strong></p>
<p>This just adds the tag “packing” to your Draft so you can filter for these
quickly.</p>
<p><strong>Add Packing Items to List</strong></p>
<p>This shows you a prompt with a list of your categories, you tap a category,
deselect items within that category you do not wish to include (I assumed that
you’ll likely want all items in a category), and the items are added to your
list. After this it runs the action “Sort Packing Items” automatically.</p>
<p><strong>Sort Packing Items</strong></p>
<p>You might be wondering why I’m bothering to assign emoji to my categories -
aside from “they’re cute”. It’s simple: Emoji are sortable. So everything with
a 👖 tag is grouped together. This way I can both visually identify items in a
category, and the sort action (which is alphabetical) groups them together.
All the items are in the task format in Drafts, this looks something like
this:</p>
<pre>
- [ ] 👖 Jeans
- [x] 👖 TShirt
- [ ] 🛀 Shampoo
</pre>
<p>Tapping on one of the <code>[ ]</code> boxes checks it off (<code>[x]</code>)
or unchecks it. The <em>x</em> is sorted below the space so unchecked items
stay at the top.</p>
<p><strong>Uncheck All</strong></p>
<p>I like to reuse my packing list on the way home to make sure I don’t forget
anything and that everything is charged, this unchecks everything, resets
charging icons, and sorts the list again for me.</p>
<p><strong>What should I charge?</strong></p>
<p>Maybe I travel with too much tech, but I do travel with a lot and most of it
needs charging - after all, what good is a battery pack that isn’t charged?
Everything that needs charging has a 🔋 icon at the end of it, this action
grabs all of those items and shows them to me, selecting one replaces the
battery with a 🔌 emoji, so I can see it is ready.</p>
<p><strong>Charge</strong></p>
<p>For items that you add outside of your list you may wish to add the battery
emoji, instead of hunting though your keyboard for it use this action. It will
also replace the battery with a plug or vice versa.</p>
<p><strong>Delete Item</strong><br />
This just deletes the current row in Drafts.</p>
<p>This all works with scripts in Drafts, I can’t guarantee it will work
perfectly so I would love to hear your feedback!</p>
<p>To hear more about ways to create packing lists listen to
<a href="https://relay.fm/automators/33">Automators 33: Packing List Extravaganza</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. Thanks to our sponsors for this week’s episode: ExpressVPN and Daylite.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIt’s no secret that I love to travel - and I also love to be organized! Making a packing list is great fun, until you forget something so in this episode of Automators David and I decided to find as many ways as we could to solve the problem of creating a packing list. Naturally our techniques overlapped in a few places, but we still came up with a variety of solutions - which you can use to solve other problems too.Nested Folders 6: Is It Worth Automating?2019-09-24T20:17:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-6-is-it-worth-automating<p>As many people know, automation is a topic near and dear to my heart -
therefore I often think about automating something before I really know what
that something is! Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Really it depends on
the circumstance - so Scotty and I talked about it!</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-6-is-it-worth-automating/">Nested Folders 6: Is It Worth Automating?</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardAs many people know, automation is a topic near and dear to my heart - therefore I often think about automating something before I really know what that something is! Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Really it depends on the circumstance - so Scotty and I talked about it!Create Your Own Services Menu Items for Files on macOS using Automator2019-09-19T19:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/create-your-own-services-menu-items-for-files-on-macos-using-automator<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/09/file-5.jpeg" class="aligncenter wp-image-4349 size-medium" max-width="300" max-height="300" /></p>
<p>On your Mac, when you right-click files in the Finder you may well have seen an entry on the shortcut menu called <em>Services</em>, which contain some helpful actions that you can perform on the file. But, did you know you can create your own Services that can show up in this menu? Today, I’m going to show you how to create four services that will help you get the most out of your Mac.</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/create-your-own-services-menu-items-for-files-on-macos-using-automator/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardHow to Enable the Camera Grid on Your iPhone to Apply the Rule of Thirds2019-09-18T19:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-enable-the-camera-grid-on-your-iphone-to-apply-the-rule-of-thirds<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/09/file-4.jpeg" class="aligncenter wp-image-4316 size-medium" max-width="300" max-height="300" /></p>
<p>The great camera on the iPhone means you can easily take good pictures, but by turning on the camera grid you can use the rule of thirds to take <em>great</em> pictures every time!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-enable-the-camera-grid-on-your-iphone-to-apply-the-rule-of-thirds/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardA Roundup of Health Features to Check Out in iOS and watchOS2019-09-12T19:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/a-roundup-of-health-features-to-check-out-in-ios-and-watchos<p><img class="aligncenter wp-image-4156 size-medium" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/09/file-3-204x300.jpeg" alt="" width="204" height="300" /></p>
<p>Apple has made health a commitment over the last few years. In the latest iOS and watchOS there are a whole host of features which you can use to keep on top of your health, including several things new in watchOS 6 and iOS 13. And on Tuesday, Apple announced a range of new health initiatives and studies to keep their focus dialled in for the next few years.</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/a-roundup-of-health-features-to-check-out-in-ios-and-watchos/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardHow to Scan a QR Code on iOS2019-09-11T19:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-scan-a-qr-code-on-ios<p><img class="aligncenter wp-image-4123 size-medium" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/09/file-2-300x200.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></p>
<p>QR codes are everywhere nowadays, from rental bikes to trains, posters, and more. Once upon a time in iOS, you had to download and open an app to scan a QR code, but a few years ago Apple integrated it into the camera app to make life easier for all of us!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-scan-a-qr-code-on-ios/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardNested Folders 5: How We Weekly Review2019-09-10T18:21:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-5-how-we-weekly-review<p>In episode 5 of Nested Folders Scotty and I dived into our weekly review
routines. It was also good to review traps we’ve both previously fallen into
with our reviews - I’ve been considering making a printed list of how I do my
weekly review and if I do so I’m also going to make a list of “not to do” on
it - as a reminder of those lessons that I’ve learned over the years!</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-5-how-we-weekly-review/">Nested Folders episode 5: How We Weekly Review</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn episode 5 of Nested Folders Scotty and I dived into our weekly review routines. It was also good to review traps we’ve both previously fallen into with our reviews - I’ve been considering making a printed list of how I do my weekly review and if I do so I’m also going to make a list of “not to do” on it - as a reminder of those lessons that I’ve learned over the years!Latest Shortcuts Beta Allows You to Get Links to Shortcuts with Shortcuts!2019-09-04T20:27:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/latest-shortcuts-beta-allows-you-to-get-links-to-shortcuts-with-shortcuts<p>Something I’ve been hoping for for a long time is the ability to get a (sharing) link to my Shortcuts with Shortcuts - and with the latest developer beta of iOS and iPadOS (beta 2) it can be done!</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4023" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/09/IMG_0149.jpg" alt="Shortcuts actions" width="1027" height="1684" /><br />
Thankfully this is fairly simple to do, there are just 6 actions required to get a list of all your Shortcuts as Markdown links:</p>
<ul>
<li>Get my shortcuts</li>
<li>Repeat with each item in <code>My Shortcuts</code>
<ul>
<li>Get link to <code>Repeat Item</code></li>
<li>Text: [<code>Name</code>][<code>Link to File</code>]</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Combine <code>Repeat Results</code> with <code>New Lines</code></li>
<li>Share <code>Combined Text</code>.</li>
</ul>
<p>There is one caveat to this: Unfortunately you need to confirm getting the link to each Shortcuts from a prompt which appears.<br />
Download the Shortcut: <a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/3b3a88788ca4499d81f7d786337d9b1c">Get Shortcuts as Links</a><br />
Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go and watch Netflix and tap the same prompt 900+ times.</p>
<hr />
<p>Update! I’ve been experimenting and there’s also a way to just tap “Create Links” once: <a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/d998c0d0c9a64fefbef8a326f81a356d">Get Markdown Links to Shortcuts</a> - you get the links first and then iterate through them grabbing the names of the associated Shortcuts. As long as the order of the Shortcuts remains constant this is a much more user friendly workaround.</p>Rosemary OrchardSomething I’ve been hoping for for a long time is the ability to get a (sharing) link to my Shortcuts with Shortcuts - and with the latest developer beta of iOS and iPadOS (beta 2) it can be done!Automators 31: Making Your ScreenFlow Flow and More with J.F. Brissette2019-08-30T22:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-31-making-your-screenflow-flow-and-more-with-j-f-brissette<p>In this episode of Automators David and I got a chance to dive behind the
scenes of ScreencastsOnline and into the Terminal app (not at the same time)
with J.F. Brissette. David and J.F. met years ago at Macworld!</p>
<p>J.F. does editing and assembly for ScreencastsOnline — which means he spends a
lot of time working with video and audio in ScreenFlow, and he has got his
workflows down with automation. As he said “it needs to be automated if you’re
going to use it as much as I do” which is something worth bearing in mind for
any application you use heavily.</p>
<p>Keyboard Maestro is his tool of choice (as it is for many people), and he has
many macros which he has found. The Clipboard History Switcher specifically
makes it much easier to copy and paste elements around — also allowing you to
create a palette of elements from your macros, something that applies to many
kinds of work!</p>
<p>J.F. also uses Terminal a lot, for everything from opening apps to checking
what day you were born on or what day your birthday will be on next!</p>
<pre><code>open -a Safari
open -a "Keyboard Maestro"
</code></pre>
<p>These open apps — because Keyboard Maestro has a space in its name it needs to
be wrapped in quotation marks. Note that capitalisation is optional, and you
can use either single or double quotation marks — J.F. tends to use lowercase
and single quotations, like this: open -a ‘keyboard maestro’.</p>
<pre><code>cal 01 2021
</code></pre>
<p>This will show you a calendar for January 2021 – so you can quickly scan for
“11” and see that my birthday will be on a Monday!</p>
<p>We also had a look at regular expressions, which are a way to do search (and
replace) with extra magic by defining very specific patterns. Shortcuts even
supports regular expressions, both to “Replace Text” as well as with “Match
Text”, which can be followed by “Get Group from Matched Text.”<br />
Thanks to our sponsors for this episode:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.expressvpn.com/automators">ExpressVPN</a>: High-Speed,
Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get 3 months free with a 1-year package.
</li>
<li>
<a href="http://pushcut.io/automators">Pushcut</a>: Automation your way.
Trigger iOS Shortcuts from anywhere. Try it free. P.S. If you haven’t
listened to our members-only special yet you should - the camera and audio
equipment were all monitored (and set up by) J.F.! Listen to
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://relay.fm/automators/31">Automators 31: Making Your ScreenFlow Flow and More with J.F. Brissette</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn this episode of Automators David and I got a chance to dive behind the scenes of ScreencastsOnline and into the Terminal app (not at the same time) with J.F. Brissette. David and J.F. met years ago at Macworld!Nested Folders 4: When Not to be Productive2019-08-27T21:42:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-4-when-not-to-be-productive<p>Episode 4 of Nested Folders is out! In this episode Scotty and I discussed
when you shouldn’t be productive and some of the fun things we do when not
being productive - and yes, my Nintendo Switch came up.</p>
<p>We also announced the winner of last episode’s competition - a year’s worth of
OmniFocus Pro and a copy of Build Your OmniFocus Workflow go to
<a href="https://twitter.com/monsieurhetzel/status/1163473028195528705">@monsieurhetzel</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>!</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-4-when-not-to-be-productive/">Check out Nested Folders 4: When Not to be Productive</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardEpisode 4 of Nested Folders is out! In this episode Scotty and I discussed when you shouldn’t be productive and some of the fun things we do when not being productive - and yes, my Nintendo Switch came up.Relay’s 5th Anniversary Live Show2019-08-25T03:55:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/relays-5th-anniversary-live-show<p>This week I was fortunate enough to be able to go to San Francisco and take part in a very special live show to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Relay FM - a podcast network now old enough for kindergarten!</p>
<p>For this show Myke, Stephen and Jason Snell devised a very special game of Family Feud - I’d never played before so of course I ended up being team captain (I’m not sure that was an entirely wise decision, but nonetheless it happened).<br />
[gallery type=”slideshow” ids=”3851,3852”]<br />
The episode is out now - wizards worked magic to turn 14GB of audio (seriously) into an episode overnight. <a href="https://www.relay.fm/connected/257">Listen to episode 257 of Connected</a>.</p>Rosemary OrchardThis week I was fortunate enough to be able to go to San Francisco and take part in a very special live show to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Relay FM - a podcast network now old enough for kindergarten!Get Started with Mail Rules on Your Mac2019-08-22T19:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/get-started-with-mail-rules-on-your-mac<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/08/file-6.jpeg" class="alignright wp-image-3825" /></p>
<p>macOS Mail has built-in rules and filters that you can use to manage <em>all</em> of your accounts. These run whenever your Mac is awake and connected to the internet and allow you to do anything from set the background color of emails in the list to executing AppleScript!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/get-started-with-mail-rules-on-your-mac/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardHow to Make Fancy Screenshots with Picsew2019-08-21T19:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-make-fancy-screenshots-with-picsew<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/08/file-5.jpeg" class="alignright wp-image-3819" /></p>
<p>You’ve probably seen screenshots all over the web with an iPad or iPhone frame around them, and you may even have a Shortcut that can do that, but there’s a new app in town that can tidy up your screenshots for you, and it’s called <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/picsew-screenshot-stitching/id1208145167?mt=12&at=11l7ja&ct=tss">Picsew</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-make-fancy-screenshots-with-picsew/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardAutomators 30: Our Recent Automations (& Shortcuts Album Player)2019-08-16T19:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-30-our-recent-automations<p>In episode 30 of Automators David and I thought we’d share a few of our recent
automations with you - as well as updating my TextExpander outputs to
accommodate a switch in my email addresses I had some fun with Shortcuts!</p>
<p>When I was at
<a href="https://rosemaryorchard.com/macstock-2019/">MacStock</a> not only did
I have a great time but I spent some time making Shortcuts! Shortly after my
deeper dive talk I got a chance to chat to an Automators fan, Bodie Quirk, who
showed me his setup for playing entire albums from certain artists. Everything
he had was working, but it was getting difficult to maintain (something that
will probably happen to everyone at some point or another!). The challenge
intrigued me, so I sat there for a while with an iOS 12 iPad and keyboard and
poked at the problem. It took a few attempts (Bodie said he could see my brain
working, what a compliment!), but I ended up with three Shortcuts which can do
<em>everything</em>, and will do all the maintenance themselves!</p>
<p>These Shortcuts are based on files saved in iCloud, you could save them in
Dropbox if you prefer but they’re only text files so won’t take up much space.
Shortcut #1 maintains our lists of artists - this file is used in Shortcut #2
as well to help maintain the album lists.</p>
<h2 id="-album-chooser-artists-https-www-icloud-com-shortcuts-64c124abeffa4980a28e2f3301bf4617-">
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/64c124abeffa4980a28e2f3301bf4617">Album Chooser Artists</a>
</h2>
<p><a href="https://rosemaryorchard.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/IMG_2895.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-3716" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/08/IMG_2895.jpeg" alt="" width="350" height="611" /></a></p>
<ol>
<li>
<code>Create Folder</code> - this is necessary for the other steps to work,
and once the folder has been created it will just continue on with life as
normal.
</li>
<li>
<code>Get File</code> - this checks for the current artists file. It
specifically doesn't throw an error if it's not found because then when you
run the Shortcut for the first time (or if you've deleted the file for some
reason) then you can create it with this step.
</li>
<li>
<code>Get Text from Input</code> - grabs the contents of our artists list if
there is one
</li>
<li>
<code>Text</code> - here we put the content of the current artists list and
<code>Ask When Run</code>, the Text action with <code>Ask When Run</code> is
bigger than the ask for input button so its ideal here.
</li>
<li>
<code>Save File</code> - save our list of artists where the next Shortcut
can grab them.
</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="-update-artist-albums-https-www-icloud-com-shortcuts-88e31418b97c4dad8931ea6bb943767f-">
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/88e31418b97c4dad8931ea6bb943767f">Update Artist Albums</a>
</h2>
<p><a href="https://rosemaryorchard.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/IMG_2889.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-3714" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/08/IMG_2889.jpeg" alt="" width="350" height="1297" /></a></p>
<p>This Shortcut starts by setting a variable to nothing so that we have an empty
list of albums. Then it grabs the lists of artists (maintained by the previous
Shortcut, if it doesn’t find it run the first Shortcut), and gives them to you
as a list of artists to choose from. Then once you have chosen an artist it
finds all the music where the artist is your chosen artist and gets the album
name and if it doesn’t have that album name in the list yet then it adds it.
This is the part of the Shortcut that make take a long time to run if you have
a prolific artist. Then it grabs the list of albums and saves them into a file
with the name of the artist. If you want to be able to exclude albums then add
a <code>Choose from List</code> action between
<code>Get Variable: Albums</code> and <code>Combine Text</code> and make sure
it’s set to Allow Multiple (I’d also recommend checking all the albums by
default).</p>
<h2 id="-play-album-by-artist-https-www-icloud-com-shortcuts-ac4ef17da46041dc8b9d36545a439153-">
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/ac4ef17da46041dc8b9d36545a439153">Play Album By Artist</a>
</h2>
<p><a href="https://rosemaryorchard.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/IMG_2892.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-3715" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/08/IMG_2892.jpeg" alt="" width="350" height="652" /></a></p>
<p>This is the Shortcut which you would use most of the time - the one that lives
in your widget and with a few taps will play the album of your choice. It
starts by grabbing a list of all the album files from our last Shortcut, this
way even if you added a new artist if you didn’t run the Shortcut yet to get
their albums you won’t run into an error. After you’ve picked your artists it
uses the contents of the file to show you a list of the albums by that artist,
it grabs the music from that album sorted by track number and then plays it.</p>
<hr />
<p>You can download the Shortcuts here (make sure to run them in the right
order!):</p>
<ol>
<li>
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/64c124abeffa4980a28e2f3301bf4617">Album Chooser Artists</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/88e31418b97c4dad8931ea6bb943767f">Update Artist Albums</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/ac4ef17da46041dc8b9d36545a439153">Play Album By Artist</a>
</li>
</ol>
<p>Check our
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/30">episode 30 of Automators</a>!</p>Rosemary OrchardIn episode 30 of Automators David and I thought we’d share a few of our recent automations with you - as well as updating my TextExpander outputs to accommodate a switch in my email addresses I had some fun with Shortcuts!How to Change Your Apple Watch Passcode2019-08-14T19:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-change-your-apple-watch-passcode<p>The passcode on your Apple Watch is important, as it lets you use Apple Pay and keeps your device secure! Most people set their Apple Watch passcode once when they set up their device, and if you’ve migrated from an earlier generation Apple Watch, you probably brought your passcode along too. It’s always a good practice to periodically update any passwords you use frequently, and that definitely applies to your Apple Watch!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-change-your-apple-watch-passcode/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardThe passcode on your Apple Watch is important, as it lets you use Apple Pay and keeps your device secure! Most people set their Apple Watch passcode once when they set up their device, and if you’ve migrated from an earlier generation Apple Watch, you probably brought your passcode along too. It’s always a good practice to periodically update any passwords you use frequently, and that definitely applies to your Apple Watch!Nested Folders 3: Building Bookends2019-08-13T18:05:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-3-building-bookends<p>Episode 3 of Nested Folders has landed, in it we talk about building bookends</p>
<ul>
<li>those magical periods of time in the run up to <em>something</em> in which
we get everything done that we need to! I also trick Scotty into doing maths,
and most important of all: Scotty has a new mic.</li>
</ul>
<p>On top of this, to celebrate episode 3 we’re also having a competition: listen
in for details on how to win a year of OmniFocus Pro and a copy of
<a href="https://omnifocusbook.com">Build Your OmniFocus Workflow</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-3-bookends/">Check out Nested Folders 3: Building Bookends</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardEpisode 3 of Nested Folders has landed, in it we talk about building bookends those magical periods of time in the run up to something in which we get everything done that we need to! I also trick Scotty into doing maths, and most important of all: Scotty has a new mic.Catching Up After MacStock2019-08-12T21:18:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/catching-up-after-macstock<p>Last month I went to MacStock - it was my first MacStock and my first time speaking there too (why not combine firsts!) and I had an amazing time. For anyone who has been on the fence about going I would highly recommend it - so many friendly people and it turns out we all have at least one thing in common 😉.</p>
<p>I’ve put together a page of the resources from my talks: <a href="https://rosemaryorchard.com/macstock-2019/">MacStock 2019</a> - here’s where you can grab the Shortcuts to download them, as well as links to the apps I talked about!</p>Rosemary OrchardLast month I went to MacStock - it was my first MacStock and my first time speaking there too (why not combine firsts!) and I had an amazing time. For anyone who has been on the fence about going I would highly recommend it - so many friendly people and it turns out we all have at least one thing in common 😉.How to Get Directions to a Calendar Event on Apple Watch2019-08-07T19:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-get-directions-to-a-calendar-event-on-apple-watch<p>Our Apple Watches are becoming more and more useful, and one of the great ways they do that is by giving us directions. It’s even possible to get directions to a specific event right on your watch – without invoking Siri!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-get-directions-to-a-calendar-event-on-apple-watch/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardOur Apple Watches are becoming more and more useful, and one of the great ways they do that is by giving us directions. It’s even possible to get directions to a specific event right on your watch – without invoking Siri!Review: Tom Bihn Synik2019-08-06T17:34:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/review-tom-bihn-synik<p style="padding-left: 40px">_Disclaimer: Tom Bihn provided this bag free for a review. All opinions below are entirely my own._
You may recall that recently I reviewed my <a href="https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/review-waterfield-staad-backpack-slim/">Waterfield Staad backpack</a> which is a lovely backpack that I use a lot of the time. However there are times when I need to carry more than fits in this bag - trips where I'm away overnight or just need to carry a lot of things. When the chance came up to review a new Tom Bihn bag with a dedicated laptop compartment, clamshell opening and luggage pass through it seemed meant to be - and this was confirmed by the random number generator saying I won!
I'll start with some background. The Synik is based on another Tom Bihn bag, the Synapse. That one doesn't have a clamshell opening, dedicated laptop compartment, side opening, or luggage pass through - it's a great bag but honestly not one I would buy for myself. It comes in two sizes (19L and 25L), and according to everyone I know who has one it's an amazing bag. There are two sizes of the Synik, 22L and 30L, the idea was that enough space was added to the Synapse to make space for the dedicated laptop compartment and also to allow for full use of the clamshell opening. The straps on the Synik are also different - they're edgeless straps which means there are no seams touching your shoulders. Day to day I've not really noticed a massive benefit, but I'm sure if I loaded the bag up with heavy items that could cause the straps to dig in I would!
For those of you who aren't familiar with Tom Bihn bags there's some important facts you might like to know:
<ul>
<li>They're made in the USA in Seattle.</li>
<li>All of their bags have a variety of colour options available, including different internal colours.</li>
<li>Bags have O-rings, this allows you to clip things to your bag so you can pull them out without losing them or find them without digging around (my keys are on a long strap, my sunglasses are in a pouch which keeps them close to the top, etc.)</li>
<li>There's a wide array of accessories which you can purchase to go with your bag, including the above mentioned keystrap and sunglasses pouch (a small Ghost Whale for the curious).<img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/08/IMG_2792-e1565102969741-768x1024.jpeg" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-3607" width="768" height="1024" alt="" /></li>
</ul>
I picked the <a href="https://www.tombihn.com/products/synik-22?mc_cid=b79d9019c9&mc_eid=b23ea2e5f2&variant=15334728073279">22L</a> to review, and was fortunate to get my preferred colour choice: Aubergine and Northwest Sky. The Aubergine is a thick rugged material, whereas the Northwest Sky is rather more flexble and great as an interior. There are choices for the outside material - I'd recommend checking the Tom Bihn site for the ins and outs of each one.
<img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/08/IMG_2790-e1565102957398-225x300.jpeg" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-3605" width="225" height="300" alt="" />
The bag has one main compartment, through which you can access the laptop compartment from the top. The laptop compartment can also be accessed from the outside, the outside zip isn't the full height of the laptop instead you push it in diagonally and then straighten the laptop up inside the pocket. It sounds complicated but in my experience many laptop pockets with external access work this way and it only takes one attempt to get the hang of it.
This is a great bag for what I need, I used it at MacStock and aside from a few times when I forgot which pocket I'd put something in (I can do that even when I'm having an amazing day so don't blame the bag!) it worked perfectly. I put a Mac Mini inside in the box and carried it around (when S<a href="https://twitter.com/drdrang/status/1155506389428649984">tephen Hackett sort of volunteered to upgrade the RAM in my Mac Mini</a> I couldn't say no!).
There are several things I really love about this bag:
<ul>
<li>The water bottle pocket is in the center, this means that I won't end up weighed down on one side.</li>
<li>The front pockets pack inside the bag, instead of bulging outwards.</li>
<li>The front bottom pocket might look small but it fits my Nintendo Switch easily.</li>
<li>The clamshell opening means I can also just open the side of my bag and reach in to grab something (assuming I remember where I put it), and I can of course open up the whole bag.</li>
<li>It's not too large, I got away with it as my personal item flying home - the 30L would have looked large though and I might not have been so lucky.</li>
<li>The laptop is suspended in the bag, so when you put it down it's not likely to hit the floor.</li>
<li>There's a system where you can attach a "cache" (Tom Bihn's device sleeve) to the opposite side of the main pocket - I bought one for my 11" iPad Pro and it's wonderful.</li>
<li>I can put it on the handle of my trolley case when in airport lounges, on airport buses, etc. (Did I mention I fly a lot?)</li>
</ul>
There is one thing I've run into which I'm not a huge fan of: when the zippers are fully open you need use both hands to close the bag, pushing the chunky weatherproof zipper around that corner is hard.
The bag also comes with a removeable framesheet so you can make it lighter if you don't need as much structure. The framesheet is what suspends the laptop so I've only taken it out to try, it wasn't the easiest to get out but it's also not likely you'll be doing this on a regular basis.
So far this bag has only been on one adventure with me, but it will be coming to San Francisco later this month for a more extensive trial!
As I don't have a Synapse to compare it to I borrowed some at MacStock for the comparison pictures below. This bag is sized exactly between the two models, but at a glance it looks more like the 19L - and that is what it is based on!
I'm definitely very happy with this bag and can't wait to keep using it - now I need to plan more travel!
[gallery ids="3621,3620,3615,3619,3606,3614,3611,3610,3609,3618,3608,3617,3607,3616,3605,3613,3594,3595,3586,3596,3585,3588,3590,3589,3591,3592,3593,3612" type="thumbnails" link="file" size="large"]
</p>Rosemary Orchard_Disclaimer: Tom Bihn provided this bag free for a review. All opinions below are entirely my own._ You may recall that recently I reviewed my Waterfield Staad backpack which is a lovely backpack that I use a lot of the time. However there are times when I need to carry more than fits in this bag - trips where I'm away overnight or just need to carry a lot of things. When the chance came up to review a new Tom Bihn bag with a dedicated laptop compartment, clamshell opening and luggage pass through it seemed meant to be - and this was confirmed by the random number generator saying I won! I'll start with some background. The Synik is based on another Tom Bihn bag, the Synapse. That one doesn't have a clamshell opening, dedicated laptop compartment, side opening, or luggage pass through - it's a great bag but honestly not one I would buy for myself. It comes in two sizes (19L and 25L), and according to everyone I know who has one it's an amazing bag. There are two sizes of the Synik, 22L and 30L, the idea was that enough space was added to the Synapse to make space for the dedicated laptop compartment and also to allow for full use of the clamshell opening. The straps on the Synik are also different - they're edgeless straps which means there are no seams touching your shoulders. Day to day I've not really noticed a massive benefit, but I'm sure if I loaded the bag up with heavy items that could cause the straps to dig in I would! For those of you who aren't familiar with Tom Bihn bags there's some important facts you might like to know: They're made in the USA in Seattle. All of their bags have a variety of colour options available, including different internal colours. Bags have O-rings, this allows you to clip things to your bag so you can pull them out without losing them or find them without digging around (my keys are on a long strap, my sunglasses are in a pouch which keeps them close to the top, etc.) There's a wide array of accessories which you can purchase to go with your bag, including the above mentioned keystrap and sunglasses pouch (a small Ghost Whale for the curious). I picked the 22L to review, and was fortunate to get my preferred colour choice: Aubergine and Northwest Sky. The Aubergine is a thick rugged material, whereas the Northwest Sky is rather more flexble and great as an interior. There are choices for the outside material - I'd recommend checking the Tom Bihn site for the ins and outs of each one. The bag has one main compartment, through which you can access the laptop compartment from the top. The laptop compartment can also be accessed from the outside, the outside zip isn't the full height of the laptop instead you push it in diagonally and then straighten the laptop up inside the pocket. It sounds complicated but in my experience many laptop pockets with external access work this way and it only takes one attempt to get the hang of it. This is a great bag for what I need, I used it at MacStock and aside from a few times when I forgot which pocket I'd put something in (I can do that even when I'm having an amazing day so don't blame the bag!) it worked perfectly. I put a Mac Mini inside in the box and carried it around (when Stephen Hackett sort of volunteered to upgrade the RAM in my Mac Mini I couldn't say no!). There are several things I really love about this bag: The water bottle pocket is in the center, this means that I won't end up weighed down on one side. The front pockets pack inside the bag, instead of bulging outwards. The front bottom pocket might look small but it fits my Nintendo Switch easily. The clamshell opening means I can also just open the side of my bag and reach in to grab something (assuming I remember where I put it), and I can of course open up the whole bag. It's not too large, I got away with it as my personal item flying home - the 30L would have looked large though and I might not have been so lucky. The laptop is suspended in the bag, so when you put it down it's not likely to hit the floor. There's a system where you can attach a "cache" (Tom Bihn's device sleeve) to the opposite side of the main pocket - I bought one for my 11" iPad Pro and it's wonderful. I can put it on the handle of my trolley case when in airport lounges, on airport buses, etc. (Did I mention I fly a lot?) There is one thing I've run into which I'm not a huge fan of: when the zippers are fully open you need use both hands to close the bag, pushing the chunky weatherproof zipper around that corner is hard. The bag also comes with a removeable framesheet so you can make it lighter if you don't need as much structure. The framesheet is what suspends the laptop so I've only taken it out to try, it wasn't the easiest to get out but it's also not likely you'll be doing this on a regular basis. So far this bag has only been on one adventure with me, but it will be coming to San Francisco later this month for a more extensive trial! As I don't have a Synapse to compare it to I borrowed some at MacStock for the comparison pictures below. This bag is sized exactly between the two models, but at a glance it looks more like the 19L - and that is what it is based on! I'm definitely very happy with this bag and can't wait to keep using it - now I need to plan more travel! [gallery ids="3621,3620,3615,3619,3606,3614,3611,3610,3609,3618,3608,3617,3607,3616,3605,3613,3594,3595,3586,3596,3585,3588,3590,3589,3591,3592,3593,3612" type="thumbnails" link="file" size="large"] Automators 29: The Dark Dungeon with Adam Tow2019-08-02T18:09:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-29-the-dark-dungeon-with-adam-tow<p>In episode 29 of Automators we got to talk to Adam Tow - creator of awesome
automations. I met Adam at the Automators WWDC meet up this year and he demoed
some of his wonderful shortcuts for me. I’ve seen them before and even tried
them out, but once I saw Adam demoing them David and I knew we had to get him
on the show to share how this all works!</p>
<p>Adam walked us through a few of his amazing automations:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://msgfiler.com/">MsgFiler</a>: A way to file messages in Mail
extremely quickly. I've been trying this since we recorded and I'm sold,
I'll admit I love using the keyboard and tend not to reach for the mouse
unless I have to but this is a great utility!
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://tow.com/2016/12/31/wireless-photography-canon-5d4/">Photo Magic</a>: Adam has an amazing setup whereby photos taken on his DSLR end up
automatically sent to him via iMessage, added to Photos, uploaded to Google
Photos, oh, and the RAW photos are uploaded to Amazon too. Sounds crazy?
There's a bunch of _very_ good reasons for this!
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://routinehub.co/shortcut/3262">The Dark Dungeon Text Adventure</a>: Did you know you can play a text adventure game in Shortcuts? Or have it
translated into (almost) any language? Adam made it easy!
</li>
</ul>
<p>For more details you’ll have to listen to the show.</p>
<p>As a note, in the show I said I thought you could get a public link to a
Dropbox folder through Shortcuts. You can get links to files, but for some
reason links to folders no longer works - this is a shame, but we can hope
that Dropbox offer this as a parameterised Shortcut in iOS 13.<br />
Thanks to our sponsor for this episode:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://textexpander.com/podcast?utm_source=automators&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=textexpander-Aug-2019">TextExpander, from Smile</a>: Unlock your productivity with TextExpander. Get 20% off with your first
year.
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/29">Episode 29: The Dark Dungeon with Adam Tow</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn episode 29 of Automators we got to talk to Adam Tow - creator of awesome automations. I met Adam at the Automators WWDC meet up this year and he demoed some of his wonderful shortcuts for me. I’ve seen them before and even tried them out, but once I saw Adam demoing them David and I knew we had to get him on the show to share how this all works!Nested Folders Episode 2: No(n) Zero Day2019-07-30T22:18:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/nested-folders-episode-2-non-zero-day<p>In this latest episode of Nested Folders I introduced Scotty to the idea of
the <a href="https://reddit.com/r/NonZeroDay">Non Zero Day</a>. I stumbled
across this a few years ago on Reddit and thought that it was a great idea,
<em>do something towards your goals every day</em>. It might not seem like
rocket surgery but saying it out loud and then reviewing your efforts can make
a big difference - especially for those larger goals!</p>
<p>There’s more to no(n) zero days than this, so I’d highly recommend you check
out the episode:
<a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-2-non-zero-day/">Episode 2 of Nested Folders</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn this latest episode of Nested Folders I introduced Scotty to the idea of the Non Zero Day. I stumbled across this a few years ago on Reddit and thought that it was a great idea, do something towards your goals every day. It might not seem like rocket surgery but saying it out loud and then reviewing your efforts can make a big difference - especially for those larger goals!Introducing Nested Folders, a Productivity Podcast2019-07-16T18:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/introducing-nested-folders-a-productivity-podcast<p>Today I’m launching a new podcast called Nested Folders with a friend of mine
<a href="heyscottyj.com">Scotty Jackson</a>. Scotty and I met when we started
testing early versions of OmniFocus 3 together, I believe our first real
encounter was me helping him replicate a bug report so he could nail down the
steps to email in. (Coincidentally this is also where I met
<a href="https://nostodnayr.net/">Ryan Dotson</a> who I ended up writing
<a href="https://omnifocusbook.com">Build Your OmniFocus Workflow</a> with -
who would have guessed that people eager to do an early beta test of OmniFocus
would also be good people to make productivity related content with?!)</p>
<p>Nested Folders is a productivity themed podcast, Scotty and I will be diving
into all sorts of topics from project planning, to weekly reviews, when not to
be productive and more. The
<a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-0-introductions/">Introduction Episode (0)</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>and
<a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com/podcast/episode-1-checklisting-a-project/">Episode 1: Checklisting a Project</a</a></p>
<p>are out today! Episodes will come out every 2 weeks on Tuesdays.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I hope you’ll download the first episodes, give us a listen and subscribe. All
of the details are over on the
<a href="https://nestedfolderspodcast.com">Nested Folders</a> website, and the
podcast also has it’s own Twitter account
<a href="https://twitter.com/NestedFolders">@NestedFolders</a> which because I
am an automation geek automatically feeds into our spreadsheet for feedback.</p>Rosemary OrchardToday I’m launching a new podcast called Nested Folders with a friend of mine Scotty Jackson. Scotty and I met when we started testing early versions of OmniFocus 3 together, I believe our first real encounter was me helping him replicate a bug report so he could nail down the steps to email in. (Coincidentally this is also where I met Ryan Dotson who I ended up writing Build Your OmniFocus Workflow with - who would have guessed that people eager to do an early beta test of OmniFocus would also be good people to make productivity related content with?!)Automators 27: Shortcuts in iOS 13 - Diving into the Deep End!2019-07-05T17:15:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-27-shortcuts-in-ios-13-diving-into-the-deep-end<p>In Automators 27 David and I did the thing we do best: ignore all the advice,
install the betas, suffer for it, but in the end we got you the goods on
Shortcuts in iOS 13 and what it’s <em>really</em> like!</p>
<p>One of the things we love in this new version of Shortcuts is the replacement
of <code>Get Variable</code> with this new sentence format in each action.</p>
<p>[caption id=”attachment_3325” align=”alignnone” width=”624”]<img class="wp-image-3325 size-large" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/07/IMG_A16760ED3B11-1-624x1024.jpeg" alt="Shortcut on iOS 12: Get calendar event, choose from list, get start time, get chosen event, get end time" width="624" height="1024" />
Shortcut on iOS 12: Get calendar event, choose from list, get start time, get
chosen event, get end time[/caption]</p>
<p>[caption id=”attachment_3326” align=”alignnone” width=”685”]<img class="wp-image-3326 size-large" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/07/IMG_D66C9D68C283-1-685x1024.jpeg" alt="iOS 13 version of the same shortcut" width="685" height="1024" />
iOS 13 version of the same shortcut[/caption]</p>
<p>I know in the episode I said I would do a video on this, but I think these
screenshots explain it much better than a video would have! It’s now much
easier to see what you’re working with - and that’s better for everyone from
Shortcuts super nerds to people just poking around who find it installed on
their devices after they update the OS in September.</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy listening to the episode - David and I are both running
developer beta 3 now!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/27">Episode 27: Shortcuts in iOS 13 - Diving into the Deep End!</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p>One note: I said in the episode that I wasn’t able to run Shortcuts from
notifications (e.g. with triggers like time) - beta 3 resolved this.</p>
<p>Thanks to our sponsors for this episode, Away and TextExpander from Smile.</p>Rosemary OrchardIn Automators 27 David and I did the thing we do best: ignore all the advice, install the betas, suffer for it, but in the end we got you the goods on Shortcuts in iOS 13 and what it’s really like!Discourse Forums I Visit2019-07-03T16:46:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/discourse-forums-i-visit<p>There are lots of wonderful communities out there on the internet, and I’m fortunate enough to be a part of some of them! I’ve seen several people recently asking for recommendations of forums to visit and thought I’d put together a list of the ones I visit:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://talk.automators.fm">Automators</a> - Yes, the podcast I host with David Sparks has its own forum! There are lots of wonderful people who hang out there sharing automation goodness, and we also host the Scriptable forum inside it too.</li>
<li><a href="https://talk.macpowerusers.com">Mac Power Users</a> - A great podcast, and another forum of awesome people (just like all the others on this list). From tech support to Star Wars there’s plenty to talk about - and the forum for Focused is here too.</li>
<li><a href="https://club.bookworm.fm">Bookworm</a> - Another excellent podcast, I love looking through this forum for book recommendations (and summaries of the key points people got from them).</li>
<li><a href="https://community.productivityguild.com">The Productivity Guild</a> - This is a great place to talk about the productivity things many of us love and often struggle with.</li>
<li><a href="https://forums.getdrafts.com">Drafts</a> - I’m constantly stealing script ideas from people here to use in my own Drafts installs.</li>
<li><a href="https://discourse.omnigroup.com">OmniGroup</a> - I confess to primarily being in the OmniFocus area of this forum, and it’s always interesting to see how other people are using this task management software.</li>
<li><a href="https://discourse.devontechnologies.com">DevonTechnologies</a> - DevonThink can be used in so many ways that every time I open the forum I come up with new ideas to make even more out of the software.</li>
<li><a href="https://community.airtable.com">AirTable</a> - I’m still learning how to use AirTable to the max and this place has lots of suggestions.</li>
<li><a href="https://agenda.community">Agenda</a> - I use Agenda for my notes at work and it’s great seeing how other users set it up for themselves.</li>
</ul>
<p>On a side note, some of you may be thinking of Discord - a chat system, Discourse is forum hosting software - they have similar names and both can host communities but that’s where the similarities end!</p>Rosemary OrchardThere are lots of wonderful communities out there on the internet, and I’m fortunate enough to be a part of some of them! I’ve seen several people recently asking for recommendations of forums to visit and thought I’d put together a list of the ones I visit:Automators 26: Getting Started With HomeKit2019-06-21T20:30:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-26-getting-started-with-homekit<p>In the latest episode of Automators, David and I dived into our home
automation setups and went beyond “I can control it from my phone” to find out
what things you can really <em>automate</em>, because that’s the kind of
automation nerds we are!</p>
<p>I have personally been using
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id995994352?at=1010lumu">Home 3</a> a
lot to amp up my automations - this is what lets me specify the night time
routine should only run if the kitchen light is on, and more. These things
aren’t available in the Home app that comes baked into your iPhone, but this
app makes them available and doesn’t require you to run anything else on a
server somewhere to make it all work.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/26">Listen to Automators 26: Getting Started With HomeKit</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn the latest episode of Automators, David and I dived into our home automation setups and went beyond “I can control it from my phone” to find out what things you can really automate, because that’s the kind of automation nerds we are!How to Annotate Screenshots and Photos on iOS2019-06-12T06:17:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-annotate-screenshots-and-photos-on-ios<p>iOS 12 added a feature to let you annotate screenshots and photos, here’s how to do so!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-annotate-screenshots-and-photos-on-ios/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardiOS 12 added a feature to let you annotate screenshots and photos, here’s how to do so!How to Set macOS to Automatically Change Your Wallpaper2019-06-12T06:16:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-set-macos-to-automatically-change-your-wallpaper<p>I love new my wallpaper on my Mac, but I always forget to change it!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-set-macos-to-automatically-change-your-wallpaper/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardI love new my wallpaper on my Mac, but I always forget to change it!How to Share Podcast Clips With Overcast2019-06-12T06:15:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-share-podcast-clips-with-overcast<p>Overcast has a great new feature where you can share clips of a podcast!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-share-podcast-clips-with-overcast/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardOvercast has a great new feature where you can share clips of a podcast!How to Connect Your AirPods or HomePod to an Apple TV2019-06-12T06:13:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-connect-your-airpods-or-homepod-to-an-apple-tv<p>I love using my AirPods with my Apple TV but connecting them isn’t quite as intuitive as on iOS!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-connect-your-airpods-or-homepod-to-apple-tv/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardI love using my AirPods with my Apple TV but connecting them isn’t quite as intuitive as on iOS!Automators 25: WWDC 2019 Automation Update2019-06-08T06:45:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-25-wwdc-2019-automation-update<p>In episode 25 of Automators David and I sat down together in person, with the
help of his suitcase and some shoes, we were able to record a full episode in
person!</p>
<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/06/IMG_2256-e1560306416910-225x300.jpeg" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3145" width="225" height="300" alt="" /></p>
<p>There were a <em>lot</em> of shortcuts updates at WWDC, and not a lot of
keynote time for it - however I honestly don’t know what they could have cut!</p>
<p>If you’re looking for more information than was included in our podcast about
the updates to Shortcuts then you should check out this WWDC talk:
<a href="https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2019/213/">Introducing Parameters for Shortcuts</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.<br />
Check out <a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/25">Automators 25</a>.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn episode 25 of Automators David and I sat down together in person, with the help of his suitcase and some shoes, we were able to record a full episode in person!OmniFocus for Web Review: Access Your Tasks Everywhere2019-05-28T22:41:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/omnifocus-for-web-review-access-your-tasks-everywhere<p>OmniFocus for the Web has released today! I ran through all the key features over on <a href="https://www.macstories.net/reviews/omnifocus-for-web-review-access-your-tasks-everywhere/">MacStories</a>. I love that today is launch day but already in the beta version OmniGroup have new features (namely the Forecast view!) - and WWDC is right around the corner next week so they’re clearly working hard.</p>Rosemary OrchardOmniFocus for the Web has released today! I ran through all the key features over on MacStories. I love that today is launch day but already in the beta version OmniGroup have new features (namely the Forecast view!) - and WWDC is right around the corner next week so they’re clearly working hard.Automators 24: Automating with AirTable2019-05-25T12:41:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-24-automating-with-airtable<p>In the latest episode of Automators David and I went crazy over AirTable - we
use it to plan Automators which makes our life so much easier, that combined
with the automations you can attach to this meant it was the perfect topic for
an episode of Automators!</p>
<p>As well as AirTable we touched on David’s
<a href="https://learn.macsparky.com/p/km?affcode=256645_0ohxw3fs">Keyboard Maestro Field Guide</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li>he’s put together over 4 hours of video content and I’ve been learning a lot
from it!<br />
We also produced two screencasts for this episode:</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>Automators 24 - Automating the Automators with Airtable</p>
<p>https://youtu.be/wjKYhxks50M</p>
<p>Automators 24: Blog Post Editorial Calendar in AirTable with Shortcuts</p>
<p>https://youtu.be/-4HSATi6abU</p>
<p>I also have a bonus tip for you which I stole from
<a href="https://www.matthewcassinelli.com">Matthew Casinelli</a>, if you
modify a dictionary that you get from AirTable in Shortcuts, switch your
<code>Get Content of URL</code> action to POST a file - and then use a magic
variable to grab the dictionary you need to send to AirTable. Magic!</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy the show:
<a href="https://relay.fm/automators/24">Automators 24: Automating with AirTable</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.<br />
Thanks to the sponsors of this episode:</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="http://www.lunadisplay.com">Luna Display</a>: The only hardware
solution that turns your iPad into a wireless display for your Mac. Use
promo code AUTOMATORS at checkout for 10% off.
</li>
<li>
<a href="http://backblaze.com/automators">Backblaze</a>: Unlimited cloud
backup for Macs and PCs for just $6/month.
</li>
</ul>Rosemary OrchardIn the latest episode of Automators David and I went crazy over AirTable - we use it to plan Automators which makes our life so much easier, that combined with the automations you can attach to this meant it was the perfect topic for an episode of Automators!How to Change the Double-tap Settings on Your AirPods2019-05-23T22:26:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-change-the-double-tap-settings-on-your-airpods<p>This post was inspired by a friend who commented that it was silly both AirPods triggered the same action when you double tap them - you can change it, one action for each AirPod!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-change-the-double-tap-settings-on-your-airpods/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardThis post was inspired by a friend who commented that it was silly both AirPods triggered the same action when you double tap them - you can change it, one action for each AirPod!Timery, the Toggl App, has landed!2019-05-20T21:03:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/timery-the-toggl-app-has-landed<p><img class="alignright wp-image-2819 size-thumbnail" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/Image-3-150x150.png" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></p>
<p>David Sparks and I teased it on Automators back in
<a href="https://relay.fm/automators/17">episode 17</a>, and now the app is
here: <a href="https://timeryapp.com">Timery</a>, the Toggl app we all wish
Toggl had made! the</p>
<p>What’s impressive about this app, is that I rarely launch it, but I’m pretty
sure my workflow would feel broken without it. Timery has excellent
integrations with Shortcuts, letting me start and stop timers as part of my
automations without thinking. Whenever I run Shortcuts to put myself into
certain modes (such as podcasting, or writing for my blog), as well as
launching the correct applications, I also start logging my time. I also build
in checks to let me know how long I’ve already worked on projects today when I
end my timers - this is a not so gentle nudge that if I want to achieve my
goals, I should invest an appropriate amount of time in them!</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/IMG_1858.png" alt="Saved timers" width="270" height="536" /></p>
<p>The main screen in Timers is your saved timers which serve three purposes,
letting you start tracking a project, with tags and a description if you so
choose, with just a tap. These timers are also donated to Siri (and therefore
Shortcuts), and also display how long you’ve worked on those timers today. I
find this screen great for both a quick overview as well as starting timers.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/IMG_1856.png" alt="Creating a project in Timery" width="270" height="536" /></p>
<p>The next screen is Time Entries where you can see log of your most recent time
entries. There are swipe options for these entries allowing you to delete or
edit them, as well as play button which lets you start a new time tracking
entry with the same parameters.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/IMG_1857.png" alt="Tagging your time" width="270" height="536" /></p>
<p>The developer behind Timery, <a href="joehribar.com">Joe Hribar</a>, has
worked extremely hard to make sure this app rivals the Toggl app - it has all
the core functionality covered, as well as genuinely excellent shortcuts
support. This means there’s full support for Workspaces, the premium Toggl
feature which lets you helps you carve up your life further with tags and
projects belonging to Workspaces.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/timery_shortcuts_support.png" alt="Timerys Shortcuts" width="795" height="527" /></p>
<p>The way I use Timery most, is through Shortcuts. I use Launch Center Pro and
Pushcuts to send me notifications which I use to launch Shortcuts, and these
shortcuts tell Timery to track my time for me. As all the saved timers can be
used to both start timers as well as check the time logged so far on each of
them this alone becomes helpful for tracking time. The Shortcuts support
allows you to toggle “show when run” (this is the only setting on all donated
shortcuts within the Shortcuts app right now) - this is used to show you the
details of your time tracking, and it’s done in a minimalist way which makes
sure I see the information I need and can dismiss the notification within a
second or two at most.</p>
<p>As well as the saved timers in the app, you can also just start time tracking
and add the details you want or need - which makes it easy to get going and
then you can give it a title, project, or tags later before you finish (or
after the fact with the Timery club).</p>
<h3 id="timeryclub">Timery Club</h3>
<p>The Timery app in its free state is excellent, but if you join the Timery
Club, an optional in app subscription of $9.99/year, as well as supporting
development of the app you get extra functionality:</p>
<ul>
<li>
Unlimited saved timers, the free version allows you to have 4 saved timers
(which in my opinion is a generous number).
</li>
<li>
Edit all the elements of time entries from the last week as well as delete
and duplicate them.
</li>
<li>Add historical time entries.</li>
<li>Add, edit, and delete Toggl projects, tasks, and tags.</li>
<li>
Show your tag names in the saved timers (otherwise the tag icon is
displayed)
</li>
<li>
Custom themes, app icons, and dark mode. Dark mode can be toggled based on
the screen brightness, sunrise, and sunset, or manually.
</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/IMG_1859.png" alt="App icons and theme" width="270" height="536" /></p>
<p>If you have no interest in tracking your time then this app is not for you,
but if you’re curious about it, or have been struggling with it - or even if
you already track every second and want to make your life easier, I highly
recommend downloading Timery. It has made it much easier for me to track my
time, because it is very simple to use - and in my case, it builds right into
my shortcuts that I already use to launch a significant number of actions.</p>
<p>Timery feels like a much better-designed app than the Toggl app, there’s more
data on the screen, and I can choose what data goes on what screen - as well
as the Shortcuts that should be donated (instead of doing the action and
letting it show up and then having lots of unnecessary actions in my Shortcuts
app. Plus the developer is active and open to feedback and suggestions for
improvement!</p>
<p>Timery is available on the App Store today, it’s a free download with an
optional in app purchase for the Timery Club which is $0.99/month or
$9.99/year.</p>Rosemary OrchardDavid Sparks and I teased it on Automators back in episode 17, and now the app is here: Timery, the Toggl app we all wish Toggl had made! theReview: Waterfield Staad Backpack (Slim)2019-05-20T00:33:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/review-waterfield-staad-backpack-slim<p>When I was in Chicago for <a href="https://relay.fm/mpu/472">MPU Live</a> in March I took the opportunity to order a <a href="https://www.sfbags.com/collections/laptop-backpacks/products/staad-laptop-backpack">Waterfield Staad backpack</a> to my hotel to bring back with me. I’d been intrigued by their bags for quite some time, but after seeing <a href="https://welltempered.net">MacGenie</a> with one of these at PodCon, and seeing MacSparky’s Sling bag at the same event, I was convinced I wanted the bag.</p>
<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/IMG_0045.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Let’s start with logistics: I realised only shortly before my trip that this would be a great time to get the bag, so I paid for premium shipping, contacted Gary through the contact address on their web page, and hoped for the best - and they delivered (with time to spare)! After collecting it from the Fedex in my hotel (still cheaper than international shipping I would note), I actually got my hands on it.<br />
I picked the black ballistic with the chocolate leather, I’m a fan of the Indiana Jones look - but I like my bags to look pristine for as long as possible and knew the ballistic fabric would deliver that, however leather ages whatever you do - so the chocolate was an obvious choice to let me still see the wear on it! The inside of the flap is lined with smooth black leather, and this doesn’t mark easily so I suspect the completely black model wouldn’t have either.<br />
Some background: I fly, a lot. I’m writing this review on my 5th flight this month, which happens to be my 3rd weekend on the road (or in the air) in a row. Next weekend I’m not going anywhere (at least that I know of), and then I’m off to WWDC which involves 4 flights. I fly carry on only whenever I can, because it’s cheaper, and it means I know my things will be with me when I land. However this means my backpack is restricted to some pretty small dimensions - unless I wanted to put everything in my backpack (which if you’ve queued in the immigration line at LAX before you will probably agree is not fun). So I need a small backpack, I also want to be able to get at everything pretty easily - without said items falling out of the bag if I open it up.<br />
This bag is perfect for me as it has a laptop sleeve which fits my 13” MacBook Air like it was made for it (it’s actually made for the 13” MacBook Pro which is cuboid rather than wedge shaped), and another sleeve on the front of that for my 11” iPad Pro in the smart folio with the Apple Pencil. On the inside of the bag at the top there are two vertical pockets which close with Velcro - I use one for my passport and one for my charger and USB C cables (to USB C and Lightning). On the front at the bottom you have two pockets as well - these are designed so that if you swing the bag up under your arm they face up (or completely down if you open the opposite side pocket), which is where my purse (American: wallet), AirPods, any medication I need, lip balm, tissues, etc., live. If I’m taking the bag to work my work ID/access card go in there too.<br />
<img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/IMG_1846.jpeg" /><br />
Everything else goes in the main compartment in front of my iPad Pro - this usually includes things like my Bose headphones in their case (I prefer to fly with the QC35s, but sometimes take the QC30s instead), Nintendo Switch, etc. Overfilling the bag isn’t an option because then the flap wouldn’t close - but this helps me limit what I’m carrying and I appreciate that.<br />
I was impressed with this bag when I first got it in March, but 2 months later I can see it’s truly holding up as it ought to - it looks great, and it works. Because of the sleeves for my devices (which aren’t insanely large as they often are in bags) I can just slip my laptop and iPad in and out, the half zip on the front under the flap lets me get access to things inside if I need to, but keeps things securely in place. The clasp is very good too - it closes easily (unless you try to overstuff the bag), and it stays put. The fabric is also exactly wide enough that you can slip a pin on it for decoration without worrying about damage or impaired function. The bag also fits nicely on my frame - the Stout model is unsurprisingly larger, which is one reason why I didn’t order it (if I have space in a bag I will absolutely throw things in “just in case” and then end up regretting lugging said items around later) - and I’m 5’7” as well as pretty slim. I’m also really pleased with the padding on the straps and the back of the bag (pictured below), they’re thick and comfortable, but not so thick that the bad becomes bulky.<br />
<img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/IMG_1845.jpeg" /><br />
The only thing that remains to be seen is if the iPad pocket will fit my iPad Pro with the Brydge keyboard attached - however that is something I’ll have to wait another week or so to try! I’m very pleased with my bag - and now I have to admit I’m very tempted to try out some of their other products like one of their cases for the Nintendo Switch!</p>Rosemary OrchardWhen I was in Chicago for MPU Live in March I took the opportunity to order a Waterfield Staad backpack to my hotel to bring back with me. I’d been intrigued by their bags for quite some time, but after seeing MacGenie with one of these at PodCon, and seeing MacSparky’s Sling bag at the same event, I was convinced I wanted the bag.Shortcuts for Accessibility2019-05-16T22:22:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/shortcuts-for-accessibility<p>Today is <a href="https://globalaccessibilityawarenessday.org/">Global Accessibility Awareness Day</a> and I’m really pleased to see that Apple has updated the Shortcuts gallery to highlight some Shortcuts targeted at solving some of the problems people face every day. These shortcuts include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Speak Brush Teeth Routine</li>
<li>Mood Journal</li>
<li>Special Day Countdown</li>
<li>Do Not Disturb timer</li>
</ul>
<p>There are 13 of these shortcuts in total, and it just goes to show how technology can be helpful for everyone, but in some cases it can make a massive difference.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter wp-image-2702 size-large" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/shortcuts-for-accessibility-515x1024.jpg" alt="Shortcuts for Accessibility Gallery screenshot" width="515" height="1024" /></p>
<p>These shortcuts are available in the Shortcuts app, in the gallery, it should be the first item featured at the top.</p>Rosemary OrchardToday is Global Accessibility Awareness Day and I’m really pleased to see that Apple has updated the Shortcuts gallery to highlight some Shortcuts targeted at solving some of the problems people face every day. These shortcuts include:Pushcut: Smart Notifications Kick Off Your Shortcuts2019-05-15T22:04:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/pushcut-smart-notifications-kick-off-your-shortcuts<p>As I’ve talked about on Automators before, I have used Zapier to send
notifications to my iPhone which trigger Shortcuts - this means that I can
have a series of automated actions happen and follow it up with something I
need to manually do. I’ve been using PushBullet and Pushover to do this - I’ve
tried both and they’re both good, but they’re designed for notifications and
the URLs triggering automations is not something it was designed to do.
Additionally PushBullet still hasn’t been updated for the iPhone X(s) screen
format. Pushover has been updated more recently, but it still doesn’t quite
match up with what Pushcut can do as a dedicated app.</p>
<p>Let’s start by looking at a few use cases for this:</p>
<ul>
<li>
MacSparky and I take it in turns to post the Automators episodes, that means
every second episode when it releases I need to be prompted to put up my
blog post about the episode. That post is prepared, and is in Drafts, so
once the episode is up I get a notification that triggers a Shortcut to help
me find the right Draft and post it.
</li>
<li>
When an article of mine goes up on The Sweet Setup I like to go and clean it
out of my Dropbox (where the drafts sit), which I do through a Shortcut, and
then post about it on my site.
</li>
</ul>
<p>Those are just two of the many use cases I have for this sort of thing, in
each case there can be multiple steps I would like to execute on my device -
some of these I’ve combined into a single Shortcut which runs those other
shortcuts, but others I’m still trying to rely on my memory (which has more
holes in it than a sieve!). Also if I want or need to change these I need to
log into Zapier and change the URL scheme that’s in the URL part of the
notification action step (whether that’s through Pushover or Pushbullet).</p>
<p>Pushcut is a free app with two subscription levels, I’ll give you a quick
overview of those:</p>
<ul>
<li>
**Free**: Create three notifications, which can each trigger
one action (opening a URL or running a Shortcut).
</li>
<li>
**Basic**: Create as many notifications as you want, with as
many actions as you want on each notification. Plus you can sync these
between your devices.
</li>
<li>
**Pro**: Dynamic notifications - based on JSON you use to
trigger the notification which can give you: inputs for Shortcuts and
dynamic title and text in notifications. You can also target individual
devices.
</li>
</ul>
<p>I immediately decided I wanted the Pro - I’ve been passing variables to
Shortcuts as parameters through Zapier, and I’ve been building my own
workarounds for branching to give me different information. Most people should
start out with the free level and then try basic though to get to grips with
the system.</p>
<h2>Setup</h2>
<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/IMG_1709.png" class="aligncenter wp-image-2661" alt="" width="320" height="636" /></p>
<p>The first thing to do is to create a notification in the Pushcut app, and give
it a name. The name of the in the app is separate to what appears as the title
of the notification which is very useful allowing you to have useful internal
descriptions, but have an action based title. The title gets URL encoded and
becomes part of the URL you POST to in order to trigger the notification.
Tapping this URL will copy it to your clipboard - and I’ll come back to what
to do with that near the end!</p>
<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/IMG_1710.png" class="aligncenter wp-image-2662" alt="" width="320" height="636" /></p>
<p>Secondly you want to set the Notification Title and Description. These are
what will show up on your device when you get the notification, I like mine to
tell me what to do, and why I’m doing it - this way I won’t just ignore the
notifications because the seem irrelevant. After this you should set a default
action, and you probably want to add this as action as well. The default
action is what happens if you just tap on the notification, or swipe on it
from the lock screen, and the actions are what you (can) trigger after force
touching the notification - you can add multiple actions to a notification
here, giving you a choice in which action to execute.</p>
<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/IMG_1711.png" class="aligncenter wp-image-2663" alt="" width="320" height="636" /></p>
<p>Now we have the basics set up we can trigger the notification! Depending on
your needs you could use this with something like IFTTT or Zapier’s web hooks,
or even build it into a script somewhere.</p>
<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/IMG_1713.png" class="aligncenter wp-image-2665" alt="" width="320" height="636" /></p>
<p>Now whenever this is triggered you will get a notification sent to your device
which when opened will trigger a Shortcut.</p>
<p><span style="text-align: center"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/IMG_1714.png" class="aligncenter wp-image-2664" alt="" width="320" height="636" /></span></p>
<p>In addition to what I’ve outlined above you can enhance this with the Pro
options - allowing you to specify custom notification titles and content, and
also pass input to your shortcuts. You can also run URL schemes allowing you
to something like add a task to Due - without having to go via Shortcuts.</p>
<p>I’ve been fortunate enough to talk to the developer of Pushcut over the last
few weeks and he’s been adding enhancements right and left! While the app and
service are already a step up from existing solutions just because of the ease
of use, the fact that this is a dedicated service for triggering automations
on iOS means it really is well thought out.</p>
<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1450936447?at=1010lumu">Pushcut - Automation your way</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardAs I’ve talked about on Automators before, I have used Zapier to send notifications to my iPhone which trigger Shortcuts - this means that I can have a series of automated actions happen and follow it up with something I need to manually do. I’ve been using PushBullet and Pushover to do this - I’ve tried both and they’re both good, but they’re designed for notifications and the URLs triggering automations is not something it was designed to do. Additionally PushBullet still hasn’t been updated for the iPhone X(s) screen format. Pushover has been updated more recently, but it still doesn’t quite match up with what Pushcut can do as a dedicated app.Automators 23: Diving into Drafts Automation with Tim “The Drafts Man” Nahumck2019-05-10T17:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-23-diving-into-drafts-automation-with-tim-the-drafts-man-nahumck<p>I was really excited when <a href="https://nahmuck.me/">Tim Nahumck</a> agreed
to come onto Automators to talk about
<a href="http://getdrafts.com">Drafts</a>! In the last year the app has
increased in power so much, as well as gaining a Mac app, and now seemed like
the perfect time to cover it.</p>
<p>Today I thought I’d share a few bonus tips that were mentioned in the episode
but not completely covered, starting with the Apple Watch component.</p>
<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAABaMAAAszCAYAAACIWkB7AAABgmlDQ1BzUkdCIElFQzYxOTY2LTIu-2.png" class="aligncenter wp-image-2584" alt="Drafts Settings for Apple Watch on iPhone" width="406" height="806" /></p>
<p>In Drafts on the iPhone paired to your Apple Watch you can control some bonus
settings. First of all you can enable auto-capture - this means when you open
Drafts on your Apple Watch (such as from a complication) it will start
listening for dictation - so you just open the app and start talking. You can
also enable showing the inbox count, which is the number of Drafts in your
inbox. The final extra setting is giving everything from your Apple Watch a
default tag - mine is called Apple Watch (iOS and macOS automatically
capitalise it, but drafts only uses lowercase tags to help you avoid
duplicates). As I mentioned on the show, automatically tagging everything from
your watch can be a useful indicator that your Draft might not be 100% what
you said, but rather what the dictation engine <em>thought</em> you said.</p>
<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAjoAAAPoCAYAAADXyVRQAAAACXBIWXMAABYlAAAWJQFJUiTwAAAJ-2.png" class="aligncenter wp-image-2585" alt="" width="361" height="634" /></p>
<p>Something I realised not too long ago was that you can associate action groups
with workspaces. A workspace is a saved filter of tags and/or a search term,
and an action group is a group of actions - the one above the keyboard row,
and the one in the pop out menu (which can be pinned open on larger devices)
on the right hand side. In the bottom of the settings for the Workspace you
can specify which action groups should be assigned to the keyboard row and the
action pop out - so when you switch workspaces the rest of the app can switch
too.</p>
<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/05/IMG_1621.png" class="aligncenter wp-image-2586" alt="Drafts Workspace Settings Screen" width="382" height="1749" /></p>
<p>Drafts is a very powerful app - so much so that it’s replaced many other apps
for me, I hope you enjoy the episode!</p>
<p><a href="https://relay.fm/automators/23">Automators 23: Diving into Drafts Automation with Tim “The Drafts Man”
Nahumck</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Thanks to our sponsors:</p>
<ul>
<li>
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</li>
<li>
<a href="http://www.lunadisplay.com">Luna Display</a>: The only hardware
solution that turns your iPad into a wireless display for your Mac. Use
promo code AUTOMATORS at checkout for 10% off.
</li>
</ul>Rosemary OrchardI was really excited when Tim Nahumck agreed to come onto Automators to talk about Drafts! In the last year the app has increased in power so much, as well as gaining a Mac app, and now seemed like the perfect time to cover it.MacStock Early Bird Sale Ends Tomorrow!2019-05-05T23:29:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/macstock-early-bird-sale-ends-tomorrow<p>Just a quick reminder that I’m going to be speaking at MacStock in July, and that the early bird sale ends tomorrow! Use the code <strong>rosemary</strong> to get a discount. You can still use the code after tomorrow, but as the price goes up… 😉</p>
<p>My talk is all about <em>Sirifying your iOS life</em>. I’ll be demoing how to use Siri Shortcuts effectively, as well as how to build Shortcuts to give you an effective personal assistant! You can see a full <a href="https://macstockconferenceandexpo.com/schedule/">schedule at the MacStock website</a>.</p>Rosemary OrchardJust a quick reminder that I’m going to be speaking at MacStock in July, and that the early bird sale ends tomorrow! Use the code rosemary to get a discount. You can still use the code after tomorrow, but as the price goes up… 😉MindNode 6 Released2019-04-25T17:39:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/mindnode-6-release<p><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/04/MindNode-AppIcon-macOS.png" alt="MindNode icon" width="153" height="153" /> MindNode 6 is out today, and having been a part of the beta I thought it was high time I shared some of the many ways I use</p>
<p>Lots of things for me start as vague ideas, this often happens in <a href="https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-i-use-drafts-on-iphone-macos-and-apple-watch/">Drafts</a>, but for multi faceted ideas that need exploration - like this blog post, I then move things over to MindNode - specifically I do this using an action which makes use of <a href="https://mindnode.com/support/userguides/ios/automation">MindNode’s URL schemes</a> - you can get the action <a href="https://actions.getdrafts.com/a/1WJ">from the Drafts Action Directory</a>.<br />
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/04/Focus-Mode.png" alt="Focus Mode in MindNode on the Mac" /><br />
I’ve been doing a lot of things at work recently that involve hierarchies - one thing branching into more, which in turn branch into more. I’ve been showing this as we progress throughout a meeting with MindNode, so we start the meeting with the centre point, or main node, and progress from there. This means as people are discussing ideas I can reflect it visually on the whiteboard, and I have a pretty graphic to send them afterwards! The enhanced presentation mode in MindNode 6 has been very helpful for this, letting me show off notes that I’ve made on areas, or even to lock the view while I zoom in on something else and tweak a spelling mistake.<br />
A few features of MindNode 6 have been game changers though - first of all, multi select. You can do this with a finger or an Apple Pencil - and it’s exactly what it sounds like, letting you select multiple nodes. You can then move them all, copy them, or do whatever you want or need to do with them.<br />
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/04/Stickers.png" alt="Searching for stickers in MindNode" width="1011" height="706" /><br />
I also love how you can search for stickers, the team was smart and assigned multiple keywords to each sticker - so searching for “sign” gets me, among other things, the warning sign - as does searching for “warning”!<br />
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/04/Outline-with-Tasks.png" alt="Outline Mode" width="301" height="652" /><br />
Another way I use MindNode is to give me a good overview of projects, the folding and unfolding of nodes comes in handy here, allowing me to zoom in and out as needed. Add to this the new ability to hide connections and I have a great way of looking at everything, or just the key areas - helped by the focus feature which lets me fade out everything else. I love the ability to switch to outline view too - while I tend to prefer visuals, sometimes you just need a list - like when you’ve planned out a packing list! Being able to switch to the outline view also shows me things from a new perspective - which often helps me to fill in gaps in my plans.<br />
It’s hard to describe use cases for MindNode unless you’ve previously used a mind mapping application - but when you need to structure keywords, and text it’s a great place to start.<br />
<a href="https://mindnode.com/news/2019-04-24-mindnode-6-has-arrived">MindNode 6</a> is out now and is a free upgrade for all MindNode 5 users. The Mac app is also part of <a href="https://go.setapp.com/invite/rosemaryjayneorchard">Setapp</a>.</p>Rosemary OrchardMindNode 6 is out today, and having been a part of the beta I thought it was high time I shared some of the many ways I useHow to Change Date and Time Formatting and Preferences on macOS2019-04-18T19:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-change-date-and-time-formatting-and-preferences-on-macos<p>If you’ve ever wanted or needed to change the time and date settings on your Mac this is how you can do it!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-change-date-and-time-formatting-and-preferences-on-macos/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a>.</p>Rosemary OrchardIf you’ve ever wanted or needed to change the time and date settings on your Mac this is how you can do it!CalZones: An iOS App To Help You Plan around Time Zones2019-04-17T20:33:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/calzones-release<p><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2379 alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/04/CalZones-150x150.png" alt="" width="150" height="150" />A lot of things in my life involve working around time zones - David Sparks lives in California, so when organising a time to podcast with him that’s a 9 hour difference, add a podcast guest and unless they’re in the same time as one of us, you have a headache!</p>
<p>For a long time I’ve used <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/klok-time-zone-converter/id965118917?mt=8&uo=4">Klok</a> as my go-to widget for checking what time it is somewhere, and recently I added <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/time-there-imessage-edition/id1308568825?mt=8&uo=4">Time There</a>, an iMessage app, to help me find future times for appointments, meetings, and everything else. This wasn’t a great system though, Time There is really for planning things in the next few days so going beyond that involves a lot of scrolling, and Klok means you need to calculate everything yourself. I use Fantastical as my calendar and that has timezone support too - so you can add an event at 8am San Francisco time and it shows up at 5pm Vienna time, but this works <em>after</em> you’ve planned the event, still leaving you with the task of figuring out the when which is the most difficult part.<br />
Enter <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calzones/id1451728473?mt=8&uo=4">CalZones</a> - by David Smith, maker of <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sleep/id1038440371?mt=8">Sleep++</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/workouts/id1182551958?mt=8">Workouts++</a> and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/activity/id1089666978?mt=8">Activity++</a>. He is familiar with the problem I and many others face - and decided to make the app for us! CalZones starts by giving me a month overview of my calendar, I tend not to have too many appointments in one day, and the coloured dots below each date indicate how many events I have and which calendar they are on.<br />
In the app settings, you can configure your timezones and for each time zone, you can give it a custom name and an abbreviation. This means that I can call SoCal time “David”, but central time “Stephen” so I can skip that mental overhead of remembering who is in which timezone. These timezones then show up as a vertical scroller when creating and editing events, letting me see the time selected for all of my favourite timezones. These timezones also show up in the widget, with your preferred names, giving you a quick reference as to what time it is where - or in my case, for whom! The expanded widget shows you these in a linear fashion, and tapping on a time in the future jumps you straight to the event creation page for that time.<br />
Along with specifying your time zones you can also control which calendars you see, your preferred theme and icon, work day times, week start, and how event times should be displayed. The latter is very useful allowing you to see that the event you’re looking at starts at 7pm local time, but 10am in the organisers time.<br />
The daily calendar view is where your chosen colour theme comes into play. It highlights working hours (set in your preferences), then non-working hours before midnight, and then the hours after midnight until the working day starts - in three colours. This lets you see how hospitable the time is to your fellow participants, and helps you avoid scheduling something at 3am instead of 3pm by accident.<br />
In the few weeks I’ve been using this app it’s been indispensable - and it earned a spot on my home screen within just a few hours. For people who never deal with timezones, this app might not be for you, but it’s a solid app and those of us who need something like this are very grateful for its existence!<br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calzones/id1451728473?mt=8&uo=4">CalZones</a> is available on the App Store today for $4.99.<br />
You can find out more on <a href="https://david-smith.org/blog/2019/04/17/introducing-calzones-a-timezone-savvy-calendar/">David Smith’s blog</a>.</p>Rosemary OrchardA lot of things in my life involve working around time zones - David Sparks lives in California, so when organising a time to podcast with him that’s a 9 hour difference, add a podcast guest and unless they’re in the same time as one of us, you have a headache!How I Use Drafts on iPhone, macOS, and Apple Watch2019-04-17T19:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-i-use-drafts-on-iphone-macos-and-apple-watch<p>Lots of people ask me how and why I use Drafts, and the answer, in a nutshell, is I use it for almost everything because it works very well for me. Over on The Sweet Setup I went into detail on how I use Drafts on the Mac.</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-i-use-drafts-on-iphone-macos-and-apple-watch/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a>.</p>Rosemary OrchardLots of people ask me how and why I use Drafts, and the answer, in a nutshell, is I use it for almost everything because it works very well for me. Over on The Sweet Setup I went into detail on how I use Drafts on the Mac.Automators 21: Invoicing, Writing, and Regular Expressions with Dr. Drang2019-04-12T18:45:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-21-dr-drang<p>In episode 21 of Automators, David and I were joined by the lovely Dr Drang!
You may have heard him on a few other podcasts, including Mac Power Users.</p>
<p>We dug into getting started with HyperCard and HyperTalk - back when those
were available, these were created by Bill Atkinson - and there’s a
<a href="https://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?story=Negative_2000_Lines_Of_Code.txt">story about him having to submit the number of lines of code he wrote</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>when he was working on QuickDraw that made me smile!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Nowadays Dr Drang mostly using Python to program his automations - with a dose
of AppleScript and Keyboard Maestro to get certain information.</p>
<p>Regular Expressions are something we talked about in depth, they’re hard to
explain - let alone on a podcast, but as David said - they’re essentially a
special language for searching. One thing I forgot to say on the podcast was
that regular expressions can and do vary between languages - but the basic
rules stay the same which makes things easier! If you want to get started with
Regular Expressions then <a href="https://regex101.com/">Regex 101</a> is a
pretty good place to get started - you can input plenty of sample text and it
highlights what you’ve matched as you go, as well as explaining your
expressions and having the quick expressions area in the bottom right-hand
corner.</p>
<p>Another thing we talked about are things you don’t necessarily want to
complete to automate - such as sending invoice emails or creating the harsher
reminder email to pay an overdue invoice. This is something well worth keeping
in mind when creating automations - even if you can automate it the whole way
through, it’s good to have some human intervention in some areas. And in some
places, you can’t automate things - such as adding a repeat to a reminder, so
you need to step in and do something.</p>
<p>Local weather is something lots of people want! And while Weather Underground
has shut down you can still use Dark Sky’s API if you want to program your own
solution, and for an “out of the box” solution you could use Netatmo and
Carrot weather - I do both of these!</p>
<p>Drafts is one of my favourite applications ever and it was great to hear Drang
break down his blogging workflow and how it makes use of the great automation
features available to us in the app. The
<a href="https://actions.getdrafts.com/">Drafts Action Directory</a> is an
excellent resource and all of the actions there can be installed whether or
not you’re a pro user of the app.</p>
<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/04/IMG_1299-151x300.jpeg" class="aligncenter" alt="Handling missing input in Shortcuts" /></p>
<p>One tip I talked about in regards to Shortcuts is checking if input is present</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>and I have a fairly standard setup I use to handle this:</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Count Items</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>If equals zero</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Get photos/files - depending on what you want</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Else: get the input provided to the shortcut.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>This means that when I run my shortcuts from the widget screen, Drafts, Launch
Center Pro, or directly within Shortcuts, I don’t get confused when it doesn’t
work.</p>
<p>It was excellent to have Dr. Drang on the show, and I hope you enjoy the
episode!<br />
Thank you to Luna Display and TextExpander for sponsoring this episode.</p>
<p><a href="https://relay.fm/automators/21">Listen to Automators 21: Invoicing, Writing, and Regular Expressions with
Dr. Drang</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn episode 21 of Automators, David and I were joined by the lovely Dr Drang! You may have heard him on a few other podcasts, including Mac Power Users.Review: Anker USB C to Lightning Cable2019-04-12T09:21:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/anker-lightning-usb-c-cable-review<p><img class="wp-image-2273 aligncenter u-featured" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/04/IMG_1290-2.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="347" />Anker recently released a USB C to lightning cable, and while
there are dozens of USB A to lightning cables out there, USB C cables which
are approved for iPhone are new.</p>
<p>My first impression after opening the Anker box is that this cable is thick,
when compared side by side with an Apple cable it isn’t that much thicker
though - just enough to give one a feeling of solidity, I plan to keep this
cable in my on the go cable bag and am confident it won’t be as susceptible to
the kinks that inevitably happen with thinner cables. As with all Anker
cables, it comes with a nice cable tidy on the cable - as these attach to the
cable with a mini loop they don’t go missing easily, and that means that with
my always on the go everywhere lifestyle my cables are more likely to stay
wrangled.</p>
<p><img class="wp-image-2272 aligncenter" src="/assets/2019/04/IMG_1284-2.jpg" alt="" width="382" height="382" /></p>
<p>The cable works like you would expect it to work, I plugged the USB C end into
my MacBook Air charger, and the other into my iPhone Xs Max with the battery
pack attached, I did not try to measure the speed scientifically, but it felt
like it charged just as fast as the Apple USB C cable which is what is most
important for me! I also used it this morning to pair my Magic Keyboard to my
MacBook Air - and as expected, it worked fine!</p>
<p><img class="wp-image-2274 aligncenter" src="/assets/2019/04/IMG_9026.jpg" alt="" width="271" height="362" /></p>
<p>What I do like about this cable is the rounded corners and moulding where the
connectors connect to the cable - these are less likely to snag on things, and
combined with the thicker casing on the cable itself also increases its
lifetime for people who bend their cables near the connectors. We all know
someone who abuses cables and probably internally wince when they do so to
ours!</p>
<p>Anker’s Lightning to USB C cable is definitely well made, and with it being
cheaper than the Apple version I’d wholeheartedly recommend it instead if
you’re in the market for a cable that can connect your Mac to your iPhone,
AirPods, or new iPad (aside from the latest Pro models) directly.<br />
Thanks to Anker for sending me this cable to review!</p>Rosemary OrchardAnker recently released a USB C to lightning cable, and while there are dozens of USB A to lightning cables out there, USB C cables which are approved for iPhone are new.How to Set Up and Use Hot Corners on macOS2019-04-11T17:18:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-set-up-and-use-hot-corners-on-macos<p>The hot corners on my Mac are something I use all the time without thinking about it, how are yours configured?</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-set-up-and-use-hot-corners-on-macos/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardThe hot corners on my Mac are something I use all the time without thinking about it, how are yours configured?How to Change Your Lock Screen Information on macOS2019-04-08T17:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-change-your-lock-screen-information-on-macos<p>If you lost your Mac, would someone know how to return it to you? Of course, you could put a sticker on the outside of it, but you can put a message on the login screen too!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-change-your-lock-screen-information-on-macos/">Read how do to it on The Sweet Setup.</a></p>Rosemary OrchardIf you lost your Mac, would someone know how to return it to you? Of course, you could put a sticker on the outside of it, but you can put a message on the login screen too!Supercomputer 27: Into the Weeds2019-04-04T18:52:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/supercomputer-27-into-the-weeds<p>This week I got to join Alex Cox and Matthew Cassinelli on Supercomputer where we got into the weeds of automation, especially on how I use Drafts. We also looked at using AirTable and Zapier and some of the many possibilities available to us with these amazing tools.</p>
<p>Check it out: <a href="http://supercomputer.fm/27">Supercomputer 27.</a></p>Rosemary OrchardThis week I got to join Alex Cox and Matthew Cassinelli on Supercomputer where we got into the weeds of automation, especially on how I use Drafts. We also looked at using AirTable and Zapier and some of the many possibilities available to us with these amazing tools.Upcoming Event: MacStock July 20192019-04-01T20:22:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/macstock-2019-announce<p><img class="size-medium wp-image-2136 aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/04/macstock-2019-300x100.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="100" /></p>
<p>I’m very pleased to announce that this year I’ll be attending and speaking at <a href="https://macstockconferenceandexpo.com/">MacStock</a>! It’s my first time for both - but I’ve heard such great things about the conference that I can’t wait to join everyone there for a weekend of fun and nerdery. If you want to come to the event you can use the code <code>rosemary</code> to get a discount on your ticket - while the early bird sale is running this means your ticket will be just $169.<br />
Stay tuned for more details as they’re announced, and I hope to see you July 27th and 28th in Woodstock!</p>Rosemary OrchardEvent: Automators Meet Up at WWDC2019-03-31T21:16:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/upcoming-event-automators-meetup-at-wwdc<p>As well as a meet up <em>before</em> WWDC in
<a href="https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-meetup-orange-county-2019/">Orange County</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>, David and I are hosting a meetup at WWDC - Tuesday lunchtime to be
specific! We don’t have the precise location nailed down yet (we’d like to
meet outside) so make sure to keep an eye out for updates on this event! As
well as David and myself, Alex Cox and Matthew Cassinelli of
<a href="http://supercomputer.fm">Supercomputer</a>, and Simon Støvring
developer of Scriptable will be there! If you’re around we’d love to meet you
and say hello.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You can sign up for a free ticket on
<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/automators-wwdc-meetup-tickets-59398376142">Eventbrite</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. Make sure to keep an eye out for emails from them to confirm your ticket
and with updates we send out.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardAs well as a meet up before WWDC in Orange County</a , David and I are hosting a meetup at WWDC - Tuesday lunchtime to be specific! We don’t have the precise location nailed down yet (we’d like to meet outside) so make sure to keep an eye out for updates on this event! As well as David and myself, Alex Cox and Matthew Cassinelli of Supercomputer, and Simon Støvring developer of Scriptable will be there! If you’re around we’d love to meet you and say hello.Event: Automators Meet Up Orange County2019-03-31T20:42:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-meetup-orange-county-2019<p>David and I are hosting a meet up in Orange County, California before we head
up to WWDC - the exact date, time, and location are yet to be determined, but
it will be on either Friday May 31st, or Saturday June 1st. We hope to see
many people there!</p>
<p>You can sign up for a free ticket on
<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/automators-orange-county-meetup-tickets-59398172533">Eventbrite</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. Once you’ve done so make sure to keep an eye out for emails from Eventbrite
to confirm your ticket and for the precise details!</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardDavid and I are hosting a meet up in Orange County, California before we head up to WWDC - the exact date, time, and location are yet to be determined, but it will be on either Friday May 31st, or Saturday June 1st. We hope to see many people there!Automators 20: Mad Science Automation with Brett Terpstra2019-03-30T10:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-20-mad-science-automation-with-brett-terpstra<p>In episode 20 of Automators we were joined by the wonderful Brett Terpstra,
and dove deep into how he got started with automation. I was personally
fascinated by the
<a href="https://talk.automators.fm/t/automators-20-mad-science-automation-with-brett-terpstra/4405/4?u=rosemaryorchard">extra keyboards</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>and the <a href="https://www.leapmotion.com/">Leap Motion</a> he uses to
control his Mac.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Listen to <a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/20">episode 20</a> and you
can send us
<a href="https://talk.automators.fm/t/automators-20-mad-science-automation-with-brett-terpstra/4405?u=rosemaryorchard">feedback in the forums</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>!</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn episode 20 of Automators we were joined by the wonderful Brett Terpstra, and dove deep into how he got started with automation. I was personally fascinated by the extra keyboards</a and the Leap Motion he uses to control his Mac.Drafts for Mac is Out!2019-03-26T19:36:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/drafts-for-mac-is-out<p>Drafts is one of my most frequently used applications on iOS and I’m honoured to have been one of the beta testers for the Mac version. If you’re interested in my thoughts then I wrote a whole review over on <a href="https://www.macstories.net/reviews/drafts-5-mac/">MacStories</a>.</p>Rosemary OrchardDrafts is one of my most frequently used applications on iOS and I’m honoured to have been one of the beta testers for the Mac version. If you’re interested in my thoughts then I wrote a whole review over on MacStories.Automators 19: Shortcuts Updates2019-03-15T20:30:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-19-shortcuts-updates<p>In episode 19 of Automators David and I dive into recent updates to Shortcuts.</p>
<p>David has recently updated his
<a href="https://learn.macsparky.com/p/siri?affcode=256645_0ohxw3fs">Siri Shortcuts Field Guide</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>, and if you listen to the podcast there’s a discount code you can use to get
a $10 discount - he’s added a lot of videos which are great!<br />
https://youtu.be/Hlw0f_yRKRM</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In the episode I talked about my backup and restore setup for Shortcuts - the
thing that saved me when I “lost” hundreds of Shortcuts! First of all, you can
find out how many shortcuts you have with this Shortcut:
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/2f04240d256b49c780d77530df9df9ec">Count & List Shortcuts</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. It explicitly ignores any untitled shortcuts - as those are ones which I
created once to use and haven’t got around to deleting. The next step is to<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/7a18de96f9a84dbdae40d24b19720801">Backup Shortcuts</a</a></p>
<ul>
<li>I chose to do this as an archive, because it simplifies the process in the
next shortcut -
<a href=”https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/be7ca75a462748388f70ad10c07957d0”
<blockquote>
<p>Install Missing Shortcut</a
. Even if you aren’t having problems with your Shortcuts it never hurts to
back them up, this way if you like me get stuck in a corner due to betas then
you can uninstall and reinstall with no qualms.<br />
https://youtu.be/zWs6EiPTwwo</p>
</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>When we were talking about the 2.2 update and what it will bring to Notes, I
mentioned you could use a shortcut to handle the possibility of multiple notes</p>
<ul>
<li>in fact you can use one Shortcut to handle this possibility with anything.
<a href=”https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/f2f0cac55a094588806c668b7f63402e”
<blockquote>
<p>Handle Multiple</a</p>
<p>is a mini shortcut which lets you handle possible multiple inputs - if it just
has one, be that a note, file, contact, or indeed anything, it returns it,
otherwise it lets you choose and returns the chosen item. It’s quite clever
that you can provide input to a shortcut without it needing to be able to
accept it - this keeps it out of your share sheet. To set this up though I did
enable that to use the magic variables for Shortcut Input, and then I turned
it off again.</p>
</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/19">Automators Episode 19: Shortcuts Updates</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn episode 19 of Automators David and I dive into recent updates to Shortcuts.My Wishes for iOS 132019-03-12T09:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/my-wishes-for-ios-13<p>Apparently it’s the season where everyone speculates on what might be coming at WWDC, while I’m personally hoping for new iMacs on the hardware front, there’s a few things that I could see benefitting us on the software front, so just in case Craig’s reading - I’ve been on my best behaviour this year ;).</p>
<p>I should note that these are in no particular order, other than that it seemed logical at the time and in many cases this was the order things occurred to me.</p>
<h3>Picture In Picture</h3>
<p>I love Picture in Picture. More often than not on a plane you’ll see me using my iPad in split screen with Drafts and DevonThink or Dash on the other side of my screen, and picture in picture moving from corner to corner. The problem is I have to keep moving the picture so I can see the information I’m looking for. I would love it if it could take the bottom third of the screen when doing the big small app split, or a bottom quarter when doing a 50/50 split.</p>
<h3>Better Downtime Controls</h3>
<p>I love Downtime, but it’s turned off on my devices most of the time. This is because I have an irregular schedule - sometimes I get up at 3am to record Podcasts, and other times it’s just very early for flights (it doesn’t handle timezone changes too well either). I would love to be able to set multiple downtime modes, and assign them to different times of the day (layering on top of one another) - ban myself from accessing my work apps after work, and disable it for one day when I need to. I’d also love to be able to control it via the control center, Siri, and Shortcuts - turning on one of my Downtime modes. You can already customise which days you enable it on and for which times on those days - this is an excellent start, let’s take it up a notch.</p>
<h3>More multi tasking</h3>
<h4>3 Apps at Once</h4>
<p>I would love to be able to see 3 apps at once properly, now I don’t always need this - but for people with a 12.9” iPad I can see this coming in handy, being able to see a PDF and Safari for reference, plus the document you’re writing. This might never make it to any other devices, and I could live with that (despite having a 11” iPad Pro), but this would be great for those the times when you need it.</p>
<h4>Two versions of the same app</h4>
<p>Word is an application I don’t particularly enjoy using, but I get a fair number of documents in Word format, trying to compare those, or reference one and edit the other is an exercise in frustration. More and more apps are building their own version of split view, but if iOS could offer the framework to open multiple instances of the app at once, that would be a great help - sliding one over the other with slideover would be very useful. I presume iOS would prevent users from opening two instances of one document.</p>
<h2>Shortcuts Updates</h2>
<p>Now we’ve had Shortcuts for a good amount of time and I’ve had a good chance to play with it, there are still a few things I would wish for. These are mostly related to making things more Siriable - so I wouldn’t need to interact with the device physically after having triggered a shortcut via Siri.</p>
<h3>Ask for Input</h3>
<p>Ask for Input is a really powerful action, if this could be transformed into Siri reading the hint/question, and dictation working as the response that would be extremely useful - I would only expect this to happen when the Shortcut was run through Siri, and the dictation would have to figure out how to stop itself (perhaps just use the standard dictation action which ends on a pause/after a not too long a period of time?) - but this would allow many automations to become hands and eyes free. The problem with current approach is you must decide if you will run this shortcut via voice, or directly from Shortcuts/the widget and prefer to type. It would be very useful if this could be dynamic.</p>
<h3>Full Screen Text Action</h3>
<p>There are times when we use the Text action for much more than it was intended, and this can mean that we have virtual novels in there. The problem with the text box is that it never adapts to the contents, so you are limited to the few lines and whatever the width of your device allows. I would love to see a feature where if you tap into a text box it expands to fill the screen allowing you to edit to your heart’s content.</p>
<h3>Choose from Menus & Lists through Voice</h3>
<p>Everyone has been stuck in a phone tree at some point in their life, “Press 1 to talk to sales, press 2 to request a statement, press 3 if you hope to talk to a person sometime today” (no offence to sales, but they always seem to have about 500 more levels of phone tree inside of their options!). This isn’t perfect, but it’s familiar and it works. This goes back to running a Shortcut via Siri though, if there’s a menu or a list you have to tap to pick an option - being able to do that via voice in some way or another would be amazing. Being able to choose one of a number of options through voice would make running many of my existing shortcuts through Siri easier - and I would run them more on my HomePod.</p>
<h3>Unset Variables</h3>
<p>Sometimes you just need variables for a short amount of time. Magic variables are fabulous - but not always what you want (and especially if you’re restructuring things you had already made without magic variables - though that’s becoming less and less of an issue with time, you might not have used them). What I would like is an additional action to unset a variable - so after that is done it no longer shows up in the list of variables, and no longer has any content. This would mostly make life easier when reworking longer automations, and for people not used to Shortcuts yet. It would also let you immediately see below that action where the Variable has been used - assuming it turns red like magic variables do when you delete the action that creates them.</p>
<h3>Define Your Own Function</h3>
<p>You can run a Shortcut inside a Shortcut, which is then just like a function. I now have numerous Shortcuts in my library which are only ever run as a function - I would love to see the option to mark these as such, so they never show up in my share sheet, and perhaps allow me to filter quickly for these when I’m editing a “Run Shortcut” action.</p>
<h3>Organisation</h3>
<p>Speaking of filtering - please for the love of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=289v_gKJjWU">Clarus</a>, let us organise our Shortcuts in some manner. Folders, tags, at this stage I don’t really care (probably folders, considering the poor treatment tags get in Files on iOS), but let me group and organise Shortcuts in a manner logical to me.</p>
<h3>Mac Version</h3>
<p>This is probably a way off, but if we could get Shortcuts on the Mac then I think a lot of people would be <em>very</em> excited. URL Schemes are already supported, and just the ability to edit these things on yet another one of your devices would be much appreciated. Automator’s limitations from the built in actions really show in comparison to Shortcuts, (e.g. the add Calendar Event action in Automator only lets you hard code dates/times natively, whereas Shortcuts allows you to type “next Tuesday at 9am” and will calculate the date for you).</p>
<h3>More System Controls</h3>
<p>There are many things people would love to control through Shortcuts, from VPN to which Airplay device music should play to. These would deepen the amazing integration that’s already there and I can’t see anyone being upset that you can control a VPN when you can already control the Wifi.</p>
<p> ### Allow Donation of More Powerful Actions</p>
<p>iOS 12 made an impressive start by allowing app developers to donate (that’s really the term) Shortcuts to Siri, I hope to see iOS 13 take this up a notch.</p>
<h4>Accept Input and Return Output</h4>
<p>If the donated Shortcuts could accept input and return output instead of requiring us to work around things with the clipboard this would both make things more flexible for us as users, and preserve our clipboards too.</p>
<h4>Editable Actions</h4>
<p>Donated actions are “finished” items right now - you can’t edit them, this is fine if there is an equivalent way to create this action yourself, but what I’m personally finding is that a donated action is a great one, but I would like to use it as the base for something else quite often. Being able to specify which OmniFocus Perspective I’d like to open by typing the name, or choosing from a list would be a boon, and hopefully would also clear up some of the <code>Send a message to Mum "I'm running 5 minutes late"</code> littering my action list right now.</p>
<h4>Shortcuts App Store</h4>
<p>We have stickers, why not shortcuts? This would be a way for Apple to extend the gallery, whilst also giving people a vetted source of Shortcuts (assuming there is a Shortcuts review). I would think this would require some way to hide the actions in a Shortcut - perhaps a “Run Only” mode for these. I’m sure that the MacStories collection would become available in short order, and I would be happy to make Shortcuts and put them on the Shortcuts store too.</p>
<h4>iMessage Shortcuts</h4>
<p>iMessage apps may not have been as popular as Apple envisioned, but letting us program our own Shortcuts to use in iMessage with just a tap would make life easier for everything from sharing availability to rick rolling your friends.</p>
<h3>watchOS</h3>
<p>This is stolen from Twitter, but I would love to see this grid based dock in the next version of watchOS.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another major element I’d love is a grid-based dock. I was not a fan of the watchOS 4 update to this page and this would make me a lot happier. <a href="https://t.co/OuErrNcyJO">pic.twitter.com/OuErrNcyJO</a>
— Matt Birchler (@mattbirchler) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattbirchler/status/1102244844418805760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2019</a> </blockquote>
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</p></blockquote>Rosemary OrchardApparently it’s the season where everyone speculates on what might be coming at WWDC, while I’m personally hoping for new iMacs on the hardware front, there’s a few things that I could see benefitting us on the software front, so just in case Craig’s reading - I’ve been on my best behaviour this year ;).Automators 18: Terminal Automation with John Siracusa2019-03-02T08:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-18-terminal-automation-with-john-siracusa<p>On episode 18 of Automators David and I interviewed John Siracusa, web
developer, Perl fan, and former reviewer of Mac OS X (as it was then) for Ars
Technica. John was a wonderful guest on the show - we talked about what
automation he does, and doesn’t do - as well as the how and the why! Like many
of our listeners John is very much a Mac first user - I hope you enjoy the
show!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/18">Episode 18: Terminal Automation with John Siracusa</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardOn episode 18 of Automators David and I interviewed John Siracusa, web developer, Perl fan, and former reviewer of Mac OS X (as it was then) for Ars Technica. John was a wonderful guest on the show - we talked about what automation he does, and doesn’t do - as well as the how and the why! Like many of our listeners John is very much a Mac first user - I hope you enjoy the show!Automators 17: Live at PodCon2019-02-15T17:15:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-17-live-at-podcon<p>Episode 17 of Automators comes to you live from PodCon!</p>
<h4>TripIt - Automated Trip Itinerary</h4>
<p><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/02/tripit-itinerary.png" width="257" height="510" />I personally use TripIt to create my itineraries - it actually automates
everything for me. I could let it read my email inbox and auto create
itineraries, but I prefer to choose which emails to forward to it. As I
mentioned on the show I also have a filter in Gmail that marks and read and
deletes all of the “Your TripIt Itinerary was imported” emails - I only need
to do something if it didn’t work after all.</p>
<h4>Bear Notes for Trips</h4>
<p>David rolls his own travel schedule system - with Bear. The advantage of Bear
is you can easily add attachments and text to a document, meaning everything
is in the same place. You can even use a nice Shortcut to allow you to append
a document or text to a specific Bear note:
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/c99cab3bf76b4121bda45fb5e1a471f2">Append to Bear</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<h4>Zapier Turning New Trips into OmniFocus Projects</h4>
<p>This is an automation I mentioned that is a little hacky, but it works well
for me. TripIt creates a calendar, or you can use any of your own calendars
for this if you don’t want to use TripIt - you just need to get that calendar
into Google Calendar. What we do is we watch this calendar for new events,
then we filter - continuing if the length of the event is more than 23 hours.
Then I use the text action to write up the TaskPaper I want to be added to
OmniFocus, and URL encode it. The final step is to add a task to OmniFocus -
this is accomplished via the MailDrop, and it has a URL scheme which looks
something like
<code>omnifocus:///paste?target=/folder/Travel&content=
-%202019/09%20-%20Amsterdam%0A%09-%20Organise%20Travel</code</code></p>
<blockquote>
<p>in the body - so when this task arrives in my inbox and I process it, I just
tap on the URL to add the project. You can even run a Shortcut via a URL
scheme (which I usually do!). The Zapier steps are:</p>
</blockquote>
<ol>
<li>
New Event
<ul>
<li>Watch the specific calendar in Google Calendar</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Only Continue If
<ul>
<li>
<code>Duration (hours)</code> <code>Greater than</code> <code>23</code>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Text (Formatter)
<ul>
<li>
I typed my TaskPaper in here, and URL encoded it, if you already have
the URL encoded text, or another URL you want to appear in the body of
the task ready you can skip this step.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
Create Task
<ul>
<li>
The title is "Set up project for trip _Event Name_", which I also
include in the Text action above. The body is the URL I will tap on when
I process the task.
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<p>This series of steps is a pretty solid way to add projects and tasks to
OmniFocus based on other events happening, I use it for lots of automations.</p>
<h4>Rose's Packing List Shortcut</h4>
<p>https://youtu.be/4gJfgDKWH8k</p>
<p>I use a modular approach to create my packing list - along with an extra list
of devices to charge! While I save this to OmniFocus you could easily modify
this to work in any task management system, or just to create a PDF to print
if that’s what you prefer to do.</p>
<h4>Naming Documents with Scanner Pro</h4>
<p><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/02/scanner-pro-workflow.png" width="186" height="369" /></p>
<p>Scanner Pro is an app David and I both use to scan documents on the go - as
well as when we’re on the road. It has built-in OCR, and Workflows which allow
you to chain multiple actions together. Most of the time I use a Workflow
called “Simple Scan” which formats the name to
<em>Scan <code>Year</code>-<code>Month</code>-<code>Day</code>,
<code>Time</code></em</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>and saves the document as a PDF to Dropbox. I usually save to a specific
folder in Dropbox which Hazel then watches and automatically files certain
things or me.</p>
</blockquote>
<h4>Airmail Custom Actions for a Trip</h4>
<p>Airmail is a mail app for power users, especially with its custom actions. I
have a custom action which forwards the email to TripIt and then moves it to
my Gmail account’s Travel tag, this allows me to find all my travel email
quickly if I need it, and gets it into TripIt without me needing to remember
to forward it as well.</p>
<h4>Quickly Add Travel to your Calendar with Shortcuts</h4>
<p>This Shortcut isn’t really generic, but hopefully, it will inspire some of
you. To get to the airport I take a tram and then a train (at least most of
the time). The tram normally takes 11 minutes to get to the train station, and
then the train should take 16 minutes to get to the airport. While I could use
the public transit API to get all of the information to figure out my route to
the airport I prefer to look at the available times in the app and choose
which one I would prefer to take - before adding this to my calendar. This
Shortcut asks me for the departure and arrival time for each mode of transport
(and automatically suggests the arrival time based on the departure time)
allowing me to just input 2 dates and times most of the time. You can grab it
here:
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/26bc7c0e410e4e8baa5c68227a6486e9">Airport Travel</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If you haven’t already listened, make sure to check out
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/17">episode 17: Live at PodCon</a>!<br />
<strong>Chapters:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>00:54: Automating Travel</li>
<li>01:04: TripIt</li>
<li>01:57: David's Homegrown TripIt</li>
<li>03:57: TripIt to OmniFocus Project</li>
<li>04:51: Packing Lists</li>
<li>06:11: Rose's Packing Shortcut</li>
<li>08:55: Scanning on the road</li>
<li>11:21: Project Templates for Travel</li>
<li>11:34: Airmail Travel Action</li>
<li>12:21: Dealing with Email on the Road</li>
<li>14:47: Rose's Travel Task Management</li>
<li>16:22: Noise Cancelling Headphones</li>
<li>17:06: "Here I Am"</li>
<li>19:38: Sponsor: Express VPN</li>
<li>21:44: Welcome Back from Seattle</li>
<li>23:59: Feedback Time</li>
<li>24:25: Forums</li>
<li>25:21: iBeacons</li>
<li>28:11: David tries to convince Rose to be Jane Bond</li>
<li>30:15: Filing Feedback</li>
<li>35:57: Creating a Contract</li>
<li>36:43: List all the applications on your Mac</li>
<li>38:39: Launch Center Pro NFC Stickers</li>
<li>39:56: David's Break from Time Tracking</li>
<li>41:43: Chapter 25</li>
<li>42:18: Our Favourite Feedback</li>
</ul>
<p>Thank you to our sponsor this week: Express VPN.</p>Rosemary OrchardEpisode 17 of Automators comes to you live from PodCon!Automators 16: Myke Hurley2019-02-01T22:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-16-myke-hurley<p>In episode 16 of Automators we got to interview Myke Hurley, co-founder of
Relay FM! Myke told us about how he uses automation - check out the episode to
learn more!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/16">Episode 16: Myke Hurley</a></p>Rosemary OrchardIn episode 16 of Automators we got to interview Myke Hurley, co-founder of Relay FM! Myke told us about how he uses automation - check out the episode to learn more!Automators 15: Automate Your Time Tracking2019-01-18T18:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-15-automate-your-time-tracking<p>Episode 15 of Automators has arrived - and with it our secrets for automating
time tracking.</p>
<p>Time tracking is something some people are required to do, some people ought
to do, and something everyone should try at least once just so you can see
where all your time is going and how many of those “it will just take 2
minute” tasks really take 45 minutes.</p>
<p>David and Mike Schmitz talked about how to figure out what you shouldn’t be
doing in
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/focused/53">episode 53 of Focused (formerly Free Agents)</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>, and that’s one of the things I’ve kept an eye on through my time tracking -
things that are taking a lot of my time, that I don’t truly enjoy doing or
that I know aren’t beneficial to me.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>My Oversleeping Tracker</h2>
<p>Now, depending on the day of the week, this should perhaps more accurately be
called my “lazing in bed” tracker, I title it oversleeping by default - you
could call it whatever you like. This is is a solid example of a tracker which
should automatically start at a specific time.</p>
<p>To make it I kept things simple - the trigger is the schedule action, set for
6am in my case. I have set it not to run on Saturdays and Sundays. Then the
actions are as follows: Toggl, start a time entry (not create!) - I set the
workspace, project (called Personal), and add a description of “Oversleeping”.
The final action is to send myself a Pushbullet link notification. I
misremembered during the episode but I am actually triggering a Shortcut, the
link is simply <code>shortcuts://run-shortcut?name=Stop%20Toggl</code> (you
can download the Shortcut
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/dfacc8698cdd45a59929ae8768555581">here</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>, you’ll need to have the Toggl app installed for it to work), and the title
is actually the description of the Toggl timer - so if I change what I put in
the description later I don’t need to remember to update the notification
name. If you’re on the free version of Toggl then you’ll have to skip the
notification part.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That’s it! When the Zap runs it starts the timer, and sends me a notification</p>
<ul>
<li>and when I open that notification it opens Shortcuts, which stops the timer.
You could have it open the Toggl web page instead - or any number of things if
you wanted to do so. (You could also run a different Shortcut, one which
starts playing your morning playlist, tells you what events are on your
calendar, etc., as well as stopping the timer.)</li>
</ul>
<h2>My Zapier Stop Timer Automation</h2>
<p>This one does the opposite of the above - it stops a currently running timer
at 10pm. The trick with this is you will need to use the Toggl API, and as
such you’ll need a premium Zapier plan to do this (you could use Microsoft
Flow if you’re comfortable doing the whole thing via APIs though, and that’s
free!). So, how does it work?</p>
<ol>
<li>
Every day at 10pm is the schedule which triggers this, I have it run on
weekends too.
</li>
<li>
GET - I make a call to the Toggl API. I call the URL
<code>https://www.toggl.com/api/v8/time_entries/current</code>, and make
sure to fill out the Basic Auth field with <code>email|password</code>.
</li>
<li>
Only continue if: the data returned by Toggl has a negative duration if the
timer is still running, so if it's less than zero I continue.
</li>
<li>Stop Time Entry - using the ID captured from the GET in step 2.</li>
<li>
Send a link via PushBullet. This opens the alternative Toggl app I'm beta
testing so I can just continue the timer if necessary.
</li>
</ol>
<p><img class="alignnone size-medium" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2019/01/stop-timer-zapier.png" width="1750" height="7008" /></p>
<p>A note: while I am doing some of my Toggl automations through IFTTT that is
via their Maker service and the API, it doesn’t have direct integration with
Toggl itself.<br />
https://youtu.be/9sm5gxFOaMo</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/15">Automators Episode 15: Automated Time Tracking</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>A big thanks to our sponsors for this episode:</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.expressvpn.com/automators">ExpressVPN</a>: High-Speed,
Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get 3 months free with a 1-year package.
</li>
</ul>Rosemary OrchardEpisode 15 of Automators has arrived - and with it our secrets for automating time tracking.Review: Satechi 75W Dual Type-C PD Travel Charger2019-01-18T10:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/review-satechi-75w-dual-type-c-pd-travel-charger<p>Everything is changing to USB C - great! But also, eek. That means it’s time for new chargers. Now, I’ll grant you, I’m a nerd and I love shopping for new chargers! But trying to find one I want, that charges the devices I want, which can be shipped to me (Austria uses Amazon Germany, and as many residents of Austria are aware, lots of things “Cannot be shipped to Austria” - for reasons unknown) is actually not that fun after 3 hours of trying to figure it all out.</p>
<p>My primary search criteria over the last few months has been “more than one USB C port”, this has been a challenge, to say the least. One of the things I decided I was willing to capitulate on early on was that it should also be able to charge my MacBook Pro. I love my 15” device, but in hindsight maybe I should have gone 13” - as then it just needs 60W of power. But as a friend said not long ago, when does the 15” really need 87W of power? For intensive things yes, but for writing scripts, blog posts, even running MAMP as my virtual server? Not so much.<br />
Then CES happened. As always, there were lots of shinies - some of which are weird and probably won’t be seen or heard from again. However, there were also the “ready to ship” things, including a new charger from Satechi.<br />
This charger is the success to my previous Anker 5 port charger - one of those ports being a USB C PD port. The Satechi though, has 2 USB C ports, one 60W, one 18W (handily noted in very small font below the ports), and 2 USB A ports. So technically I’m losing a port - but as I always take a small single USB A port device with me for use in the airport I can manage if I really need 5 ports at once.<br />
I’ve been putting the charger through its paces since I got it on Tuesday, and I’m impressed.<br />
I’ve been using the 60W port for my MacBook Pro, it works, it’s a little slower than the 87W when the device is in use - but I can live with that. The 18W has been used for my iPad Pro and Nintendo Switch, it works great - they both charge quickly with no issues. The other two ports have an Apple Watch cable plugged in, and an Anker 3 in 1 cable (Micro USB, Lightning, USB C), the latter for charging my iPhone, AirPods, Bose headphones, and also for powering my <a href="https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/my-raspberry-pi-zero-w-portable-development-server">Raspberry Pi Zero Portable development server</a>.<br />
Usually, chargers get warm when using them, it’s currently charging my MBP (which is asleep), this iPad which I’m writing the blog post on, my Apple Watch and my iPhone XS Max. If I touch the charger it’s slightly warm, that’s it. When I was using my MacBook Pro earlier today and charging my Bose headphones, and Nintendo Switch it got a little warmer, but still pleasant to touch.<br />
One of the reasons why I wanted this charger is it takes a standard figure of 8 cable, and it’s 110V-240V. That means I can just swap the cable and use it at home in Europe, as well as here in the US (it wasn’t available for purchase in the EU and as I was on my way here it seemed like an opportune moment to get it!).<br />
<a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/review-satechi-75w-dual-type-c-pd-travel-charger/satechi-charger.jpeg">https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/review-satechi-75w-dual-type-c-pd-travel-charger/satechi-charger.jpeg</a>)<br />
What does it look like? Size wise, similar to my 87W MBP charger - it’s a little longer, but also shorter, thickness and weight wise they feel about the same. It’s space grey, and has one cable coming out of the back for power, and depending on what you want to charge, up to 4 out of the front - that means it can look a little messy but for the price of power I’ll take it! It does have a blue LED on the front, thankfully it’s quite dim and hasn’t disturbed my sleep over the last few nights. That being said, when I get home I’ll put some electrical tape over it - there’s nothing worse than a light when you’re trying to sleep and can’t - it may as well be the eye of Sauron!</p>Rosemary OrchardEverything is changing to USB C - great! But also, eek. That means it’s time for new chargers. Now, I’ll grant you, I’m a nerd and I love shopping for new chargers! But trying to find one I want, that charges the devices I want, which can be shipped to me (Austria uses Amazon Germany, and as many residents of Austria are aware, lots of things “Cannot be shipped to Austria” - for reasons unknown) is actually not that fun after 3 hours of trying to figure it all out.iOS Access Book Updated for iOS 122019-01-09T17:45:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/ios-access-book-updated-for-ios-12<p>Shelly Brisbin has been hard at work and updated iOS Access for All. It’s a book about accessibility on iOS - walking you through using all of the Apple features designed to assist people. Additionally there are reviews of hundreds of accessible iOS apps.</p>
<p>Even if you don’t have a disability yourself it is worth reading this book - many of the features talked about helpful for the rest of us too!<br />
You can check the book out over at <a href="http://iosaccessbook.com">iOSAccessBook.com</a>.</p>Rosemary OrchardShelly Brisbin has been hard at work and updated iOS Access for All. It’s a book about accessibility on iOS - walking you through using all of the Apple features designed to assist people. Additionally there are reviews of hundreds of accessible iOS apps.Update to Build Your OmniFocus Workflow, Mobi and More2019-01-08T19:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/update-to-build-your-omnifocus-workflow-mobi-and-more<p>Ryan and I have been tweaking Build Your OmniFocus Workflow, mostly recently we have added a mobi download which means that you can easily read the book on your Kindle! Just send it to your Kindle email address, or connect your Kindle to your computer and copy the .mobi file over.</p>
<p>Also, as Ryan says on the blog:</p>
<blockquote>
The ePub has slightly improved chapter and section markers whilst the PDF has been rebuilt with a PDF table of contents.
</blockquote>
<p>What does this mean? For existing customers all of this can be downloaded in the downloads area on the blog (if you can’t log in please use the contact form on the OmniFocus book website). For anyone considering purchasing the book: the launch sale ends January 11th, that’s this Friday. After that the price will go up to $30.<br />
Thank you to everyone who has sent such lovely feedback on the book!<br />
As a note: we intend this book to “live”, as such when OmniFocus gets new features it will be updated to cover those - and those will be free updates too.<br />
You can get the book on the website: <a href="https://omnifocusbook.com">OmniFocusBook.com</a>.</p>Rosemary OrchardRyan and I have been tweaking Build Your OmniFocus Workflow, mostly recently we have added a mobi download which means that you can easily read the book on your Kindle! Just send it to your Kindle email address, or connect your Kindle to your computer and copy the .mobi file over.Automators 14: Automated Journalling2019-01-05T17:45:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-14-automated-journalling<p>Episode 14 of Automators is all about journalling - when David suggested the
topic for this episode I jumped on it. I subscribed to Day One last year and
have been trying to improve my usage of it, this episode forced me to go
figure out some automations to make it easier - thankfully since recording
I’ve been journalling more consistently than ever!</p>
<p>https://youtu.be/oa82IYJ_fMY</p>
<p>David made a short video breaking down how he does some of his automations
too. I hope you enjoy the episode!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/14">Episode 14: Automated Journalling</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardEpisode 14 of Automators is all about journalling - when David suggested the topic for this episode I jumped on it. I subscribed to Day One last year and have been trying to improve my usage of it, this episode forced me to go figure out some automations to make it easier - thankfully since recording I’ve been journalling more consistently than ever!Dual Sim iPhone XS Max Review - 3 Months On2019-01-03T10:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/dual-sim-iphone-xs-max-review-3-months-on<p>When the iPhones were announced last year I had decided before the event that I wasn’t upgrading, and for a while after the event I held out - until I found out I could get a real dual sim iPhone XS Max from Hong Kong, which means no restrictions or modifications to iOS, and real dual sim capabilities. When it dropped in price a little I caved and flexed my credit card. (For the curious I found the iPhone on eBay from a UK seller - I picked the seller with the highest ratings and everything went smoothly.)</p>
<p>Why dual sim? For many people this is unnecessary, in my case I am fortunate enough to have both my work mobile number and my personal mobile number on one sim, however I have an older personal number, and my UK number which I still receive messages on - and in the case of the UK sim I often use it when travelling (both to the UK and other places as the provider, Three, offer good travel packages). Some people have separate work and personal sims, and it’s definitely nice to have the option of switching sims when travelling if only to get a cheaper data plan, whilst being able to keep your regular number to receive incoming calls or messages.<br />
So, it’s pretty simple to use and works precisely as documented by Apple, you pop out the sim tray, the sim on the back is held in with a small plastic spring and the one on the front is held in with gravity. Once you put the sims in you get asked how you want to use them, and off you go. I don’t have an e-sim option at all, which means if I travel somewhere and want a local sim I’ll have to buy it first. That said, in most countries there’s only one e-sim provider and they’re usually not the cheapest so I probably wouldn’t use them anyway.<br />
The only thing missing from this setup is the ability to use both numbers with iMessage - unfortunately you’re limited to using the primary number with FaceTime and iMessage. However in my case I chose to use my email address as my primary contact information for iMessage a long time ago which alleviates that issue quite nicely!<br />
Now to the Max itself. I was previously a member of the of <em>the Plus club</em> (as it was christened by the fabulous hosts of <a href="https://relay.fm/connected">Connected</a>. In 2017 I thought that the X would be perfect for me and it was indeed an excellent device - but I really do like the bigger screen! With the Max I caved to the trends and bought a pop socket as recommended on <a href="https://relay.fm/cortex">Cortex</a> - and my little finger is very thankful for this as I have previously rested the iPhone on that finger.<br />
The very exciting part of the S and R series of iPhones of course is the ability to read NFC tags without opening an app first - this is going to be a great automation possibility, simply because I can be prompted to run automations when I put my iPhone down in specific places such as by my bed. I’m very sure app developers are going to be taking advantage of this! Launch Center Pro has already updated to support this ability and it’s coming in handy - for everything from triggering shortcuts to accessing OmniFocus perspectives.<br />
The one thing I had not realised I was missing was battery life. With my X I needed to charge the device most evenings when getting home from work, now I can make it until bedtime and I often have about 40% battery remaining (unless I play Pokémon Go, which requires a battery pack on any device). I’ve already seen how useful this is on trips - while I always have a battery pack handy it’s nice not to need it, or at least to not be tethered to it. I won’t be travelling long haul until I visit Seattle for PodCon later this month - but I suspect with low power mode I would be able to get by with just a small battery pack if I choose to do so.<br />
All in all, I’m very happy with the Xs Max and don’t regret getting it at all. Was my X good? Definitely! And I wouldn’t recommend this move to most people, but for me it definitely resulted in benefits so was definitely worth it.</p>Rosemary OrchardWhen the iPhones were announced last year I had decided before the event that I wasn’t upgrading, and for a while after the event I held out - until I found out I could get a real dual sim iPhone XS Max from Hong Kong, which means no restrictions or modifications to iOS, and real dual sim capabilities. When it dropped in price a little I caved and flexed my credit card. (For the curious I found the iPhone on eBay from a UK seller - I picked the seller with the highest ratings and everything went smoothly.)Automators 13: Launch Center Pro with David Barnard2018-12-21T18:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-13-launch-center-pro-with-david-barnard<p>In episode 13 of Automators we got to interview David Barnard from Contrast -
the company behind Launch Center Pro which was just updated this week.</p>
<p>I’ve been a big fan of
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id532016360?at=1010lumu">Launch Center Pro</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>for years, it was around long before Shortcuts and has a massive collection of
URL schemes in it for starters. You may well be thinking that now we have
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id915249334?at=1010lumu">Shortcuts</a
,
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1085978097?at=1010lumu">Pythonista</a
,
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1405459188?at=1010lumu">Scriptable</a
,
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1236254471?at=1010lumu">Drafts</a>
and more we don’t need Launch Center Pro anymore though - and we dive into
this in the podcast.</a></a></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Launch Center Pro can do automations by itself, anything which can be done via
URL scheme is triggerable - but that’s not all. It offers a GUI to build a URL
scheme (which you could take and use elsewhere if you wanted to). You can also
specify that you want user input in a variety of formats, choosing from a
list, keyboard or numberpad input, scanning a barcode, dictation and more!
Launch Center Pro can also URL encode text for you if it’s placed in
<code>double%20curly%20brackets</code> - and to make things more user friendly
you put in one of the GUI fields when building a URL scheme will be preserved
exactly as you have written it and wrapped in those brackets allowing you to
edit it easily.</p>
<h4>Time Based Launchers</h4>
<p>If you want to remember to check the weather at 7am everyday, look in
TestFlight for beta updates, or to send a message at 5pm then you can achieve
this with Launch Center Pro, it can do anything from launching a
mind-bogglingly long list of apps, to anything which can be done through URL
schemes (and more, but I’ll get to that). In the new version you can</p>
<h5>One Off Alerts</h5>
<p>As well as alerts appearing every Wednesday at 9pm you can also have a one
time alert appear, this is ideal for things like “I need to ask my boyfriend
X, Y and Z via WhatsApp”, I can just modify the text that will be sent and set
the alert to trigger say 30 minutes after my flight lands.</p>
<h4>Location Based Launchers</h4>
<p>Launching maps for your route to work everyday at 8am is all very well, but
wouldn’t it be better to have that trigger when you leave your house? Launch
Center Pro can prompt you to do things like this based on location - you can
have something prompt you when you arrive a location, leave it, or both.</p>
<h5>iBeacons</h5>
<p>GPS is great, but it’s also not the most accurate, so when I arrive at work I
like to check my OmniFocus work perspective (rather than seeing how many tasks
I have which need to be completed at work), but if I use GPS I’ll get prompted
when I get off the tram outside, which means when I actually get into my
office on the 6th floor about 10 minutes later I will have forgotten or
dismissed the notification already, or worse still looked at the perspective
and forgotten what I’d seen in it. To alleviate this issue I use iBeacons -
little devices used for indoor location tracking. They’re not hard to setup,
just copy the iBeacon ID into the field in LCP and let it do the work. I have
one I put in my suitcase too when travelling which means I can toggle on my
travel launchers for reminders when arriving at/leaving my hotel room easily.
The one at work lives in my desk drawer and it usually triggers between me
exiting the lift and actually getting into my room which is perfect.</p>
<h5>Time and Location Based Launchers</h5>
<p>Location based things are great, but if I go past the supermarket on a Sunday
there’s no point in reminding me to buy juice - the supermarket is closed (in
Austria most retail locations are closed on Sundays). I use a really nice
feature to limit when these location based reminders pop up, so if I’m on my
way home from the airport at midnight then the location based trigger won’t
show up.</p>
<h5>NFC Tags</h5>
<p>NFC tags are brand new to Launch Center Pro 3 - they’re truly techie stickers
which can trigger a notification when you touch them, and the ones from the
Contrast Shop will let you attach them to Launch Center Pro 3 and actions
within it. You can even attach the same sticker to more than one action, and
then pick from the provided menu when you open the notification.</p>
<h4>Quick Access to _Stuff_</h4>
<p>Some apps have things buried deep in menus, or you simply need to scroll a lot
to get to it. Launch Center Pro can frequently give you speedy access to
things - such as next month in Fantastical, a new email to a specific person
in Airmail, or prepare actions for you such as starting a new Glympse and
sending it via email.</p>
<p>As promised on the show, this is my shortcut to weigh myself. I have FitBit
scales and unfortunately they don’t sync to the health app. Rather than use
another ap to sync from FitBit to Health I just input the data directly - and
have it calculate my BMI at the same time for an extra data point: [Log Scales
Data](whilst it:
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/bf4b02fd3afd48778aa0e867fda01884">https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/bf4b02fd3afd48778aa0e867fda01884</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>).</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/13">Episode 13: Launch Center Pro with David Barnard</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardIn episode 13 of Automators we got to interview David Barnard from Contrast - the company behind Launch Center Pro which was just updated this week.Outpost 32: ‘Automate’, with Rosemary Orchard2018-12-10T17:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/outpost-32-automate-with-rosemary-orchard<p>I had the privilege of being interviewed by Daryl Baxter who hosts the Outpost podcast. We over the 11” iPad Pro and how awesome it is - and what possibilities there are with these fancy new USB C iPad Pros!</p>
<p><a href="http://darylbaxter.com/podcast/34-automate-with-rosemary-orchard/">Listen to the episode</a>.</p>Rosemary OrchardI had the privilege of being interviewed by Daryl Baxter who hosts the Outpost podcast. We over the 11” iPad Pro and how awesome it is - and what possibilities there are with these fancy new USB C iPad Pros! Listen to the episode.Announcement: Build Your OmniFocus Workflow2018-12-08T08:45:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/announcment-build-your-omnifocus-workflow<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/announcment-build-your-omnifocus-workflow/build-your-omnifocus-workflow.png" alt="alignright" />{.image-right)</p>
<p>This book is designed, as the name implies, to help you build a workflow which works for you with OmniFocus - whether you’ve never used the app before, or if you’ve used it for years and just want to improve your setup. It is comprised of five sections:</p>
<ul>
<li>**First Steps**: Getting OmniFocus set up with a basic setup.</li>
<li>**Fundamentals**: Walking you through the default perspectives, and expanding on your current setup - plus diving into settings.</li>
<li>**Advancing**: Diving much deeper, including custom perspectives, creative uses for tags, review and onwards.</li>
<li>**Final Horizons**: Honing your workflow to get the most out of your system.</li>
<li>**Our Workflows**: Ryan and I get personal and tell you about how our setups work.</li>
</ul>
<p>Throughout the book there are tips, notes, personal comments, and most important of all: activities for you to complete in order for you to create a set up which allows you to be productive and which will hopefully also allow you to feel like you’re fully in control of your life.</p>
<blockquote>OmniFocus is a remarkably flexible app and can adapt to practically any workflow. As such, everyone must go through the process of building their own workflow with it, whether from scratch or based upon someone else’s. Build Your OmniFocus Workflow, written with the insight of two long-time OmniFocus users, offers practical advice on top of solid technical information. Ryan and Rose guide you through the basic concepts and perspectives of OmniFocus and into the more complex world of custom perspectives and automation. All throughout they give their own interpretations of how they use features in their workflows and finish the book with more details about how their systems work for them.
Build Your OmniFocus Workflow is available for a short time at launch for $25. The price will increase in the new year to $30. </blockquote>
<p>This book is not static, we intend to update it when new features are added to any of the OmniFocus platforms. That is not to say the book is incomplete, we have about 40,000 words and are very happy to release it today!<br />
Now, to the nerdier side of things. You may be thinking “I’ve never heard of Ryan” - and until I started beta testing OmniFocus 3 for iOS I hadn’t either! In fact, Ryan and I have never actually met in person - the internet put us together (with some help from The Omni Group), and we ended up writing a book. If that’s not a testament to how wonderful the world can be I don’t know what is! I’m going to go through a little of how we wrote the book, just to give you a taste.<br />
We started by mapping ideas out in iThoughts. We thought we’d write Markdown files and check them into a private GitHub repo - but for a variety of reasons realised this wasn’t going to work how we had originally envisioned so quickly moved over to Scrivener where the project has been ever since. Scrivener has excellent Dropbox sync support so we worked through that, back and forth - with differing timezones coming in handy as you can only have one copy of a Scrivener file open at once. Once we had a large chunk of the book written then came the hard part: formatting.<br />
I have a confession, I had very little input on the formatting. By which I mean the styling formatting rather than the organisation of the book. Ryan had a hidden talent for this from which I have learnt a great deal! If you think the book looks pretty that’s down to him. From the font choices, to the indentation, and the whimsy of the hands for the notes and tips, Ryan did all the hard work. Just don’t ask him about list formatting, he’s still recovering from that.<br />
The cover design was done by the extremely talented Josh Hughes. Josh has also designed a series of icons for OmniFocus custom perspectives.<br />
<a href="https://omnifocusbook.com">Get the book here!</a> If you’re not sure (understandable), then you can also get a <a href="https://omnifocusbook.com/product/sample-chapter/">free sample</a>.</p>Rosemary Orchard{.image-right)The Sweet Setup: A Few of our Favorite Things2018-11-27T18:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/the-sweet-setup-a-few-of-our-favorite-things<p>Over on The Sweet Setup we did a roundup of goodies we love - so if you’re looking for something to add to your holiday gift list be sure to check it out!</p>Rosemary OrchardOver on The Sweet Setup we did a roundup of goodies we love - so if you’re looking for something to add to your holiday gift list be sure to check it out!MacSparky Field Guide: Gift Wrapping2018-11-25T20:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/macsparky-field-guide-gift-wrapping<p>David’s been at it again, yet another field guide! This one is all about gift wrapping - and it’s free. I love wrapping presents and will be referencing this when I start wrapping next weekend!</p>
<p><a href="https://learn.macsparky.com/courses/enrolled/449660?affcode=256645_0ohxw3fs">Check it out!</a></p>Rosemary OrchardDavid’s been at it again, yet another field guide! This one is all about gift wrapping - and it’s free. I love wrapping presents and will be referencing this when I start wrapping next weekend!Automators 11: Shortcuts Home Screens2018-11-23T21:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-11-shortcuts-home-screens<p>The world has gone wild for Shortcuts home screens - including David and
myself! In episode 11 of Automators we have gone into why you might want to
try this crazy fad and how we’re using it ourselves, so - let’s dive in!</p>
<p>There’s numerous reasons why you might want to have Shortcuts on your home
screen:</p>
<ul>
<li>To run your shortcut, yes - an obvious one, but a worthy one.</li>
<li>
To give you context - e.g. when I tap on my Automators icon I get the
options I want when I'm wearing my Automators hat.
</li>
<li>To run multiple actions at once - such as starting a timer.</li>
<li>
To put one app or shortcut in multiple places, so Quip is in my Learn
OmniFocus and my Automators shortcuts, but the Quip app itself could only be
in one folder.
</li>
<li>To assist less technical folks with an iOS device.</li>
</ul>
<p>You can build these Shortcuts very simply: with a
<code>Choose from Menu</code> and either <code>Open App</code> or
<code>Run Shortcut</code> actions. I put together a short YouTube video on
that for you.<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrC0OKEqRBM</p>
<p>One of the examples Shortcuts I talked about was my Home shortcut, this lets
me choose from different scenes at different times of day - something you may
want to incorporate into other Shortcuts, here’s how it works:</p>
<p><img class="alignnone" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/11/example-time-shortcut.jpeg" width="469" height="1488" /></p>
<p>The trick is to format the date action to give you just the hour, and then you
can nest if actions to get what you want. You can download this Shortcut
sample
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/b89a529f95c8415a8fcbb2f87823e5d3">here</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>David talked about his Shortcut to take a nap - it sets an alarm and turns on
Do Not Disturb. You can download that Shortcut here, it will ask you how long
you want to take naps for too:
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/6c6a4d818a794a1faf6a0475c579d4dd">Take a Nap</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>David made a video where you can see how he does his different contexts with
Shortcuts:<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtHntEP39bk</p>
<p>And you can download a sample Shortcut
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/32e31b62b76041c0875dab2798f3c9c3">here</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We also dived into customising Shortcuts, as promised here’s a Shortcut to put
that blank character on your clipboard so you can have Shortcuts with no name:
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/4c047002c4e64aba889503c1bb288cd1">Copy Whitespace</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As we mentioned on the show, you can put Shortcuts just like these in a widget
too - and here’s a bonus trick for you. Tap on <code>Show More</code> on your
Shortcuts Widget, and then at the bottom tap
<code>Customise in Shortcuts</code> - this lets you enable and disable
Shortcuts in the widget, as well as change the order of them quickly.</p>
<p>Since we recorded the show Federico Vittici, Shortcuts nerd par excellence,
has created a wonderful Home Screen Shortcuts Shortcut which you can check out
over on MacStories:
<a href="https://www.macstories.net/ios/home-screen-icon-creator-a-shortcut-to-create-custom-icons-for-apps-contacts-solid-colors-and-more/">Home Screen Icon Creator: A Shortcut to Create Custom Icons for Apps,
Contacts, Solid Colors, and More – MacStories</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/11">Listen to Episode 11: Shortcuts Home Screens</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardThe world has gone wild for Shortcuts home screens - including David and myself! In episode 11 of Automators we have gone into why you might want to try this crazy fad and how we’re using it ourselves, so - let’s dive in!Coming soon: Automating OmniFocus 3 Using Siri Shortcuts2018-11-22T10:30:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/coming-soon-automating-omnifocus-3-using-siri-shortcuts<p>Everyone loves Automation, or at least what it can do for them - and I’m a big fan (you may have guessed!). I’ve teamed up with Tim Stringer to produce automation focused content for his site <a href="https://learnomnifocus.com/?ref=16">Learn OmniFocus</a>.</p>
<p>This weekend Tim is offering 25% off annual membership, and on top of that he is donating 20% of the income from this to CARE Canada (<a href="https://learnomnifocus.com/black-friday-giving-tuesday-2018/?ref=16">get the details here</a> - make sure to get the coupon code!).<br />
In the first session Tim and I have planned I’m going to get you started with OmniFocus and Siri Shortcuts - triggering OmniFocus perspectives with your voice, and building simple Shortcuts. We already have a second session planned for January too where we’ll dive deeper into what Shortcuts can automate in OmniFocus for you.<br />
There’s some other great sessions coming up too:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://learnomnifocus.com/live/2018-11-28-omnifocus-workflows-with-kourosh-dini/?ref=16">OmniFocus Workflows with Kourosh Dini: November 28, 2018 9:00 am</a></li>
<li><a href="https://learnomnifocus.com/live/2018-12-05-omnifocus-workflows-with-david-sparks/?ref=16">OmniFocus Workflows with David Sparks: December 5, 2018 10:00 am</a>)</li>
<li><a href="https://learnomnifocus.com/live/2019-01-16-navigating-your-day-with-omnifocus-3/?ref=16">Navigating Your Day with OmniFocus 3: January 16, 2019 10:00 am</a>)</li>
</ul>
<p>And my sessions are:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://learnomnifocus.com/live/2018-12-12-automating-omnifocus-3-using-siri-shortcuts-basics/?ref=16">Automating OmniFocus 3 Using Siri Shortcuts: Basics: December 12, 2018 10:00 am</a>)</li>
<li><a href="https://learnomnifocus.com/live/2019-01-30-automating-omnifocus-3-using-siri-shortcuts-beyond-basics/?ref=16">Automating OmniFocus 3 Using Siri Shortcuts: Beyond the Basics: January 30, 2019 10:00 am</a>)</li>
</ul>
<p>If you’re a member you get to attend these live - which means you can ask questions and get them answered, as well as getting the opportunity to chat with other people interested in productivity. On top of this you get to attend Learn OmniFocus office hours where you can sit down with Tim and a few others for a confidential discussion about your system and ways you want to improve it.<br />
I hope to see you at some of these sessions!</p>Rosemary OrchardEveryone loves Automation, or at least what it can do for them - and I’m a big fan (you may have guessed!). I’ve teamed up with Tim Stringer to produce automation focused content for his site Learn OmniFocus.iPad 11” First Impressions2018-11-15T10:30:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/ipad-11-first-impressions<p>My iPad Pro 11” with Smart Keyboard folio and Apple Pencil arrived just before 10am on Wednesday (earlier than I could have got it at the Apple Store) and I’ve been putting it through its paces ever since.</p>
<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/11/ipad-pro-11.jpeg" /><br />
Straight away I was impressed with the screen, it’s big and beautiful - and more importantly, hasn’t increased the size of the device at all from the 10.5” iPad. I have several bags I love which fitted the 10.5” iPad perfectly - and I’m very pleased to report that my 11” iPad is not going to require a change in my handbag collection 😉.<br />
After attaching the Smart Keyboard folio I became slightly concerned by the weight of the device, but I weighed it very scientifically - with the 10.5” and Smart Keyboard in one hand and the 11” and Smart Keyboard folio in the other, there’s not much of a difference in it, and as I won’t be using the leather slip case anymore I have no qualms about the weight. Scientifically it’s about 50g heavier than the 10.5” iPad Pro with the Smart Keyboard. The Smart Keyboard folio itself is good, slightly clickier than the previous ones - especially on the space bar. It is sturdier than the previous model in my lap which is where I frequently use it. The second angle is however essentially useless to me, much too steep unless I’m putting the iPad on a relatively high table to watch media on. That said that second groove is a good place to put my Apple Pencil when I’m not using it if I don’t want to put it on the side of the iPad for whatever reason. The Smart Keyboard is however a very boring shade of grey with just the fold and the camera cutout on the back, and not even that on the front. It would be nice if Apple offered this in a few different colours - at least on the outside.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/ipad-11-first-impressions/apple-pencil.jpeg" alt="" />{.image-center)
I really like the new Apple Pencil. I’m no artist however I use the iPad frequently to take notes by hand and sketch out ideas. The ability to switch between tools with a double tap is very useful - and I’m very pleased to see several apps such as <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1164289776?at=1010lumu">OmniGraffle</a> and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id360593530?at=1010lumu">Notability</a> have already implemented support for it.<br />
The new screen size does of course bring some challenges with it - namely that apps have to update again to support these new screen sizes. Of course, I primarily use apps such as <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id993160329?at=1010lumu">Airmail</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1236254471?at=1010lumu">Drafts</a>, and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1346190318?at=1010lumu">OmniFocus</a> which have all been updated for these new sizes already! Facebook however looks terrible - and I don’t think they ever got around to supporting the original 12.9” so I highly doubt we’ll see an update there any time soon! That said I rarely use Facebook nowadays so it’s no problem.<br />
Most people of course don’t need to upgrade to this iPad Pro from the last one - and for most people I’d even suggest they get the older generation which is still for sale in the 10.5” size. I use the iPad as my primary device though, leaving my 15” MacBook Pro on my desk at home when I can - and I’ve been looking for a larger screen size on the iPad without going back to the full size 12.9” behemoth! This definitely fits that bill no problem.<br />
I did consider ordering the 12.9” - and I’ve looked at it in the store too, but frankly it’s still too big and heavy for me. While I don’t get two full size apps side by side on the 11” I generally don’t notice or mind - in fact in some cases like when using Shortcuts in split screen it’s definitely a blessing that it scales down to be a mobile screen when I have a list or menu to select from as they get pushed to the bottom of the screen. My iPad goes almost everywhere with me and I would like to keep that up, if it’s too big or heavy that won’t happen and I’ll go back to browsing Twitter on my iPhone instead of reading or doing something productive.<br />
I’m definitely happy with my purchase, and this year I’m not going to keep the 12.9” around as my big iPad (for one I’d have to keep two separate pencils!) - I’m consolidating my devices and am pleased the screen size of the 11” will allow me to do so.</p>Rosemary OrchardMy iPad Pro 11” with Smart Keyboard folio and Apple Pencil arrived just before 10am on Wednesday (earlier than I could have got it at the Apple Store) and I’ve been putting it through its paces ever since.Automators 10: Zapier2018-11-10T09:30:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-10-zapier<p>Episode 10 of Automators is all about Zapier. David and I both recently dove
into Zapier plans and thought it would be a great topic for an episode - after
all, we use it to automate Automators!</p>
<p>As such, this episode goes behind the scenes and gives you some great examples
of how you can get started with Zapier, as well as the advantages of using an
online service for automation and some comparison to IFTTT and Microsoft Flow.</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy the episode and look forward to hearing how you use Zapier
and any questions you might have
<a href="https://talk.automators.fm">in the forums</a>. You can get the full
details of the blog post over on
<a href="https://www.macsparky.com/blog/2018/11/automators-10-web-based-automation-with-zapier">MacSparky’s blog</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.<br />
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/10">Episode 10: Zapier</a></p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardEpisode 10 of Automators is all about Zapier. David and I both recently dove into Zapier plans and thought it would be a great topic for an episode - after all, we use it to automate Automators!Automators 9: Scriptable with Simon B. Støvring2018-10-26T20:45:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-9-scriptable-with-simon-b-stovring<p>Episode 9 of Automators is all about Scriptable, a great app released for iOS
12 which allows you to control your device with JavaScript. We were fortunate
enough to have the developer of Scriptable, Simon B. Støvring come on the
podcast to tell us about the app and some of the things it can do.</p>
<p>I’m going to use this article to give you a quick overview of Scriptable - if
I wanted to detail everything you’d probably end up reading a 10,000 word post
and this is <em>supposed</em> to be a blog post to accompany a podcast! So,
let’s get started.</p>
<p>Scriptable is a framework which lets you control your device by writing
scripts - much like Shortcuts it doesn’t do anything itself directly, but
instead it enables you to write code which can do anything from check if Slack
is down by reading a webpage, to manipulate your contacts, read an API key
from your keychain, and even more.<br />
Scriptable includes several example scripts:</p>
<ul>
<li>ASCIIwwdc: This gets the transcript for any WWDC video</li>
<li>Countdown to Midnight</li>
<li>Import Selected File to Bear</li>
<li>Is Slack Down?</li>
<li>Latest News on MacStories</li>
<li>Reminders Due Today</li>
<li>Vue JSON</li>
<li>
Watchlist: Manages a list of films you'd like to watch, which you share to
it from the IMDB app
</li>
<li>
What is shared: A script which shows you how to interpret the sharesheet
from various apps on iOS
</li>
<li>Comic in Siri</li>
</ul>
<p>Inside the app there’s documentation which tells you what you can do directly
with the device, this includes:</p>
<ul>
<li>Alert</li>
<li>Calendar</li>
<li>Contacts</li>
<li>Device</li>
<li>Dictation</li>
<li>Document Picker</li>
<li>Mail</li>
<li>Message</li>
<li>Photos</li>
<li>Reminders</li>
<li>Safari</li>
</ul>
<p>… and much more! All of these are on top of what is regularly available in
JavaScript - just like Drafts, Scriptable uses ES6 JavaScript, this is the
most recent version and you can find a very comprehensive guide, plus
tutorials on the
<a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/bm/docs/Web/JavaScript">Mozilla Developer site</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>. We also mentioned the
<a href="https://www.codecademy.com/pro/intensive/programming-with-javascript">CodeAcademy JavaScript course</a</a></p>
<p>which is good place to start learning JavaScript.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another app we mentioned during the show was
<a href="http://omz-software.com/pythonista/">Pythonista</a> which is a
powerful scripting app for iOS - as you might guess from the name it’s Python
based rather than JavaScript.</p>
<p>Every Scriptable script can be added to Siri right from it’s settings page,
this is also where you can add it to Launch Center Pro, copy the URL scheme,
say what the script can accept as input, or specify the script should always
run in the app - listen to the chapter at 17:59 to find out why you might need
to do this!</p>
<p>Towards the end of the show Simon mentioned some of the things he was working
on and while he couldn’t make any promises when we recorded,
<a href="https://twitter.com/simonbs/status/1055761204520591361">Scriptable has been updated today</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>! The update includes, auto complete, interactive tables, the ability to
evaluate JavaScript in a WebView, a new contacts bridge, and more.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Even if you don’t know JavaScript and have no intention of learning it I
highly recommend you download the app and try the example scripts - and don’t
forget to check out the
<a href="https://talk.automators.fm/c/ios/scriptable">Scriptable category in the forums</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>for more example scripts too.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Thank you very much to Simon for coming on the show, and thank you to Omni
Group - makers of OmniFocus - for sponsoring it!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/9">Episode 9: Scriptable with Simon B. Støvring</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<h3>Chapter List</h3>
<p>01:37: Pythonista</p>
<p>02:08: The origin of Scriptable</p>
<p>03:41: Pre-Launch Jitters</p>
<p>08:06: Example Scripts</p>
<p>11:08: System Integration</p>
<p>12:30: Early Feedback on Scriptable</p>
<p>13:36: Scriptable vs Shortcuts</p>
<p>16:22: Rose’s Good Morning with Scriptable</p>
<p>17:51: Launch Center Pro</p>
<p>17:59: Always Run in Scriptable?</p>
<p>20:18: URL Schemes</p>
<p>21:36: Nerds will not be stopped!</p>
<p>22:24: What can Scriptable do?</p>
<p>28: Sponsor: OmniFocus</p>
<p>29:55: Learning JavaScript</p>
<p>33:51: What is JSON?</p>
<p>35:36: Comic in Siri Script</p>
<p>40:26: What’s next for Scriptable?</p>
<p>43:36: Find us</p>Rosemary OrchardEpisode 9 of Automators is all about Scriptable, a great app released for iOS 12 which allows you to control your device with JavaScript. We were fortunate enough to have the developer of Scriptable, Simon B. Støvring come on the podcast to tell us about the app and some of the things it can do.Automators 8: Automated Document Filing2018-10-12T19:45:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-8-automated-document-filing<p>Episode 8 of automators is all about filing documents automatically. We we
said in the episode, one of the keys to success is good naming and structure -
and I made a screencast which shows you how you can use Keyboard Maestro to
rename files in a specific format that we need for our project slides at work</p>
<ul>
<li>with incrementing numbers in the <em>middle</em> of the document name.</li>
</ul>
<p>https://youtu.be/oAUBY5EEra8</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/8">Episode 8: Document Filing</a></p>Rosemary OrchardEpisode 8 of automators is all about filing documents automatically. We we said in the episode, one of the keys to success is good naming and structure - and I made a screencast which shows you how you can use Keyboard Maestro to rename files in a specific format that we need for our project slides at work with incrementing numbers in the middle of the document name.Using Keyboard Maestro to Create an Always Up to Date Task Calendar from My OmniFocus2018-09-25T12:49:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/using-keyboard-maestro-to-create-an-always-up-to-date-task-calendar-from-my-omnifocus<p>OmniFocus 2 had a calendar you could subscribe to, which gave you a calendar
view of your tasks. Unfortunately just because of internet connections and
syncing times which was always a little flakey (completed tasks would hang
around for a while) and didn’t have all of the options I wanted. Unfortunately
very few people used this service so it was discontinued in OmniFocus 3 - but
I have an alternative!</p>
<p>Someone in the OmniFocus Slack pointed me to
<a href="https://discourse.omnigroup.com/t/applescript-for-syncing-of-tasks-to-apple-calendar/32054/3?u=rosemaryjayne">this post</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>in the OmniFocus forums to help you create calendar events from your OF
database and I got stuck in.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The first thing I decided was that OmniFocus should have its own calendar,
this made life much easier later so I highly recommend you do this too. The
next step was to decide how long events should be input for if they have no
estimated time. The old built in option used an hour which I found too long so
I set mine to 30 minutes.</p>
<p>I am using Keyboard Maestro to run this script hourly, but to prevent
duplicate events showing up it makes sense to delete the existing events
first. There’s no finesse here, if it’s in this calendar it gets deleted -
this is where having a dedicated calendar makes life easier, you
<em>could</em> write AppleScript to just delete specific calendar events, or
even to track which tasks in OmniFocus have been created or edited since the
script last ran - but I was aiming for the simplest and fastest solution here.<br />
On to the code itself</p>
<pre><code>property calendar_name : "OmniFocus" -- This is the name of your calendar
property default_duration : 30 --minutes
-- Rosemary Orchard
-- Modified from a script by unlocked2412
-- This creates calendar events for tasks which have a due date, if an estimated time is not set then the task defaults to 30 minutes in length
tell application "Calendar"
set calendar_element to calendar calendar_name
tell calendar calendar_name
set theEvents to every event
repeat with current_event in theEvents
delete current_event
end repeat
end tell
end tell
tell application "OmniFocus"
tell default document
set task_elements to flattened tasks whose ¬
(completed is false) and (due date ≠ missing value)
repeat with item_ref in task_elements
-- GET OMNIFOCUS TASKS
set the_task to contents of item_ref
set task_name to name of the_task
set task_note to note of the_task
set task_due to due date of the_task
set task_estimate to estimated minutes of the_task
set task_url to "omnifocus:///task/" & id of the_task
if task_estimate is missing value then set task_estimate to default_duration
-- BUILD CALENDAR DATE
set end_date to task_due
set start_date to start_date - (task_estimate * minutes)
-- CREATE CALENDAR EVENT
tell application "Calendar"
tell calendar_element
if not (exists (first event whose (start date = start_date) and (summary = task_name))) then
make new event with properties ¬
{summary:task_name, start date:start_date, end date:end_date, url:task_url} at calendar_element
end if
end tell
end tell
end repeat
end tell
end tell
</code></pre>
<p>To summarise: Every incomplete task with a due date is added to the calendar.</p>
<ul>
<li>The name of the task becomes the name of the event.</li>
<li>The task note becomes the event note</li>
<li>
If the task has an estimated duration this is used, otherwise the event is
set to whatever the default_duration property is at the top of the list (30
minutes in this example)
</li>
<li>
The due date and the duration of the event are used to calculate the start
date
</li>
<li>The URL of the event is set to be a URL back to the task</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="/assets/2018/09/DCCD14E2-E31B-455C-9702-0CB245100C88.png" alt="Graphical view of the Keyboard Maestro Macro" /></p>
<p>I don’t use the calendar much myself (preferring Fantastical) so I also have
Keyboard Maestro quit the calendar afterwards for me.</p>
<p>This Macro uses the cron timer in Keyboard Maestro to run hourly, I’ve added
it to a specific group so it only runs on one of my Macs too. When you
download it you will need to enable it, first make sure you create an
OmniFocus calendar though, and if you give this calendar a different name then
you’ll need to update the Macro too.</p>
<p>This approach has several advantages over the original OmniFocus
implementation:</p>
<ul>
<li>I can sync this calendar, and store it in whichever service I like.</li>
<li>I can control the default length of events.</li>
<li>I could choose to exclude certain events if I wished to.</li>
<li>
It could be a jumping off point for other scripts - such as a calendar of
events you have completed if you wanted one of those.
</li>
</ul>
<p>You could of course use other approaches to run the script automatically, or
run it manually when you want to, it’s entirely up to you!</p>
<p>The script can be downloaded
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/kksd8xf0zo5e5fs/Auto%20Update%20OmniFocus%20Calendar.kmmacros?dl=0">here</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardOmniFocus 2 had a calendar you could subscribe to, which gave you a calendar view of your tasks. Unfortunately just because of internet connections and syncing times which was always a little flakey (completed tasks would hang around for a while) and didn’t have all of the options I wanted. Unfortunately very few people used this service so it was discontinued in OmniFocus 3 - but I have an alternative! Someone in the OmniFocus Slack pointed me to this post</a in the OmniFocus forums to help you create calendar events from your OF database and I got stuck in. The first thing I decided was that OmniFocus should have its own calendar, this made life much easier later so I highly recommend you do this too. The next step was to decide how long events should be input for if they have no estimated time. The old built in option used an hour which I found too long so I set mine to 30 minutes. I am using Keyboard Maestro to run this script hourly, but to prevent duplicate events showing up it makes sense to delete the existing events first. There’s no finesse here, if it’s in this calendar it gets deleted - this is where having a dedicated calendar makes life easier, you could write AppleScript to just delete specific calendar events, or even to track which tasks in OmniFocus have been created or edited since the script last ran - but I was aiming for the simplest and fastest solution here. On to the code itself property calendar_name : "OmniFocus" -- This is the name of your calendar property default_duration : 30 --minutes -- Rosemary Orchard -- Modified from a script by unlocked2412 -- This creates calendar events for tasks which have a due date, if an estimated time is not set then the task defaults to 30 minutes in length tell application "Calendar" set calendar_element to calendar calendar_name tell calendar calendar_name set theEvents to every event repeat with current_event in theEvents delete current_event end repeat end tell end tell tell application "OmniFocus" tell default document set task_elements to flattened tasks whose ¬ (completed is false) and (due date ≠ missing value) repeat with item_ref in task_elements -- GET OMNIFOCUS TASKS set the_task to contents of item_ref set task_name to name of the_task set task_note to note of the_task set task_due to due date of the_task set task_estimate to estimated minutes of the_task set task_url to "omnifocus:///task/" & id of the_task if task_estimate is missing value then set task_estimate to default_duration -- BUILD CALENDAR DATE set end_date to task_due set start_date to start_date - (task_estimate * minutes) -- CREATE CALENDAR EVENT tell application "Calendar" tell calendar_element if not (exists (first event whose (start date = start_date) and (summary = task_name))) then make new event with properties ¬ {summary:task_name, start date:start_date, end date:end_date, url:task_url} at calendar_element end if end tell end tell end repeat end tell end tell To summarise: Every incomplete task with a due date is added to the calendar. The name of the task becomes the name of the event. The task note becomes the event note If the task has an estimated duration this is used, otherwise the event is set to whatever the default_duration property is at the top of the list (30 minutes in this example) The due date and the duration of the event are used to calculate the start date The URL of the event is set to be a URL back to the task I don’t use the calendar much myself (preferring Fantastical) so I also have Keyboard Maestro quit the calendar afterwards for me. This Macro uses the cron timer in Keyboard Maestro to run hourly, I’ve added it to a specific group so it only runs on one of my Macs too. When you download it you will need to enable it, first make sure you create an OmniFocus calendar though, and if you give this calendar a different name then you’ll need to update the Macro too. This approach has several advantages over the original OmniFocus implementation: I can sync this calendar, and store it in whichever service I like. I can control the default length of events. I could choose to exclude certain events if I wished to. It could be a jumping off point for other scripts - such as a calendar of events you have completed if you wanted one of those. You could of course use other approaches to run the script automatically, or run it manually when you want to, it’s entirely up to you! The script can be downloaded here</a .Download 72: Just Stop Talking2018-09-20T22:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/download-72-just-stop-talking<p>Yesterday I was a guest on Download where we talked Apple software releases, new hardware arriving, and tried to understand Elon Musk. Also: American grocery stores are weird.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/download/72">Listen to it on Relay FM</a></p>Rosemary OrchardYesterday I was a guest on Download where we talked Apple software releases, new hardware arriving, and tried to understand Elon Musk. Also: American grocery stores are weird.Overcast 5.0 Review2018-09-20T09:30:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/overcast-5-0-review<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/overcast-5-0-review/overcast.png" alt="alignright" />{.image-right)</p>
<h3> Standalone Watch Playback</h3>
<p>I never thought I would use my watch to play music or podcasts without my iPhone, but I’ve recently discovered that our apartment is <em>just</em> long enough that my headphones or watch are out of range of my iPhone when I’m at one end at it’s at the other. I put some music on my watch and paired my Bose QC35s, and then immediately wished I had podcasts on there. The standalone watch playback in Overcast is great. Sync can be a little fiddly due to watchOS limitations, and I had the best success by putting Overcast in my dock on my watch, opening it, putting it and my iPhone on charge and leaving them to it - and now I’m by the pool listening to podcasts on my watch with my iPhone back in my hotel room!<br />
<img class="alignnone size-medium" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/09/overcast-apple-watch.jpeg" width="1443" height="773" /></p>
<h3>Now Playing Screen</h3>
<p>The Now Playing Screen in Overcast has been revamped to use a cards style, with show notes and chapters being split onto separate screens - this is going to be useful as then I will be able to see which chapter I’m currently listening to but still preserve my place in the show notes.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/overcast-5-0-review/overcast-cards.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<h3>Shortcuts Support</h3>
<p>This is why I was excited about getting into the beta, and I was not disappointed! Here’s a quick list of shortcuts:</p>
<ul>
<li>Play</li>
<li>Pause</li>
<li>Previous Podcast</li>
<li>Next Podcast</li>
<li>Seek Back</li>
<li>Seek Foward</li>
<li>Previous Chapter</li>
<li>Next Chapter</li>
<li>Set Speed To 1X</li>
<li>Set Speed</li>
<li>Turn on Smart Speed</li>
<li>Turn Off Smart Speed</li>
<li>Turn on Voice Boost</li>
<li>Turn Off Voice Boost</li>
<li>Recommend</li>
<li>Play All Episodes</li>
<li>Play All Podcasts</li>
<li>Play Favourites</li>
</ul>
<p>Other shortcuts will also be present based on the playlists you have, and podcasts you listen to as well. For those you may have to play the playlist or podcast to have them appear as options. You can use these shortcuts either in the Shortcuts app, or by adding them to Siri in either the Overcast App under ‘Siri Shortcuts’, or in <code>Settings > Siri & Search > All Shortcuts</code>.</p>
<h3>Search</h3>
<p>Search is another new feature in Overcast 5, there’s a search bar at the top of each podcast’s page which lets you search through the episodes for it, and on the main page of the app where you can see all of your podcasts - which lets you search for episodes or podcasts.<br />
Overcast 5 requires watchOS 5 and iOS 12.</p>Rosemary Orchard{.image-right)Open Workflow.is Links in Shortcuts2018-09-18T10:30:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/open-workflow-links-in-shortcuts<p>I’ve been asked several times since yesterday how to open a workflow.is link in Shortcuts. Currently clicking on one takes you to the gallery of Shortcuts and nothing else happens. If you copy the URL and use a very simple Shortcut then you can click the “Get Workflow” link and everything works as expected.</p>
<p>Here it is in action:<br />
https://youtu.be/7RpCIULJrY0<br />
The iCloud links for Shortcuts seem to be having difficulties at the moment - so you may want to just recreate this one by hand.<br />
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/759ef2726df54dc89e5c18d8806bc0ad">Download the Shortcut</a> (the link may not be working).</p>Rosemary OrchardI’ve been asked several times since yesterday how to open a workflow.is link in Shortcuts. Currently clicking on one takes you to the gallery of Shortcuts and nothing else happens. If you copy the URL and use a very simple Shortcut then you can click the “Get Workflow” link and everything works as expected.Scriptable: Use JavaScript to control your iPhone2018-09-17T23:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/scriptable-javascript-control-your-iphone<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/scriptable-javascript-control-your-iphone/scriptable-icon.png){.image-right"><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/09/scriptable-icon.png" width="226" height="226" /></a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Some time ago on Twitter I stumbled across Simon, he was retweeted by the
developer of <a href="https://workingcopyapp.com">Working Copy</a>, an app I
love and use heavily - and the retweet was a video of a script being run on an
iPhone and returning some pretty cool results - so I asked “what is this and
how can I get a copy?”. Not too long later I was invited to the beta of
<a href="https://scriptable.app">Scriptable</a>, and got stuck in.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Scriptable is an iOS 12 app, and has integration with Siri Shortcuts to help
you automate to the max. Simon has integrated a huge number of iOS APIs - so
you can get your current location, communicate directly with the calendar, and
more. The app also uses native UI elements too - so if you write a script that
shows an alert the JavaScript you write calls the native alert box.</p>
<p>So, what can you do with this app? The built in examples include getting the
current Slack status, grabbing the latest XKCD comic, and viewing shared JSON
in a readable format. There are many more sample scripts over on the
<a href="https://talk.automators.fm/c/ios/scriptable?u=rosemaryorchard">Automators Forums</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>where I host a community run forum for the app (what better home than with
Automators?).</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/scriptable-javascript-control-your-iphone/scriptable-script-settings.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/09/scriptable-script-settings.jpeg" width="300" height="789" /></a></p>
<p>You can also trigger Scriptable scripts in any number of ways. When you tap
the settings icon inside of a script you get the option to immediately add the
script to Siri, you can copy the URL scheme to the app, and even add it
directly to
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id532016360?at=1010lumu">Launch Center Pro</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>which will then let you trigger notifications to run it at specific times or
places.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>All of your scripts are donated to Siri too, which means they’re available in
the Shortcuts app as well.</p>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/scriptable-javascript-control-your-iphone/scriptable-in-shortcuts.jpeg"><img class="aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/09/scriptable-in-shortcuts.jpeg" width="300" height="433" /></a></p>
<p>You can get
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1405459188?at=1010lumu">Scriptable</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>on the App Store now - and it’s free which is insane, so please make use of
the tip jar!</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary Orchard</a Some time ago on Twitter I stumbled across Simon, he was retweeted by the developer of Working Copy, an app I love and use heavily - and the retweet was a video of a script being run on an iPhone and returning some pretty cool results - so I asked “what is this and how can I get a copy?”. Not too long later I was invited to the beta of Scriptable, and got stuck in.Wave GoodBye to Workflow, Say Hello to Shortcuts2018-09-17T20:45:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/wave-goodbye-to-workflow-say-hello-to-shortcuts<p><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/09/workflow-to-shortcuts.jpeg" /></p>
<p>It’s iOS 12 release day and the time has come to do something many people feared as long ago as March 2017 - it’s time to say goodbye to Workflow. I’m extremely happy to have had Workflow - and what’s more I’m happy to say goodbye to it because today Shortcuts launches and we have nearly everything that was in Workflow - and a way for app developers to hook straight into the app and the operating system.</p>
<h3>What are we losing?</h3>
<p>This question was what came to my mind at WWDC, I try not to be negative but a concern for many of us Workflow and automation nerds was “what won’t work anymore?”. Thankfully there are only a few things which we have truly lost:</p>
<ul>
<li>File manipulation in Box</li>
<li>Triggering IFTTT Applets</li>
<li>Post to Slack</li>
<li>Save to Transmit (as the app is no longer on the iOS App Store it's not a surprise)</li>
<li>Post to Tumblr</li>
<li>Edit Image</li>
<li>Send via DeskConnect (also unsurprising - the service was shut down long ago).</li>
</ul>
<p>The only one of these that really causes difficulties is the edit image action, while you can still crop images and various other actions you can no longer do so in an interactive manner as part of a Shortcut.</p>
<h3>What have we gained?</h3>
<p>We have gained a lot in Shortcuts, here’s a list of actions which to my knowledge didn’t exist in Workflow but are part of Shortcuts - but aren’t donated to Siri by an app developer.</p>
<ul>
<li>Add to Draft (Drafts 5)</li>
<li>Get Contents of Draft (Drafts 5)</li>
<li>Open Draft (Drafts 5)</li>
<li>Run Drafts Action (Drafts 5)</li>
<li>Markup</li>
<li>Request Payment</li>
<li>Run Javascript on Web Page</li>
<li>Send Payment</li>
<li>Set Airplane Mode</li>
<li>Set Bluetooth</li>
<li>Set Cellular Data</li>
<li>Set Do Not Disturb</li>
<li>Set Low Power Mode</li>
<li>Set Wi-Fi</li>
<li>Show Result</li>
</ul>
<p>The last action is most interesting to me - it works like an alert if you run a Shortcut from Shortcuts, but will display the answer in Siri if you call the shortcut from Siri. The dictation action has also had an upgrade - allowing it to stop automatically after a pause, or a short pause, or on a tap (you can choose). This makes Shortcuts much more useful if you’re using it via Siri.</p>
<h3>What's still to come?</h3>
<p>The possibilities here are seemingly endless - I’ve already seen many of the apps I use daily updating to support Shortcuts, from Waterminder to TripIt, Carrot to Working Copy, and many more. What we get now will be up to the app developers - but they seem to be making the most of it!</p>Rosemary OrchardUsing TripIt with Siri Shortcuts2018-09-16T09:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/using-tripit-with-siri-shortcuts<p>I was most pleasantly surprised today to see an update to the TripIt app which added support for Siri Shortcuts. They’ve kept it quite simple, with just two options: upcoming flight information, and upcoming travel plans.</p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/using-tripit-with-siri-shortcuts/tripit-shortcut-options.png" alt="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/using-tripit-with-siri-shortcuts/upcoming-flight-example.png" />
The upcoming travel plans works in much the same way providing useful details. There is a nice touch if you don’t have any upcoming travel plans though:<br />
<a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/using-tripit-with-siri-shortcuts/no-upcoming-plans.jpeg">https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/using-tripit-with-siri-shortcuts/no-upcoming-plans.jpeg</a>)<br />
I’m very pleased to see apps that aren’t for nerds updating with this sort of thing - that’s what is needed to help Shortcuts become truly useful for <em>everyone</em>.</p>Rosemary OrchardI was most pleasantly surprised today to see an update to the TripIt app which added support for Siri Shortcuts. They’ve kept it quite simple, with just two options: upcoming flight information, and upcoming travel plans.Drafts 5.42018-09-15T16:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/drafts-5-4<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1236254471?at=1010lumu" class="image-right">)</a> Drafts 5.4 is here today, and while it feels like it was just yesterday when it was released Greg has found numerous ways to improve things! Here’s a quick overview of all the features added:</p>
<h3>Shortcuts Support</h3>
<h4>Shortcuts Action in Drafts</h4>
<p>With the release of Shortcuts and it replacing Workflow we’ve got a fair few actions to update - thankfully the Shortcuts actions work the same way as Workflow ones did, so you can easily replace them. If you have an older device which Shortcuts doesn’t support but Drafts does then you can keep using Workflow though. There’s documentation on <a href="http://getdrafts.com/actions/steps/runshortcut">running Shortcuts in Drafts</a> too.</p>
<h4>Shortcuts</h4>
<p>Boy this is getting confusing! In iOS 12 every app has the option of telling Siri what you’ve been doing (stored locally on your device for privacy and security reasons), and these can then be suggested to you. This also means we can use these in the Shortcuts app as part of a longer chain of things - or individually (best set up via <code>Settings > Siri & Search</code> to avoid cluttering your Shortcuts app with potentially hundreds of one action automations!), via Siri or through typing in the search. We can use these to capture the clipboard, launch dictation, or view a specific draft which is ideal for reference material. Inside of Drafts you can add specific Drafts to Siri, and to add a Workspace.</p>
<h3>Separators in Action Groups</h3>
<p>We can now add separators in action groups - these are what they sound like, little dividers which help you split up your actions. It’s a small visual indication, but a big help when you have a longer list of actions - or many which are similar.</p>
<h3>Don't Sleep While Working</h3>
<p>As part of a script step you can now tell your device you don’t want it to autosleep using <code>app.isIdleDisabled</code> - I’ve built this into some of my blogging actions so when I start a new post my device remains awake but when I publish it goes back to normal :)</p>
<h3>Dropbox API</h3>
<p>One thing Shortcuts no longer does is integration with Dropbox, thankfully Drafts has come to my rescue by adding the Dropbox API! Details in the <a href="http://reference.getdrafts.com/objects/Dropbox.html">Scripting Reference</a>. Look for ready to use example actions, like “Create on Dropbox Paper” in the <a href="https://actions.getdrafts.com">Action Directory</a>. I’ve created several actions which save files in multiple formats to specific directories in Dropbox and copy the folder URL back to my clipboard which is great for when I’m working on things things I am sharing with others! This alone makes Drafts worth the subscription price for me :)</p>
<h3>Wordpress Integration</h3>
<p>I didn’t think anything would make me consider going back to Wordpress, but this nearly did! Drafts now has native integration which is quite simply wonderful.</p>
<h3>Google Drive Enhancements</h3>
<p>You can now create fully styled documents and PDFs through the Upload option when combined with the HTML Preview actions - and much more. Text uploads also support appending or prepending, and you can also upload Markdown and HTML.</p>
<h3>Other</h3>
<ul>
<li>There's a nice new light grey theme which I'm using for "bright sunlight" days.</li>
<li>You can easily copy the UUID or the text of a Draft to the clipboard through the <code>ⓘ</code> button, as well as a link to a Draft.</li>
<li>There's a lot of tweaks for better performance!</li>
</ul>
<p>You can see the full, official, release notes <a href="https://forums.getdrafts.com/t/drafts-5-4-released-ios-12-ready-siri-shortcuts-wordpress-and-more/2493?u=rosemaryorchard">here</a>.<br />
You can get <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1236254471?at=1010lumu">Drafts 5</a> on the App Store.</p>Rosemary Orchard) Drafts 5.4 is here today, and while it feels like it was just yesterday when it was released Greg has found numerous ways to improve things! Here’s a quick overview of all the features added:Backing Up Your Workflows/Shortcuts2018-09-15T14:15:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/backing-up-your-workflows-shortcuts<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/backing-up-your-workflows-shortcuts/workflow-backup-workflows.png" alt="alignright" /></p>
<p>I’ve created both Workflows and Shortcuts to do this for you, the Shortcuts shortcut is designed to be run on each of your devices - while iCloud Sync <em>should</em> be working now, some of us with extremely large libraries have had the syncing get a little stuck.<br />
Essentially all this does is grab all of your Workflows and create a zip of them in iCloud Drive, the date and time you run the automation is included in the file name, and the Shortcuts variation also includes your device name.<br />
Backups are good, and even if everything goes perfectly on Monday, which I’m sure they will, you won’t regret it!<br />
Keep on automating.<br />
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/641cbed246b54fa088a9d436f22bbb1a">Download the Workflow</a><br />
<a href="https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/a92a41ad456d4886add64075825b9d7d">Download the Shortcut</a></p>Rosemary OrchardAutomators 6: Automating Shortcuts with Matthew Cassinelli2018-09-15T04:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-6-automators-6-automating-shortcuts-with-matthew-cassinelli<p>For episode 6 of Automators, we were very fortunate to have been joined by the
wonderful <a href="https://www.matthewcassinelli.com">Matthew Cassinelli</a>.
Matthew writes for The Sweet Setup and iMore, has also written for Tech
Crunch, and is a Shortcuts genius - we went through two more complex Shortcuts
in this episode to give you some ideas of your very own.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/6">Episode 6: Automators 6: Automating Shortcuts with Matthew Cassinelli</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardFor episode 6 of Automators, we were very fortunate to have been joined by the wonderful Matthew Cassinelli. Matthew writes for The Sweet Setup and iMore, has also written for Tech Crunch, and is a Shortcuts genius - we went through two more complex Shortcuts in this episode to give you some ideas of your very own.MacSparky Learn: Siri Shortcuts Course2018-09-14T14:45:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/macsparky-learn-siri-shortcuts-course<p>My friend David Sparks has been at it again - there’s a brand new video course all about Siri Shortcuts.</p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/macsparky-learn-siri-shortcuts-course/siri-shortcuts-course-artwork.png" alt="https://learn.macsparky.com/p/workflow" /></p>Rosemary OrchardMy friend David Sparks has been at it again - there’s a brand new video course all about Siri Shortcuts.Apple Keynote: September 20182018-09-13T18:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/apple-keynote-september-2018<p>I, like many of you I’m sure, watched last night’s Keynote waiting to see what new products Apple will sell me. I went into the event thinking I wanted a new Apple Watch and that I wouldn’t upgrade my 256GB iPhone X, and thankfully for my bank account came out of the event the same!</p>
<p>The Apple Watch has several new features will encourage members of my family to upgrade as well as myself. I bought my grandmother an Apple Watch after she had a nasty fall a few years ago and shattered her hip - my thinking was the SOS function would be useful for her, but now I would very much appreciate it if she had the automatic fall detection too. The low heart rate detection and ECG feature will be very handy for my father has there are hereditary heart problems in his family, plus he complains that the screen is too small so more screen will definitely go down well there. I’m very pleased that all the watch bands I’ve collected so far will continue to fit as well - I do like to co-ordinate the straps with my outfit!<br />
The iPhone updates look pretty nice too, though I’m most intrigued by the NFC update which will allow apps to be triggered through NFC - as Tim Chaten said to me on Twitter this seems like it could be a big win for automation:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/rosemaryorchard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rosemaryorchard</a> This seems like a big win for automation! <a href="https://twitter.com/MacSparky?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MacSparky</a> <a href="https://t.co/QyKtc0XhrQ">https://t.co/QyKtc0XhrQ</a>
— Tim Chaten (@tchaten) <a href="https://twitter.com/tchaten/status/1039980132671410176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2018</a> </blockquote>
</p></blockquote>Rosemary OrchardI, like many of you I’m sure, watched last night’s Keynote waiting to see what new products Apple will sell me. I went into the event thinking I wanted a new Apple Watch and that I wouldn’t upgrade my 256GB iPhone X, and thankfully for my bank account came out of the event the same!Clockwise #247: Prison Spotlight2018-09-05T20:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/clockwise-257<p>I got to be a guest on Clockwise again! While we didn’t wash any clocks we did talk about Philip Hue, our hopes and dreams for the next Apple Event, and being inhaled by kind of super power absorbing monster..!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/clockwise/257">Listen it on Clockwise</a></p>Rosemary OrchardI got to be a guest on Clockwise again! While we didn’t wash any clocks we did talk about Philip Hue, our hopes and dreams for the next Apple Event, and being inhaled by kind of super power absorbing monster..!Automators 5: Project Templates2018-08-31T20:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-5-project-templates<p>Episode 5 of Automators is all about project templates, and how they can help
you to be more productive. David and I are both OmniFocus users, but project
templates can be used with almost every task management system out there -
even Reminders!</p>
<p>The simplest type of project template is a project you can copy - this is
easily done in both OmniFocus and Things, the advantage is it’s easy to set
up, but it’s also static - what you have is what you get.</p>
<p>You can also store project templates somewhere else, the places I have used
are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Editorial</li>
<li>iCloud Drive</li>
<li>Dropbox</li>
<li>Drafts</li>
<li>Workflow/Shortcuts</li>
</ul>
<p>One thing I have done is to import all of the templates I’d previously saved
into Dropbox and iCloud Drive into Drafts - this was easily done by pressing
and holding the <code>+</code> icon which then lets you import a file.</p>
<p>Something I use a lot when making templates for OmniFocus is TaskPaper - and I
even made a
<a href="https://actions.getdrafts.com/g/1F6">Drafts Action Group</a> to help
me do so easily. What you can do with OmniFocus and TaskPaper is create a
template in OmniFocus, copy it and then paste it into a text editor (like
Drafts) to edit it - this allows you to put “fuzzy dates” in, such as
“Thursday” or “Monday -2d”, the latter evaluating to two days before Monday.
You can also include <code>«variables»</code> which the TaskPaper to OF action
will then help you replace.<br />
I demonstrated how to use this action group in a screencast for you:<br />
https://youtu.be/xit6JLmbnZY</p>
<p>And there’s also a blog post all about it:
<a href="https://www.rosemaryorchard.com/blog/using-drafts-5-taskpaper-with-omnifocus">Using Drafts 5 Taskpaper with OmniFocus</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p>As I mentioned in the podcast, Todoist supports importing a CSV file - and if
your task manager does too then you can use Numbers or Excel and date math to
make relative dates.<br />
So, what kind of project templates might you create?</p>
<ul>
<li>Packing Lists</li>
<li>Publishing a podcast episode</li>
<li>Writing and submitting an essay/report</li>
<li>And much more!</li>
</ul>
<p>While David and I are both primarily OmniFocus users, there are also lots of
great resources for Things users:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://support.culturedcode.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2803572-using-applescript-with-things">Using AppleScript With Things - Things Support - Cultured Code</a>
- a 24 page guide.
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/articles/automations-workflows-things-ios/">Things on iOS: The Complete Guide to Automations and Workflows</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://support.culturedcode.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2803573-things-url-scheme">Things URL Scheme - Things Support - Cultured Code</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/three-workflows-quickly-adding-templates-things/">Three workflows for quickly adding project templates and tasks to Things
on iOS – The Sweet Setup</a>
</li>
<li>
And a thread from the Automators forums:
<a href="https://talk.automators.fm/t/help-with-things-3-url-scheme-for-project-templates/1515?u=rosemaryorchard">Help with Things 3 URL Scheme for Project Templates</a>
</li>
<li>
Drafts actions:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://actions.getdrafts.com/a/1Cx">New Project in Things</a>
</li>
<li><a href="https://actions.getdrafts.com/a/1DV">Things Parser</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>And the Todoist blog also has a post called
<a href="https://blog.todoist.com/2015/11/19/new-way-to-create-todoist-templates/">A whole new way to create and share Todoist Templates - Todoist Blog</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>One of the workflows/Shortcuts I mentioned on the podcast was one to create an
essay project, the options here are somewhat simplified, but demonstrate quite
nicely how this works:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/b26737b265064cfcbe1e7ff96bef7189">Essay to OmniFocus</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/22bd0892decf40a9a9b10aebf5a84701">Essay to OmniFocus</a>
As the URL Scheme in Things doesn't support adding headings I formatted the
project in Things somewhat differently - however you can import a JSON which
does support headings format so if you're willing to get stuck in I'm sure
you can figure it out!
</li>
</ul>
<p>Another Workflow/Shortcut I mentioned is the iOS implementation of these
scripts:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="http://curtclifton.net/poptemp">Populate Template Placeholders—curtclifton.net</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.macsparky.com/blog/2011/1/14/tweaking-omnifocus-project-template-applescript.html">Tweaking OmniFocus: Project Template Applescript — MacSparky</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://github.com/lemonmade/templates">Chris Suave: Templates Applescript for OmniFocus.</a>
What they allow you to do is to store a project in OmniFocus and then run
AppleScript, which will parse out <code>«variables»</code> and create a new
project, with the help of the share sheet and two Workflows I recreated this
functionality and wrote about it on Colter Reed's blog:
<a href="https://colterreed.com/how-to-fill-out-omnifocus-project-templates-with-workflow/">How to Fill Out OmniFocus Project Templates with Workflow | Colter
Reed</a>. What is probably interesting for you is that this is not one Workflow but
two, and the second one is recursive - that is it calls itself until a
condition is met, for this workflow that there are not more variables to
parse. Using Workflows/Shortcuts as a function is something I rarely see but
is extremely useful.
</li>
</ul>
<p>David also did a great screencast about how he uses Shortcuts to make project
templates:</p>
<p><a href="https://youtu.be/6FMS4c3S9p8">plugin:youtube</a></p>
<p>Make sure to check out the
<a href="https://relay.fm/automators/5">show notes</a> for all of the links,
and I look forward to discussing this episode and all of your examples for
project templates <a href="https://talk.automators.fm">in the forums</a>!</p>Rosemary OrchardEpisode 5 of Automators is all about project templates, and how they can help you to be more productive. David and I are both OmniFocus users, but project templates can be used with almost every task management system out there - even Reminders!Workflow: Upload Blog Post via SSH2018-08-27T20:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflow-upload-blog-post-via-ssh<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflow-upload-blog-post-via-ssh/workflow-upload-blog-post.png"><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/workflow-upload-blog-post.png" /></a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>I use <a href="https://getgrav.org">Grav</a> as my blog CMS, it’s powerful
and customisable, and it lets me upload blog posts via (S)FTP. The catch? My
previous system for blogging involved using
<a href="https://panic.com/transmit/">Transmit</a> and Workflow - and sadly
Transmit for iOS
<a href="https://panic.com/blog/the-future-of-transmit-ios/">is no more</a>.
(You may be wondering why I’m only changing my system now, instead of back in
January when Panic stopped working on Transmit for iOS. It’s simple, it was
still supported in Workflow, sadly it is no longer supported in Shortcuts.)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This Workflow takes advantage of the <code>stdin</code> input option for the
Run Script Over SSH action, in simple terms it means that you can give this
action input as well as using variables as input in the script section.</p>
<p>A quick lesson on how Grav works for those unfamiliar with it and looking to
modify this for Jekyll or another CMS:</p>
<ul>
<li>
There is a User folder where the data for your site is stored (config files,
pages, etc.)
</li>
<li>
Inside of this folder is the Pages folder, where your pages are stored.
</li>
<li>
Folders inside of this become slugs the URL, so my blog posts are all in
<code>blog</code>.
</li>
<li>The file name is the name of the twig template.</li>
</ul>
<p>To start with I choose where I want to store the post, if it’s a link to a
guest post it goes in one folder, and a blog post goes in another - this is
just my personal preference. I’m using a dictionary to do this because then I
can see one option, but have it output something different - as my blog is the
second item in my menu I would have to choose <code>02.blog</code> every time
otherwise. The next step is asking for the slug - this is nearly always on my
clipboard (because I run this from Drafts and Drafts puts the slug on my
clipboard!), then I get the text that was shared to the Workflow and Run
Script Over SSH - which is where all the magic happens. The workflow I’ve
shared does the following:</p>
<pre><code>cd user/pages/$Chosen_Location;
mkdir $Slug;
cd $Slug;
cat > blogpost.md;</code></pre>
<p>I’ve used the dollar signs here to represent Workflow variables - the key line
is the last one, where I save the input of the SSH action to the file
<code>blogpost.md</code>.<br />
Steps:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/Scripting.png" /></a><code>Dictionary</code>: This is a list of the folders where I might choose
to save a blog post.
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/Scripting.png" /></a><code>Choose from List</code>: I choose one of those folders
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/Scripting.png" /></a><code>Ask for Input</code>: And grab the slug for the post.
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/Variable.png" /></a><code>Set Variable</code>: I save the slug to a variable
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/Variable.png" /></a><code>Get Variable</code>: And then I get the blog post shared to the
Workflow.
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/Scripting.png" /></a><code>Run Script Over SSH</code>: Finally I run the SSH script.
</li>
</ul>
<p>Now, I actually save my blog posts in numbered folders - Grav will drop the
number and dot at the start of the a folder name and use the rest of it as a
slug, this helps me find posts based on when they were published from a folder
list. If I create the post in the Grav admin GUI then it numbers them
automatically, but it is possible to do this on the command line too! The
script I use is as follows:</p>
<pre><code>cd user/pages/$Correct_Location;
filecount=$(ls | wc -l);
mkdir ${filecount}.$Slug;
cd ${filecount}.$Slug;
cat > blogpost.md;</code></pre>
<p>What this does is it counts the files and folders in the current folder and
saves them to a variable on command line called <code>filecount</code> - and
then I use this to create the folder for me. This variable is only valid for
this session - but that’s fine for what we need. The folder where the post
will be published contains a file which will display the list of blog posts
and this gives me the +1 I need to create the next folder.<br />
I hope this script is of use to at least one person!</p>
<p>You can get the workflow here:
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/7ed756f77d1c47b19d28c445a4857b47">Upload Blog Post</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary Orchard</a I use Grav as my blog CMS, it’s powerful and customisable, and it lets me upload blog posts via (S)FTP. The catch? My previous system for blogging involved using Transmit and Workflow - and sadly Transmit for iOS is no more. (You may be wondering why I’m only changing my system now, instead of back in January when Panic stopped working on Transmit for iOS. It’s simple, it was still supported in Workflow, sadly it is no longer supported in Shortcuts.)Workflow: Add Task & Sub Tasks To OmniFocus2018-08-24T07:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflow-add-task-sub-tasks-to-omnifocus<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflow-add-task-sub-tasks-to-omnifocus/workflow-add-task-sub-tasks-to-omnifocus.png" alt="alignright" /></p>
<p>The Workflow works by asking you for the main task, then it asks for the sub tasks. Each sub task is indented (and has a dash added in front of the name to make it TaskPaper friendly), and then the whole lot is put into my OmniFocus inbox.<br />
Exact Workflow Steps:</p>
<ul>
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png)
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png)
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png)
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png)
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png)
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png)
<ul>
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png)
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png)
</ul>
</li>
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png)
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png)
<li><code>Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus</code>: Everything goes into my OmniFocus inbox.</li>
</ul>
You can get the workflow here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/c78d1a35f5f84e2fb645d01e46a1888b">Add Task & Sub Tasks To OmniFocus</a>.
</li></li></li></ul></li></li></li></li></li></li></ul>Rosemary OrchardHow to save a grid of photos to Day One to remember your day2018-08-23T02:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-save-a-grid-of-photos-to-day-one-to-remember-your-day<p>Day One is great for memories - but you don’t always need all your photos in it with a high resolution - this Workflow will let you save a nice grid of thumbnails to your day.</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-save-a-grid-of-photos-to-day-one-to-remember-your-day/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardDay One is great for memories - but you don’t always need all your photos in it with a high resolution - this Workflow will let you save a nice grid of thumbnails to your day.Fusion 18: September is Coming2018-08-21T02:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/fusion-september-is-coming<p>This week I was on the Relay FM member’s only podcast: Fusion. Stephen, Mikah and I talked about what we might get at the September Apple event, and keyboards - because it’s always about the keyboards!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/membership">Listen it on Relay FM</a></p>Rosemary OrchardThis week I was on the Relay FM member’s only podcast: Fusion. Stephen, Mikah and I talked about what we might get at the September Apple event, and keyboards - because it’s always about the keyboards!Automators 4: First Look at Siri Shortcuts2018-08-19T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-4-first-look-at-siri-shortcuts<p>Episode 4 of automators is all about Shortcuts and Siri Shortcuts. We
discussed what’s possible now, what we’re excited about (and not so excited).</p>
<p>I did mention my automation I now use when boarding a plane - this is
available over on <a href="https://sharecuts.app">Sharecuts.app</a> which we
didn’t get into this episode, but it’s a great place to share Shortcuts and
let other people download them!</p>
<p>You can listen to episode 4 on
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/4">Relay FM</a>, and discuss it in
<a href="https://talk.automators.fm/t/automators-4-first-look-at-siri-shortcuts/1431/1">our forums</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>!</p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardEpisode 4 of automators is all about Shortcuts and Siri Shortcuts. We discussed what’s possible now, what we’re excited about (and not so excited).How to get daily weather summaries and precipitation notifications from CARROT Weather2018-08-09T01:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-get-daily-weather-summaries-and-precipitation-notifications-from-carrot-weather<p>If you use Carrot weather like I do then make sure you get the benefit of these notifications!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/get-daily-weather-summaries-precipitation-notifications-carrot-weather/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardIf you use Carrot weather like I do then make sure you get the benefit of these notifications!OmniFocus 3 for Mac Sneak Peek2018-08-08T12:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek/omnifocus-sketch-icon.png50x150){.image-right"><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/omnifocus-sketch-icon.png" width="118" height="118" /></a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>I am once again lucky enough to be in the early preview for OmniFocus 3 -
this time on the Mac! What’s important to keep in mind here is that this is a
beta, and an early one at that - things can and likely will change between me
writing this post and OmniFocus 3 for Mac being released - they may have
already changed by the time you read this post!</p>
</blockquote>
<h3>Stability</h3>
<p>This is a beta app so there’s no guarantees, for me the app has been very
stable - but I’m also running it on High Sierra. However as the builds can
literally be released every few hours (depending on what is being added or
changed) this could change at the drop of a hat - so be warned 😉.</p>
<h3>The Icon</h3>
<p>We have the sketch icon again! It’s cute, and helpful to distinguish between
the two apps in your dock. Personally I put OmniFocus 2 in a folder in
Applications called “OmniFocus 2” and the beta in a folder called “OmniFocus
3” (yes, I <em>was</em> feeling creative, however did you guess‽). This means
if you launch the app via spotlight you get a helpful text hint about which
version of the app you’re launching too.</p>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek/omnifocus-spotlight-launcher.png?lightbox=1024x400){.image-center"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/omnifocus-spotlight-launcher.png" /></a></p>
<h3>Forecast View</h3>
<p>Interleaved tasks and calendar events have made their way to the Mac in the
forecast view. This is really handy for putting my day together and I’m a big
fan of this on iOS.</p>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek/omnifocus-3-forecast-view.png?lightbox=1024x400"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/omnifocus-3-forecast-view.png" /></a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek/omnifocus-2-forecast-view.png?lightbox=1024x400"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/omnifocus-2-forecast-view.png" /></a></p>
<p>I find this view much more beneficial than the gantt style view in OmniFocus
2, just because it brings everything together.</p>
<h3>Appearance</h3>
<p>OmniFocus looks different now, for example the toolbar across the top is much
slimmer and by default includes fewer actions - though as always you can
customise it by right clicking on it to add more options. The sidebar where
the perspectives (and any starred custom perspectives) are listed, as well as
the area where the project or tag list is shown have a dark background too,
which I find helps me focus on the tasks area - the important things!</p>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek/omnifocus-3-project-view.png?lightbox=1024x400"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/omnifocus-3-project-view.png" /></a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek/omnifocus-2-project-view.png?lightbox=1024x400"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/omnifocus-2-project-view.png" /></a></p>
<p>One place where you can see some subtle, but effective changes to the design
is in the inspector. For example the status of the selected item has changed
from a dropdown to segmented controls - the iOS equivalent of radio buttons
(you have probably seen these in the maps app, to say that you want to see a
map, transit, or satellite view). Tags of course have changed too, so that you
could see multiple tags which are assigned to the current item at the same
time.</p>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek/omnifocus-3-task-inspector.png?lightbox=1024x400"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/omnifocus-3-task-inspector.png" /> </a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek/omnifocus-2-task-inspector.png?lightbox=1024x400"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/omnifocus-2-task-inspector.png" /></a></p>
</blockquote>
<h3>Repeats</h3>
<p>In OmniFocus 3 for iOS we got custom repeats, and these have been brought over
to the Mac as well. The place where this really shows is in the monthly where
you can specify that a task should repeat on day <code>X</code> of the month,
or you can specify a repeat on the <code>y</code>th <code>z</code>day of each
month (e.g. the second Tuesday). These repeats have come in very handy for me</p>
<ul>
<li>for example I submit my timesheet for last month on the first Monday of the
next month.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek/omnifocus-3-monthly-repeats-days-month.png?lightbox=1024x400"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/omnifocus-3-monthly-repeats-days-month.png" />
<img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/omnifocus-3-monthly-repeats-days-week.png" /></a></p>
<h3>Custom Perspectives</h3>
<p>Another feature we’re now seeing on the Mac is enhanced custom perspectives.
You can build these by nesting rules - if you’ve used Hazel or created smart
folders in Finder then you’ll be familiar with creating the rules (click the
<code>+</code> to add a new one), and you can press <code>ALT</code>+<code>+</code</code></p>
<blockquote>
<p>to add a nested rule. A new feature here that’s not yet on iOS is the ability
to change the overarching rule, on iOS it defaults to “all of”, and this can
be changed to “any of” or “none of” in the new Mac version - though at the
time of writing this doesn’t yet sync to iOS.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek/omnifocus-3-custom-perspectives.png?lightbox=1024x400"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/omnifocus-3-custom-perspectives.png" /></a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek/omnifocus-2-custom-perspectives.png?lightbox=1024x400"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/omnifocus-2-custom-perspectives.png" /></a></p>
<p>I’m very excited about the new OmniFocus 3 for Mac, and really looking forward
to seeing how it evolves throughout the beta process!</p>Rosemary Orchard</a I am once again lucky enough to be in the early preview for OmniFocus 3 - this time on the Mac! What’s important to keep in mind here is that this is a beta, and an early one at that - things can and likely will change between me writing this post and OmniFocus 3 for Mac being released - they may have already changed by the time you read this post!Workflow: Markdown To Nice PDF2018-08-07T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflow-markdown-to-nice-pdf<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflow-markdown-to-nice-pdf/workflow-markdown-to-nice-pdf.png" alt="alignright" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflow-markdown-to-nice-pdf/example-without-formatting.jpeg" alt="aligncenter" />
Yes, that’s Times New Roman. Not a font I usually use by choice. Thankfully however it’s quite simple to fix this with my Workflow. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, I convert the rich text to HTML, replace the <code><body></code> tag with one containing a HTML inline style (<code><body style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></code>), make rich text from that HTML, and then make the PDF. The body in HTML is where all of your content is, so this will then apply to all of your text. If you just wanted to change the first level of headings, you could replace the <code><h1></code> tags instead.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflow-markdown-to-nice-pdf/example-with-formatting.jpeg" alt="aligncenter" />
This is how the whole Workflow runs:</p>
<ul>
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/RichText.png)
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/RichText.png)
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png)
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/RichText.png)
<li>![](https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/PDF.png)
</ul>
Bonus: The PDF contains the text as well, so it's searchable and also accessible. All you need to do is to add an action at the end of the Workflow to make it do what you want with it, you could quick look it, share it, open it in another application or save it somewhere you choose!
You can get the simplest workflow here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/0f438f7dc4c34b43a3aa02fb108b08d3">Markdown To Nice PDF</a>
It would also be possible to link a style sheet, such as the [Pure CSS] one, by adding the css link to the <code><head></code> tag, the caveat of this is most pre-built CSS files work best when you add classes to sections (e.g. <code><table></code> would be <code><table class="pure-table"></code>), which will require many more <code>Replace Text</code> actions if you want to account for all the possibilities.
If you want the <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/772806a60f4a4b968f273aa0f0c3eca3">Pure CSS version</a> is also available.
</li></li></li></li></li></ul>Rosemary OrchardAutomators 3: Sal Soghoian uses AppleScript to turn a Numbers Sheet into a Keynote Chart2018-08-03T20:45:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-episode-3-sal-soghoian-applescript-numbers-keynote<p>In the third episode of Automators we are joined by Sal Soghoian, AppleScript
God, to learn about AppleScript and how to use it!</p>
<p>While David and I usually take it in turns to write up everything about the
show and provide complete documentation, Sal’s actually done that for this
week:</p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-medium" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/macos_automation_automators.png" width="1686" height="4247" /></p>
<p>You can find the scripts, videos, and a complete breakdown of everything over
at <a href="http://macosautomation.com/automators/">macOSautomation</a>, along
with all of Sal’s other things.</p>
<p>In this show Sal gave us 3 AppleScripts. The first takes a whole table, and
converts it into a bar chart in Keynote, the second takes a row or column and
makes a pie chart, and the final one takes selected rows and turns them into a
chart.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th></th>
<th>Q1</th>
<th>Q2</th>
<th>Q3</th>
<th>Q4</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Widget A</td>
<td>$1212</td>
<td>$1495</td>
<td>$1170</td>
<td>$1423</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Widget B</td>
<td>$1902</td>
<td>$2345</td>
<td>$1835</td>
<td>$2121</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Widget C</td>
<td>$2636</td>
<td>$3250</td>
<td>$2542</td>
<td>$3168</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>The brilliance of this, is the first script is just 17 lines - that’s it!</p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-medium" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/08/number_to_keynote.png" width="1603" height="594" /></p>
<p>You can listen to the episode over on
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/3">Relay FM</a>. And make sure to use
the code in the show if you want to attend
<a href="https://www.cmddconf.com">CMD-D Down Home Scripting Bootcamp</a>!</p>Rosemary OrchardIn the third episode of Automators we are joined by Sal Soghoian, AppleScript God, to learn about AppleScript and how to use it!How to create and edit multireddits in Apollo2018-08-02T02:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-create-and-edit-multireddits-in-apollo<p>A quick tip for creating and managing multireddits - collections of subreddits, in my favourite Reddit app!</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/create-edit-multireddits-apollo/">Read the article on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardA quick tip for creating and managing multireddits - collections of subreddits, in my favourite Reddit app!Systematic 227: Automating Everything with Rosemary Orchard2018-08-02T02:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/systematic-automating-everything-with-rosemary-orchard<p>I had the chance to chat to Brett about automation, MacStock, and our top three picks for this week!</p>
<p><a href="http://esn.fm/systematic/227">Listen to it on Systematic</a></p>Rosemary OrchardI had the chance to chat to Brett about automation, MacStock, and our top three picks for this week!Roboism 19: I Bought My iPad a Boyfriend2018-08-01T20:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/roboism-19<p>I was honoured to be a guest of Alex Cox on Roboism, where we talked about automation, robots, cyborgs, accessibility, and BB8 droids!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.relay.fm/roboism/19">Listen to the episode</a></p>Rosemary OrchardI was honoured to be a guest of Alex Cox on Roboism, where we talked about automation, robots, cyborgs, accessibility, and BB8 droids!A Slab of Glass 13: Automation with Rosemary Orchard2018-07-27T07:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/a-slab-of-glass-automation-with-rosemary-orchard<p>I chatted with Jeff and Chris about how much we love the iPad, accessories, apps, and automation!</p>
<p><a href="http://aslabofglass.com/13">Listen on A Slab of Glass</a></p>Rosemary OrchardI chatted with Jeff and Chris about how much we love the iPad, accessories, apps, and automation!How to Fill Out OmniFocus Project Templates with Workflow2018-07-24T09:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-fill-out-omnifocus-project-templates-with-workflow<p>In this post I give you some Workflow workflows which allow you to take a template project, stored in OmniFocus, and create a new project from it - replacing variables along the way!</p>
<p><a href="https://colterreed.com/how-to-fill-out-omnifocus-project-templates-with-workflow/">Read on Colter Reed</a></p>Rosemary OrchardIn this post I give you some Workflow workflows which allow you to take a template project, stored in OmniFocus, and create a new project from it - replacing variables along the way!Automators 2: Email Automation2018-07-20T18:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-episode-2<p>Episode 2 of Automators is all about automating email. We all have email, and
there are a lot of things you can do to automate it - from filters, to mail
merges, and complete automation of sending emails.</p>
<p>We’ve made 3 screencasts for this episode which you can find over on the
<a href="https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCvpU-_RS85Y7q5PZsAaH87w">YouTube Channel</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>, and you can discuss the episode in
<a href="https://talk.automators.fm/t/automators-2-email-automation/906?u=rosemaryorchard">the forum too</a
.</a></p>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardEpisode 2 of Automators is all about automating email. We all have email, and there are a lot of things you can do to automate it - from filters, to mail merges, and complete automation of sending emails.Friends in Your Ears: 132018-07-20T17:45:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/friends-in-your-ears-13<p>I joined Kathy and Scotty to have a chat about our favourite podcasts!</p>Rosemary OrchardI joined Kathy and Scotty to have a chat about our favourite podcasts!Useful iMessage Apps2018-07-16T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/useful-imessage-apps<p>I was recently asked on Twitter which iMessage apps I use regularly, and thought it might well be worth a blog post - there are some really <em>useful</em> iMessage apps out there, but most people just seem to use stickers! (Not that stickers aren’t great of course.)</p>
<h3>Airmail</h3>
<p>If you’ve ever wanted or needed to send an email attachment via iMessage this is an easy way to do it. You simply get a list of attachments on emails, allowing you to send the file onwards.</p>
<h3>Citymapper</h3>
<p>This particular app is very useful - you can send your current location, a recently searched for destination, or your current trip. Very useful if you’re trying to meet up with people!<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/useful-imessage-apps/citymapper.jpg" alt="" />{.image-center)</p>
<h3>Copied</h3>
<p>I love Copied, it’s a great clipboard manager that syncs between iOS and macOS, and you have access to images in it iMessage app. I often share to Copied and then I can use either the keyboard or the iMessage app to share things on.</p>
<h3>Doodle</h3>
<p>If you’ve ever tried to arrange an event that involves more than one person you’ve done the back and forth of “are you free then? No, how about next week? FIne, I give up” (or similar), Doodle is fabulous to help you fix that - you just create a poll when <em>you</em> are available, and everyone votes for the dates that work for them. Well throw that into a group iMessage and you’ve saved yourself 100 notifications (more or less, depending on the size of the group and how busy their schedules are!).</p>
<h3>Drafts</h3>
<p>I often start my writing in Drafts, regardless of what it is, and now I can grab a Draft and send it via iMessage. It’s very useful and helps you avoid that copy and paste dance!</p>
<h3>Dropbox</h3>
<p>If you want to send a file that’s stored in Dropbox this is the easiest way.</p>
<h3>Glympse</h3>
<p>I love sharing my location with people to help us find one another, Glympse goes a few steps above Find Friends here. You can choose to share for a time period, or until you get a location - if you do that it calculates the route and shows the person where you are on your route, how fast you’re moving, and your estimated arrival time. Being able to share it via iMessage is extremely useful, especially as the other person doesn’t need to be using Glympse check on you.</p>
<h3>Mapstr</h3>
<p>Mapstr is one of my favourite apps, I bookmark locations in it all the time, and I frequently want to share them! With the iMessage app you can search for a location - sorted by nearest to you automatically. The shared item results in a map, with the name and tags you have specified - so the person could import it directly if they wanted to.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/useful-imessage-apps/mapstr_list.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/useful-imessage-apps/mapstr-demo.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<h3>Music</h3>
<p>I like to share music with people, they probably heard about it months, years, or decades before I came across it, but it’s fun nonetheless. With the iMessage app I can send the exact track I’m listening to right now to a friend - or pick something earlier from my playing history.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/useful-imessage-apps/music-imessage-app.jpeg" alt="" />{.image-center)</p>
<h3>OneDrive</h3>
<p>This works the same way the Dropbox app does, but with OneDrive (funny that). It’s pretty useful for Word documents I’ve had to wrangle.</p>
<h3>TripIt</h3>
<p>I travel, a lot. At least compared to some people. I love to use TripIt to share parts of my trip with people. It formats things prettily, while still giving them the information they would want.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/useful-imessage-apps/tripit-imessage-app-demo.png" alt="" />{.image-center)</p>
<h3>Week Calendar</h3>
<p>I usually invite people to calendar events if they’re involved or affected by it, however sometimes that’s not practical. It’s nice to be able to share the details of an event though. What’s great about this app is it shares both the text (name of the event, start date/time, end date/time), and it also shares a URL, from the URL the person can add an ICS file straight to their calendar of the exact event if they like, or use iOS’s smart recogniition to add their own event from the dates.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/useful-imessage-apps/weekcalendar-choose-an-event.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/useful-imessage-apps/weekcalendar-share-an-event.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/useful-imessage-apps/week-calendar-view-an-event.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<h3>Yelp</h3>
<p>I don’t save <em>everything</em> to Mapstr - so Yelp comes in handy, especially when evaluating options. You can search and choose from recently searched for locations, and share them - by default the preview shows an image with the name and rating overlaid - but with the address underneath, so once you’ve finally picked the perfect pancake place you can head right there.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/useful-imessage-apps/yelp-imessage-app.png" alt="" />{.image-center)
iMessage apps certainly come in handy, which ones are you using?</p>Rosemary OrchardI was recently asked on Twitter which iMessage apps I use regularly, and thought it might well be worth a blog post - there are some really useful iMessage apps out there, but most people just seem to use stickers! (Not that stickers aren’t great of course.)iPad Pros Podcast: Episode 27 – Automators with Rosemary Orchard2018-07-12T11:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/ipad-pro-podcast-27<p>I talked to Tim about getting started with automation, the future of
Shortcuts, Workflow, and more.</p>
<p><a href="https://ipadpros.net/2018/07/12/episode-27-automators-with-rosemary-orchard/">Listen it on iPad Pros Podcast</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardI talked to Tim about getting started with automation, the future of Shortcuts, Workflow, and more.Sonos and Airplay 2: First Impressions2018-07-12T10:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/sonos-and-airplay-2-first-impressions<p>I bought a Sonos One back when it was released late last year, and it quickly became something I used without thinking about it too much. I got a Spotify subscription and liked that I could just switch my stream from my headphones to the Sonos from the Spotify app - in contrast to Apple and Google Music services which required navigating the Sonos app. I prefer Apple Music though - being able to put my headphones on and just press play is a surprisingly powerful factor, so I switched away from Spotify and back to Apple Music.</p>
<p>Airplay 2 has given me the ability to switch where the music is playing to easily once more though, I can switch from my AirPods to my Sonos, there’s a very slight pause waiting for the stream to switch - but this is technology, not magic! You can use any app to play the audio elsewhere, though some apps need to update to support Airplay 2 and those are noticeable with a longer pause from when you press a music control button - but I’m confident we’ll get an update for these apps.<br />
I’m currently listening to podcasts on my Sonos and it’s good - easy, no fiddling, just play and select the audio output. I have a feeling this might cause me to purchase a few more!</p>Rosemary OrchardI bought a Sonos One back when it was released late last year, and it quickly became something I used without thinking about it too much. I got a Spotify subscription and liked that I could just switch my stream from my headphones to the Sonos from the Spotify app - in contrast to Apple and Google Music services which required navigating the Sonos app. I prefer Apple Music though - being able to put my headphones on and just press play is a surprisingly powerful factor, so I switched away from Spotify and back to Apple Music.Our first look at Shortcuts on iOS2018-07-11T02:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/our-first-look-at-shortcuts-on-ios<p>I took a quick look at what’s new in Shortcuts vs Workflow, and what we might see and give a few examples of how I’m using it.</p>
<p><a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/articles/first-look-shortcuts-ios/">Read it on The Sweet Setup</a></p>Rosemary OrchardI took a quick look at what’s new in Shortcuts vs Workflow, and what we might see and give a few examples of how I’m using it.How to Create OmniFocus Projects with Workflow2018-07-10T09:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/how-to-create-omnifocus-projects-with-workflow<p>There are some projects that you just want to create a solid template of so you can use them again and again - this post gives you a few examples for how to execute that in Workflow.</p>
<p><a href="https://colterreed.com/how-to-create-omnifocus-projects-with-workflow/">Read on Colter Reed</a></p>Rosemary OrchardThere are some projects that you just want to create a solid template of so you can use them again and again - this post gives you a few examples for how to execute that in Workflow.Automators 1: Automating Calendar Events2018-07-06T17:30:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/automators-episode-1<p>This week’s episodes of
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/automators/1">The Automators</a> is focused on
calendar event creation. There are many ways you can automatically create
calendar events, and it’s useful to be able to do so, to avoid losing
information. You can also use calendar events as a trigger to do something -
which we cover towards the end. Below there are details of all the automations
we cover, including 4 (really, four!) screencasts.</p>
<h2>Workflow: Calendar Event Templates</h2>
<p><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/workflow-calendar-event-templates.png" width="163" height="163" /></p>
<p>This is a very simple Workflow which asks me for the date and time of the
event, and then what kind of event this is (the demo has 3 examples) - it then
adjusts the time to add an appropriate length for the appointment and adds it
to my calendar. This is very useful because I can never remember what floor my
dentist is on or exactly where to turn to find my hairdresser - so I can add
this to the notes. Even if the places you frequent are not hidden like mine
are you can still use this!</p>
<p>You can get the workflow here:
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/434bd4cf625f419282aee780d3414a4c">Calendar Event Templates</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Make sure to read on to find out about the “Run Workflow” action at the end of
it.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Workflow: Add Event To Work Calendar</h2>
<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/workflow-add-event-to-work-calendar.png" width="143" height="143" />This workflow follows the first one, and is in fact run by it - or could be.
It simply asks you if the appointment you’ve made is during working hours, and
if you say yes, adds an event that starts half an hour before and ends half an
hour after the appointment you’ve just created to your calendar. Make sure to
tweak the calendar setting here! You can get the workflow here:
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/7028582e422441209e36690ab4621b94">Add Event To Work Calendar (Menu)</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p>Of course, you can automate this too, this formats the date of the event as
one letter (so Monday becomes M, Friday becomes F), and if it’s not Saturday
or Sunday, checks if the event starts after 8 am but before 6pm - if yes it
adds an event to your calendar. It’s not <em>insanely</em> complicated, but
it’s not as simple as the Workflow above.</p>
<p>You can get the workflow here:
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/3a0dd365141d4146981c1297148f2a24">Add Event To Work Calendar (Auto)</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<h2>David's Hyper Scheduling Workflow</h2>
<p><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/workflow-block-schedule.png" width="144" height="144" />Since February David has had an ongoing
<a href="https://www.macsparky.com/blog/2018/2/the-hyper-scheduling-experiment">Hyper-Scheduling Experiment</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>, which involves scheduling blocks of time in his calendar to provide a
framework throughout his day. You can see his Workflow to generate some of the
core blocks here.<br />
https://youtu.be/mRDUdsRBiIk</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You can get the workflow here:
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/4568f7c24b8e415c9e77305b26e4768e">Block Schedule</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<h2>Add Travel Time</h2>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/automators-episode-1/workflow-travel-time.png"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/workflow-travel-time.png" width="100" height="100" /></a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Here David walks you through how his Workflow to add travel time events to
your calendar works.<br />
https://youtu.be/Do6UWlnO_5g</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You can get the workflow here:
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/9bd57fd605034d3bade12d8486b80d7e">Travel Time</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<h2>Repeating Events</h2>
<p>Of course, one of the simplest ways to automate calendar event creation is
repeats - and you can go from very simple up to fairly complex within that.
The simplest repeats are every day/week/month/year, but if you go into the
<code>Custom...</code> options then you can create repeats such as “On the
first weekday of every month”.</p>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/automators-episode-1/calendar-simple-repeat-options.png"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/calendar-simple-repeat-options.png" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/automators-episode-1/calendar-simple-repeat-options.png"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/calendar-weekly-repeat-options.png" width="441" height="423" /></a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/automators-episode-1/calendar-monthly-repeat-options.png"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/calendar-monthly-repeat-options.png" width="413" height="495" /></a></p>
<h2>Copy and paste</h2>
<p>If repeating events count as automation (they do!) then copying and pasting
events does as well.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<code>CMD+D</code> allows you to duplicate an event, and then you can drag
and drop it.
</li>
<li>
<code>CMD+C</code> and then <code>CMD+V</code> lets you paste, if you select
a new date before you paste then the event is automatically added to that
day. In many apps you can even paste it in at the time you have selected.
</li>
<li>
Fantastical on iOS gives you the option to duplicate an event when you tap
and hold on it, or when you swipe, and tap "More...", BusyCal allows you to
duplicate an event by force touching it. I personally prefer Fantastical as
it immediately asks me for the new date where as with BusyCal you need to
edit the new event.
</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/automators-episode-1/fantastical-duplicate-event.png"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/fantastical-duplicate-event.png" width="359" height="720" /><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/busycal-duplicate-event.png" width="357" height="716" /></a></p>
<h2>Workflow: Copy a Calendar Event</h2>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/automators-episode-1/workflow-copy-calendar-event.png"><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/workflow-copy-calendar-event.png" width="155" height="155" /></a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>This Workflow lets you choose from calendar events, and uses the chosen item
to create a new event. It is currently set to use events from today, but you
can easily change the filter in the “Find Calendar Events” action to look in
the last week, the next week, or any time period of your choice.<br />
https://youtu.be/BNYbLxzKx2M</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/automators-episode-1/workflow-copy-calendar-event-detail.png){.image-center"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/workflow-copy-calendar-event-detail.png" /></a></p>
<p>You can get the workflow here:
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/ac14868356bd40a4b9223bbac1a844df">Copy Calendar Event</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<h2>Parsing a list of events with Numbers</h2>
<p>I first mentioned this automation in
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/mpu/418">episode 418 of the Mac Power Users</a>,
this is designed to help you take a list of events and quickly add them to the
right calendars. As David mentioned on the podcast you could also use it to
calculate dates backwards from a specific event (he used a trial as an
example) to add other events or deadlines to your calendar.<br />
https://youtu.be/tvlrZpEklbw</p>
<p>You can
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/mxx77d2bblqgt6k/Fantastical%20Calendar%20Event%20Creation.numbers?dl=1">download the spreadsheet here</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Keyboard Maestro Macro is very simple, it splits the text on your
clipboard into lines, and then runs the following AppleScript on each line.</p>
<pre><code class="language-applescript">tell application "Keyboard Maestro Engine" to set myEvent to getvariable "Event"
tell application "Fantastical 2"
parse sentence myEvent with add immediately
end tell</code></pre>
<p>This AppleScript merely sets a local variable to the Keyboard Maestro variable
for the line, and then uses Fantastical’s AppleScript support to get it to
parse the event and add it straight to your calendar. If you wanted to
evaluate each event before it gets added then you would remove the
<code>with add immediately</code>.</p>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/automators-episode-1/keyboard-maestro-macro-clipboard-to-fantastical-lines.png){.image-center"><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/keyboard-maestro-macro-clipboard-to-fantastical-lines.png" /></a></p>
<p>You can download this
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/0hthy74msa5j1ti/Add-clipboard-events-to-Fantastical.kmmacros?dl=1">Keyboard Maestro Macro here</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/workflow-clipboard-events-to-fantastical.png" width="196" height="196" /></p>
<p>You can also make this system iOS friendly in two ways, the Numbers sheet
itself of course works on iOS. But you can do two things with the list of
events it generates, the first is to use a Workflow,
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/8be06c81e6f4408687a1a5ca1e8b772d">Clipboard Events To Fantastical</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>which goes through all the lines on your clipboard adding them to Fantastical
for you. The second way is to use Drafts, with the
<a href="https://actions.getdrafts.com/a/1ED">Events in Fantastical</a> action
provided by Agile Tortoise.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As mentioned in the show, David has a great series of
<a href="https://flexibits.com/fantastical/videos">video tutorials for Fantastical</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>where he guides you through the core features and some of the syntax options.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Adding event with AppleScript</h2>
<p>As we mentioned in the show, AppleScript is not the most flexible when it
comes to adding events to your calendar. However it is definitely possible! I
highly recommend the
<a href="https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/AppleApplications/Conceptual/CalendarScriptingGuide/Calendar-CreateanEvent.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40016646-CH94-SW3">official Apple documentation</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>as a starting point for a script that <em>works</em>, There’s also a library
called
<a href="https://www.macosxautomation.com/applescript/apps/Script_Libs.html#CalendarLib_EC">CalendarLib</a</a></p>
<p>which is linked on the very helpful
<a href="http://macosautomation.com">macosautomation.com</a>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Of course, you can also use AppleScript to control Fantastical - as
demonstrated in my Keyboard Maestro Macro above, here’s their
<a href="https://flexibits.com/fantastical/help/integration-with-other-apps">documentation for integration with other apps</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Cloud Based Automation</h2>
<p>Using web services like IFTTT or Zapier to automate things based on calendar
events can be limited if you’re not using the “right” calendar system - so you
can have IFTTT trigger things based on an event starting in Google calendar,
but not in iCloud calendar. You can however use a variety of triggers from
time and date, to RSS feed entries, to add events to your calendar on almost
any system - as long as if it’s iCloud you have the IFTTT app installed.</p>
<h2>Favourite Workflows</h2>
<p>In this last part of the show we talked about our two favourite automations
related to calendars.</p>
<h3>David - Meeting Confirmation</h3>
<p><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/workflow-meeting-confirmation.png" width="190" height="190" /></p>
<p>This workflow is really useful if you have meetings that you need to remind
other people of, David actually has two - one for in person meetings, and one
for scheduled calls. You can get them here:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/2995a75e01ef4bad9295a9f91d98d05d">Meeting Confirmation</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/0e2c5184e2c647a39dfb999f11b6dc62">Phone Confirmation</a>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Rose - Workflow: Event Review</h3>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/automators-episode-1/workflow-event-review.png"><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/workflow-event-review.png" width="140" height="140" /></a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>I use this Workflow to help me review the events that have happened in the
last week, as well as to prepare tasks for appointments in the upcoming week.
This adds the calendar events from last week to a Drafts note, and combines
any tasks you note down for the next week into Taskpaper and adds them to
Omnifocus.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You can get the workflow here:
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/cda1965b59ae4ef19ece6958be097187">Event Review</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardThis week’s episodes of The Automators is focused on calendar event creation. There are many ways you can automatically create calendar events, and it’s useful to be able to do so, to avoid losing information. You can also use calendar events as a trigger to do something - which we cover towards the end. Below there are details of all the automations we cover, including 4 (really, four!) screencasts.Shortcuts Beta now open!2018-07-05T22:28:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/shortcuts-beta-now-open<p>Earlier today a few little birdies told me about the Shortcuts beta being open to sign up for if you have a developer account. If I hadn’t already had one I might have been tempted to sign up for it just for this!</p>
<p>It seems Apple is sending out the invitations pretty quickly as mine has already arrived. I’m really looking forward to testing this and getting stuck in - iOS 12 has made some big promises regarding automation, I bet it will live up to them!<br />
You can read more about the current beta over on <a href="https://www.macstories.net/linked/shortcuts-app-beta-arriving-through-testflight-soon/">MacStories</a>.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/shortcuts-beta-now-open/shortcuts-beta-invite.jpeg" alt="" />{.image-center)</p>Rosemary OrchardEarlier today a few little birdies told me about the Shortcuts beta being open to sign up for if you have a developer account. If I hadn’t already had one I might have been tempted to sign up for it just for this!Clockwise 248: Six Filters Was All We Needed in My Day2018-07-03T21:52:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/clockwise-six-filters-was-all-we-needed-in-my-day<p>I was a guest on Clockwise where we talked about Apple Maps getting better, Instagram’s new “you’ve seen it all” feature and marketing sessions, as well as Apple Pay and public transit. And I managed to pick the title!</p>
<p><a href="'https://www.relay.fm/clockwise/248'">Listen on Relay FM</a></p>Rosemary OrchardI was a guest on Clockwise where we talked about Apple Maps getting better, Instagram’s new “you’ve seen it all” feature and marketing sessions, as well as Apple Pay and public transit. And I managed to pick the title!Launching Automators: a Podcast About Automation2018-07-02T16:10:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/launching-automators-podcast<p>I’ve been asked several times if I have a podcast of my own, or a podcast
about automation, and today I’m very excited to announce both: I’m launching a
podcast with <a href="https://macsparky.com">David Sparks</a> on
<a href="https://relay.fm">Relay FM</a> called
<a href="https://automators.fm">Automators</a>.</p>
<p>We plan for every episode to be approximately 30-45 minutes in length, and
will release them every two weeks. Every episode will be accompanied by a blog
post either on my blog or on David’s where we provide all of the automations
in the episode ready for download. The episodes will be released every two
weeks on Fridays, which means you have the weekend ahead of you if you want to
take our examples and go crazy!</p>
<p>This podcast is for everyone, you don’t need to be a super nerd or a
programmer - we are giving you the finished automations directly so you can
just use them. You simply need some imagination (to think of things to
automate), and a willingness to try things.</p>
<p>If you want an RSS feed of the blog posts which will accompany the episodes,
you can find it via <a href="https://automators.fm">Automators.fm</a> - these
will link straight to David’s blog post or my blog post, but is ideal for
automation! We also have a
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvpU-_RS85Y7q5PZsAaH87w">YouTube Channel</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>and a <a href="https://talk.automators.fm">forum</a>, where you can see any
screencasts we make, and discuss every episode.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We created an episode 0 where we tell about the podcast, and David and I got a
little carried away and made a Memoji version which you can actually watch!</p>
<p>I hope you’ll <a href="https://relay.fm/automators">subscribe to the feed</a>,
and that you enjoy the first episode which is coming on Friday!<br />
Here are links to the podcast in some popular podcast players:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://castro.fm/podcast/62af351b-5cc2-4845-9285-8b9da25846ae">Castro</a>
</li>
<li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1406364168">iTunes</a></li>
<li>
<a href="https://overcast.fm/itunes1406364168/automators">Overcast</a>
</li>
<li><a href="https://pca.st/SYSe">PocketCasts</a></li>
</ul>
<p>https://youtu.be/Kv84vVxG_CU</p>Rosemary OrchardI’ve been asked several times if I have a podcast of my own, or a podcast about automation, and today I’m very excited to announce both: I’m launching a podcast with David Sparks on Relay FM called Automators.My Raspberry Pi Zero W Portable Development Server2018-07-01T20:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/my-raspberry-pi-zero-w-portable-development-server<p>I love my iPad, it’s a great, very portable device that I can use for almost everything. Unfortunately the almost for most people is a deal breaker - but I’m stubborn and see these things as a problem to be solved rather than a reason to use another device!</p>
<p>One of my most frequently used “tools” are servers - if you can call a server a tool. This blog runs on one, as does <a href="https://automationorchard.com">Automation Orchard</a>, as well as a lot of little scripts which make my life easier. Unfortunately having an entire server running locally on an iPad isn’t quite possible yet - apps like <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id593757593?at=1010lumu">DraftCode Offline PHP IDE</a> are fabulous and can even run Wordpress - but sometimes needs must, and you need something that is less restricted. This is where my Raspberry Pi Zero W comes into play.<br />
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/07/pi-on-a-plane.jpeg" /><br />
The Raspberry Pi Zero W, for those of you not familiar with it, is an extremely small headless computer - it doesn’t have a screen - indeed when you buy it you just get the board, that’s it! The hard drive is a micro SD card, and it sports a few ports - 2 micro USB (one for power), and a mini HDMI. How on earth can you connect to that with an iPad?<br />
The answer is not the shortest or easiest, but it does sound simple: wifi. I have set my Raspberry Pi up so that when it boots up it creates a wifi network, of course this doesn’t create an internet connection, but that’s not what we’re after here. I won’t go into the steps of setting this up here, instead I recommend you follow this guide: <a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/configuration/wireless/access-point.md">Setting Up a Raspberry Pi as an Access Point in a Standalone Network (NAT)</a><br />
The other part I needed to do was to make sure the Pi would always have the same IP address. This allows me to use <a href="https://www.rosemaryorchard.com/blog/remote-control-raspberry-pi">use Workflow to control it via SSH</a>, and connect to it with <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id500906297?at=1010lumu">Coda</a> which lets me hook right into the device and has great syntax highlighting. As I mostly program for the web with PHP I use Coda in split screen with Safari which I can refresh to see the results of what I’m doing.<br />
I use a CMS called Grav, and they have a nice little guide to help you set up the <a href="https://getgrav.org/blog/raspberrypi-nginx-php7-dev">Raspberry Pi</a> to run it - there are guides to set up most CMS on a Pi if you look.<br />
Why would I do all of this over using something like Linode or Digital Ocean, you might ask. It’s a very simple answer: internet isn’t always a given. I travel a lot, and most of my flights do not have wifi (and those that do charge a fortune for it). Even trains go through tunnels where you lose your connection. If you always have wifi or cellular data then you can avoid carrying a tiny computer, cable and battery pack along with your iPad, but if you don’t then this is a very small combination that gives you a lot of power.<br />
<strong>Hardware in use:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://thepihut.com/collections/raspberry-pi-zero/products/raspberry-pi-zero-w">Raspberry Pi Zero W</a></li>
<li><a href="https://thepihut.com/collections/raspberry-pi-cases/products/pibow-zero-w">Pibow Zero W</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CU1EC6Y/?tag=rosemaryorchard-20">Anker PowerCore</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAMTC5T/?tag=rosemaryorchard-20">Anker PowerLine Micro USB (4 Inches)</a>
You'll also need a microSD card and to set up the OS on it, if you're not sure where to begin you can buy one with <a href="https://thepihut.com/products/noobs-preinstalled-sd-card">NOOBS preinstalled</a>.</li>
</ul>Rosemary OrchardI love my iPad, it’s a great, very portable device that I can use for almost everything. Unfortunately the almost for most people is a deal breaker - but I’m stubborn and see these things as a problem to be solved rather than a reason to use another device!Download #61: Someone Else Call 9112018-06-28T11:45:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/download-61-someone-else-call-911<p>I was a guest on Download yesterday along with Mikah Sargent and Stephen Hacket. We had fun talking about companies buying companies, Apple covering the news, and beta software - as well as the fluffy puppy of the week!</p>
<p><a href="'https://www.relay.fm/download/61'">Listen on Relay FM</a></p>Rosemary OrchardI was a guest on Download yesterday along with Mikah Sargent and Stephen Hacket. We had fun talking about companies buying companies, Apple covering the news, and beta software - as well as the fluffy puppy of the week!Managing References and Resources When Writing Academic Papers2018-06-27T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/managing-references-and-resources-when-writing-academic-papers<p>Some of you may know that I’m studying for my Masters degree in Computing (Software Engineering), this naturally requires me to write more than a few essays with full referencing. Being a nerd I want to make this as easy as possible for myself, whilst still being accurate - and the simplest way to do this is to use software to manage my references.</p>
<p>After doing some comparisons I settled on Zotero - it’s free, which is perfect for a student budget, and you could program your own extensions if needed. More importantly it has a Word plugin which as I am required to submit my assignments in Word format is extremely useful.<br />
For those of you not familiar with referencing plugins and software you usually write your essay, and as you get to a place where you would insert a citation then you use the plugin in Word to do so. This software later generates a complete bibliography for you. EndNote, Mendeley, Bookends and Zotero are all capable of handling different citation formats, and Zotero even has one for my university’s exact styling which is a great timesaver.<br />
At the start of each course or module I save all of the recommended reading into Zotero, they have browser plugins for Safari, Firefox, and Chrome which is ideal. By default Zotero saves PDFs if one is available for the reference, or a web snapshot. I prefer to save these items to DevonThink so use DevonThink’s plugin to save the actual files to it instead. When saving the files I use the format <code>Author - year - title</code> which makes it easy to find the relevant reference. DevonThink allows me to use <em>Edit in Place</em> on iOS to annotate documents with whichever app I like. I also prefer to save web pages in PDF form which means I can annotate everything with PDF Expert.<br />
To remove these attachments from my Zotero library (you only get 200MB of sync storage for free), I have created a saved search. It has <code>Item Type is Attachment</code> as the sole criteria, and searches the whole library. I simply open this saved search, use CMD+A, and press delete - which deletes all of my attachments. As I prefer to use the search in DevonThink to find references I remember this isn’t a problem, and I can also use the NEAR search parameter (<code>NEAR(man, cat)</code> would find items where the word man is within 10 words of the word cat, you can expand on this with <code>NEAR(man, cat, 100)</code> which would do the same but within 100 words - this is a massive timesaver for me.</p>
<p>Sometimes items added to Zotero do not always have the complete metadata - this tends to be my university website in my case. To fix these items I have a very useful smart folder and Keyboard Maestro Macro. The smart folder filters for items from my university website, which have no date or creator, the keyboard maestro macro requires me to set the number of items it should process and then goes through and uses the “click at image” action to set both the author and the date of the item in question. Zotero does have an API, but sometimes the best automation is the one you can set up the fastest which achieves the needed results - and this certainly fits that bill.</p>
<p>DevonThink and Zotero are a very useful pair for me and I honestly think that without them I would struggle to complete my assignments.</p>Rosemary OrchardSome of you may know that I’m studying for my Masters degree in Computing (Software Engineering), this naturally requires me to write more than a few essays with full referencing. Being a nerd I want to make this as easy as possible for myself, whilst still being accurate - and the simplest way to do this is to use software to manage my references.The New Mac Power Users Community2018-06-25T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/the-new-mac-power-users-community<p>The Mac Power Users community which I have been helping to moderate has a wonderful new home on Discourse. The Facebook group has been archived (which means it is still there, but in read only mode), and <a href="https://talk.macpowerusers.com">talk.macpowerusers.com</a> is already exceedingly popular. I know a large number of the Mac Power Users fans are not Facebook users and hope that they will join this community.</p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/the-new-mac-power-users-community/mpu-talk-discourse-homepage.jpeg" alt="" />
Here are some of my posts which I have created so far:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://talk.macpowerusers.com/t/workflow-workflows-a-collection/461/16">Workflow workflows, a Collection</a></li>
<li><a href="https://talk.macpowerusers.com/t/referencing-software/992/10">Referencing Software</a></li>
<li><a href="https://talk.macpowerusers.com/t/whats-your-favourite-shelf-app/580/27">What's your favourite shelf app?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://talk.macpowerusers.com/t/agenda-the-new-note-taking-software/1214/6">Agenda, the "new" note taking software</a></li>
<li><a href="https://talk.macpowerusers.com/t/my-10-5-ipad-pro-on-the-go-homescreen/579/15">My 10.5" iPad Pro (on the go) Homescreen</a></li>
</ul>
<p>And here are some useful help posts:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://talk.macpowerusers.com/t/rss-feeds-for-mpu-talk/459/1">RSS Feeds</a></li>
<li><a href="https://talk.macpowerusers.com/t/emails-notifications/996/1">Email Notifications</a></li>
<li><a href="https://talk.macpowerusers.com/t/app-for-discourse/460/2">Discourse App</a></li>
</ul>Rosemary OrchardThe Mac Power Users community which I have been helping to moderate has a wonderful new home on Discourse. The Facebook group has been archived (which means it is still there, but in read only mode), and talk.macpowerusers.com is already exceedingly popular. I know a large number of the Mac Power Users fans are not Facebook users and hope that they will join this community.Workflow: OmniFocus When Home2018-06-23T18:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflow-omnifocus-when-home<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflow-omnifocus-when-home/workflow-omnifocus-when-home.png" alt="alignright" /></p>
<p>Steps:</p>
<ul>
<li><code>Ask for Input</code>: The first thing I do is input one or several tasks which I would like to accomplish.</li>
<li><code>Split Text</code>: Turn this block of text into a series of items.</li>
<li><code>Repeat with Each</code>
<ul>
<li><code>Change Case</code>: Make the task sentence case.</li>
<li><code>Text</code>: Flag the tasks and my preferred tags - Home, Afternoon, and Evening.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li> <code>Combine Text</code>: Turn this list back into a block.</li>
<li><code>Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus</code>.</li>
</ul>
<p>You will want to tweak the tags added to the tasks, to suit your needs. You may also wish to remove the flag I add to these tasks. You can get the workflow here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/9808cc5297094a2e8608385c86e4a395">OmniFocus When Home</a></p>Rosemary OrchardMy 10.5” iPad Pro (on the go) Homescreen2018-06-20T08:07:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/my-ipad-pro-on-the-go-homescreen<p>If you’re curious about what my 10.5” iPad home screen looks like and some of the apps I use, here’s a look at it!</p>
<p><a href="'https://talk.macpowerusers.com/t/my-10-5-ipad-pro-on-the-go-homescreen/579?u=rosemaryorchard'">Read on MPU Talk</a></p>Rosemary OrchardIf you’re curious about what my 10.5” iPad home screen looks like and some of the apps I use, here’s a look at it!Workflow: Drafts 52018-06-20T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflow-drafts-5<p><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/06/workflow-drafts.png" width="219" height="219" />Workflow has built in support for Drafts 4 - but no actions for Drafts 5. This workflow is intended to replace some of that functionality. You can share text to it, get text from the clipboard, type text in, or modify the text on the keyboard to start.</p>
<p>The next step is choosing your action, you can create a new draft, and append or prepend to an existing draft - with the ID of the draft (<a href="https://actions.getdrafts.com/a/1Gu">Drafts Action to get ID</a>).<br />
Next you can choose to run an action after putting the text in Drafts, this is done by typing in the action name, though you may want to replace the <code>Ask for Input</code> action with a <code>List</code> and <code>Choose from List</code> if you have a few actions you regularly use.<br />
You can get the workflow here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/a610c7715c2c466e955fe00efbb796b3">Drafts 5</a></p>Rosemary OrchardWorkflow has built in support for Drafts 4 - but no actions for Drafts 5. This workflow is intended to replace some of that functionality. You can share text to it, get text from the clipboard, type text in, or modify the text on the keyboard to start.Workflow Workflows, a Collection2018-06-16T06:45:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflow-workflows-a-collection<p>Here’s a collection of Workflow workflows I created for members of the Mac Power Users community.</p>
<p><a href="'https://talk.macpowerusers.com/t/workflow-workflows-a-collection/461?u=rosemaryorchard'">Read on MPU Talk</a></p>Rosemary OrchardHere’s a collection of Workflow workflows I created for members of the Mac Power Users community.Workflow: OmniFocus Travel Plans2018-06-11T22:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/omnifocus-travel-plans<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-travel-plans/workflow-omnifocus-travel-plans.png" alt="alignright" /></p>
<p>The first thing I do is decide where I’m going and when I’ll go there. Then the Workflow puts together the start of a “before I go” list - including entries such as booking time off work, booking flights, charging battery packs, etc. The next step is to choose if this is a one or a multiple destination trip, if it’s just one location then I add a few entries for that - planning travel to and from the airport, things to do, and so on. If it’s a multi destination trip then I have to tell the app which places I’m going and in what order, and it generates a series of tasks based on that. The last thing the template does is to add packing categories to my project, I keep my actual packing lists in TripList as it has a wizard which generates a list for me (I could replicate that in Workflow of course!) - and syncs things to my TripIt plans.<br />
The taskpaper result for a one destination trip looks like this:</p>
<pre><code>2018/08 - Belgium:
- Book time off work 11/08/2018 - 14/08/2018
- Book flights to Belgium
- Plan travel to the airport for 11/08/2018
- Plan travel home from the airport for 14/08/2018
- Make a packing list
- Pack
- Charge battery pack
- Charge headphones
- Put films & TV shows on iPad
- Book accommodation for Belgium
- Plan travel from the airport to accommodation (11/08/2018)
- Plan travel from the accommodation to the airport (14/08/2018)
- Plan things to do in Belgium
- Packing
- Clothing
- Documents
- Electronics
- Miscellaneous
- Hand luggage</code></pre>
<p>And for a multiple destination trip you end up with this:</p>
<pre><code>2018/08 - Belgium / Netherlands:
- Book time off work 11/08/2018 - 18/08/2018
- Book flights to Belgium
- Plan travel to the airport for 11/08/2018
- Plan travel home from the airport for 18/08/2018
- Make a packing list
- Pack
- Charge battery pack
- Charge headphones
- Put films & TV shows on iPad
- Belgium @autodone(true) @parallel(true)
- Book accommodation for Belgium
- Plan travel from the airport to accommodation
- Plan things to do in Belgium
- Netherlands @autodone(true) @parallel(true)
- Plan travel from Belgium to Netherlands (14/08/2018)
- Book accommodation for Netherlands
- Plan things to do in Netherlands
- Packing
- Clothing
- Documents
- Electronics
- Miscellaneous
- Hand luggage</code></pre>
<p>As you can see there’s not much of a difference - just the division and repetition of some tasks.<br />
You can get the workflow here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/7311f351577f41a2bfba7fd755ec9812">OmniFocus Travel Plans</a><br />
If you look at that Workflow and think that it’s too complicated and I’m crazy (possible), then I also have a <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/9e1ee05ca67e43cbb23093b6999863f3">simple version</a> for one destination which you can get here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/9e1ee05ca67e43cbb23093b6999863f3">OmniFocus Travel Plans - Simple</a></p>Rosemary OrchardWorkflow: OmniFocus University Course2018-06-03T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflow-omnifocus-university-course-template<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflow-omnifocus-university-course-template/workflow-omnifocus-university-course.png" alt="alignright" /></p>
<p>The purpose of this Workflow is to add my syllabus to my OmniFocus project for that class. The project will already exist as I have to register for the course, and potentially order course materials or communicate with the course professors before I get the syllabus. Each of my courses is separated into action groups - sometimes the courses divide their materials into weekly blocks, and sometimes they’re divided into blocks based on assessments. I always put assessments in their own blocks, because they are broken into sub sections as well.<br />
This workflow should add each section of work or assessment to OmniFocus as an action group, deferred and due as is appropriate. As such the first thing it does after I input the project name (which is the class name) is to ask me how many sections there are in the course. We then go through every section inputting the name of it. If I know that the course is split into weeks then I modify this action in advance to just use “Week <code>Repeat Index</code>” as the name of the section. I use the start and end dates to set due and defer dates, and then select if this section is to study something or to submit something (study or assignment). This is a menu which allows me to use different actions based on which option is selected.<br />
In the study section, I input the tasks and format them as taskpaper. In the assignment section I input the name of the assignment and the number of questions it has which generates subtasks for me.<br />
This whole Workflow generates TaskPaper and adds it to OmniFocus for me.<br />
Steps:</p>
<ul>
<li><code>Ask for Input</code>: The course name (which is the project name in OmniFocus)</li>
<li><code>Ask for Input</code>: How many sections or blocks does the course have?</li>
<li><code>Repeat</code>: Going through every section/block
<ul>
<li><code>Ask for Input</code>: The name of the section</li>
<li><code>Ask for Input</code>: The start date</li>
<li><code>Ask for Input</code>: The end date</li>
<li><code>Choose from Menu</code>: Is this a study or assignment section/block</li>
<li><code>Study</code>
<ul>
<li><code>Ask for Input</code>: Input the tasks which need to be completed.</li>
<li><code>Split Text</code>: Break up the lines of tasks</li>
<li><code>Repeat with Each</code>: For every task
<ul>
<li><code>Text</code>: Format it with a tab indent and the <code>-</code> used to indicate a task in TaskPaper</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><code>Combine Text</code>: Put these tasks back together with line breaks between them,</li>
<li><code>Text</code>: Format the action group here, with the defer and due dates (these are inherited), followed by the tasks which were input and formatted.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><code>Assignment</code>
<ul>
<li><code>Ask for Input</code>:</li>
<li><code>Ask for Input</code>:</li>
<li><code>Repeat with Each</code>: For every task
<ul>
<li><code>Text</code>: Format it with a tab indent and the <code>-</code> used to indicate a task in TaskPaper</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><code>Combine Text</code>: Put these tasks back together with line breaks between them,</li>
<li><code>Text</code>: Format the action group here, with the name of the assignment, defer date and due date and the questions as subtasks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><code>Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus</code>: Put everything we've generated above into OmniFocus.</li>
</ul>
<p>You can get the workflow here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/e70385ca84394cccb7c5d5f827e8e797">OmniFocus University Course</a></p>Rosemary OrchardThe Mac Quadcast - Ep. 4 (Interview with Rose Orchard)2018-06-02T02:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/the-mac-quadcast-ep-interview-with-rose-orchard<p>I was Darren’s guest on the MacQuadCast where we talked about everything from AirPods to iPods, and our favourite devices as well as entertainment.</p>
<p><a href="'https://www.themacquad.com/themacquadcast/2018/6/2/the-mac-quadcast-ep-4-interview-with-rose-orchard'">Listen on The MacQuadCast</a></p>Rosemary OrchardI was Darren’s guest on the MacQuadCast where we talked about everything from AirPods to iPods, and our favourite devices as well as entertainment.Review: Juuk Rainbow Watch Strap2018-06-01T15:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/juuk-rainbow-watch-strap<p>A while ago I ordered a rainbow watch strap. Not just any rainbow watch strap, but an aluminium link, Apple Watch strap. I came across a purple link watch strap on Reddit months ago, fell in love and then was immensely disappointed it had sold out. I did spot the rainbow strap on the same website though, and immediately put it on my wish list.</p>
<p>Since then the rainbow strap has been in the back of my mind - I dislike buckles on watches, which is why I never tried to get the <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2017/06/05/apple-releases-rainbow-pride-edition-apple-watch-band-new-nike-sport-colors-now-available-to-order-through-apple%E2%80%A4com/">Apple Pride strap</a> despite loving the idea and colour combination. Similarly, I’ve never owned a link strap for my Apple Watch. My wrists are small, so unless the strap comes with an adjuster tool, it often ends up being <a href="https://www.rosemaryorchard.com/microblog/2018-04-17-1451">comically large</a>. Juuk ships all of their watch straps with an adjuster tool, and the <a href="http://juukdesign.com/faq">video guides for adjustment</a> didn’t look too hard to follow either - I decided to give it a whirl.<br />
I paid for fast shipping, and shipping was <strong>fast</strong>. I ordered May 1st; it was delivered May 5th. Of course, postage depends a lot on the postal services are involved and handover time - but it’s safe to say I’m impressed. The watch was in an envelope, in a box - in a box. Good packaging so you could give the strap as a gift, and the recipient would be delighted.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/images/juuk-rainbow-watch-strap/outer-box.jpg" alt="Outer box, brown cardboard" /></p>
<p><img src="/assets/images/juuk-rainbow-watch-strap/inner-box.jpg" alt="Inner box, white with a picture of the strap on it and the Juuk logo at the top" /></p>
<p><img src="/assets/images/juuk-rainbow-watch-strap/strap-in-box.jpg" alt="The strap in the box, in grey foam. There's a silver bar at the top and more foam above that." /></p>
<p>Inside the box in a box, was the watch strap. Nicely presented in specially cut out foam. I didn’t realise to start with the metal bar at the top is the adjustment tool - with its own piece of foam on it to prevent you hurting yourself. The way it is laid out makes it look high quality - and it is too.<br />
The strap itself has some heft to it - and you would expect it to. But being aluminium rather than steel it’s not that heavy, making it comfortable to wear all day. Every link is a different colour graduating through the rainbow from the watch face on both sides, and it is designed so that one side has one more link than the other - to make it easier for you to put on and take off I presume, the idea being the shorter side brings the butterfly closure closer to the inside of your wrist. An extra nice touch is the last link above the closure has Juuk engraved into it, it’t not highlighted in any colour and if you weren’t looking for it you might miss it. I dislike wearing advertisements for brands unwillingly - but should I forget where I purchased this band (unlikely) I will still be able to see it and let people know.<br />
<img src="/assets/images/juuk-rainbow-watch-strap/adjustment-tool.jpg" alt="" />
Adjusting the watch strap was as easy as the video says. Make sure you don’t put your fingers on the top of the pin you’re trying to pop out, and I would personally have a small tray (such as the lid from a tube of Pringles) ready to put the pin and pin casings in. Unless you do this sort of thing regularly or have another strap to compare to for length you’re going to have to adjust this with trial and error. I thought I had it adjusted perfectly, only to decide 20 minutes later that an extra link would be preferable - so keep the adjustment tool handy.</p>
<p>This is the first link strap I’ve bought that I can wear (I haven’t managed to get the other one linked above adjusted yet), and it takes some getting used to. Putting it on the watch requires a little more coordination than I’m used to, as Milanese and sport loops are floppy and flexible, and the sport bands are of course two pieces - that’s not a criticism of this band though, I went to the Apple Store to play and all the link straps are like that. I have found it’s easiest to put both sides on at the same time now.<br />
<img src="/assets/images/juuk-rainbow-watch-strap/all-the-links-too-big.jpg" alt="The strap as it arrived, with all the links and much too big" /></p>
<p><img src="/assets/images/juuk-rainbow-watch-strap/removed-links-just-right.jpg" alt="After removing the links the strap fits very well" />
I love this strap, it’s fun, comfortable, nice quality, and easy to wear. It’s not cheap, but it’s much cheaper than the Apple ones. For people not into rainbow they also have a variety of solid colours, and even ones with a raised stripe/bar down the middle that remind me of racing cars. Some straps are available on <a href="https://amzn.to/2LdSgX4">Amazon</a>, but the <a href="https://www.juukdesign.com">Juuk website</a> has the full range and excellent customer service should you have any questions.</p>Rosemary OrchardA while ago I ordered a rainbow watch strap. Not just any rainbow watch strap, but an aluminium link, Apple Watch strap. I came across a purple link watch strap on Reddit months ago, fell in love and then was immensely disappointed it had sold out. I did spot the rainbow strap on the same website though, and immediately put it on my wish list.OmniFocus 3 Overview2018-05-30T19:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/omnifocus-3-overview<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1346190318?at=1010lumu"><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/05/omnifocus.png" width="171" height="171" /></a> <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1346190318?at=1010lumu">OmniFocus 3</a> for iOS is here, and there’s more than a few changes! If you want to see a video of my setup you can do so over on <a href="https://learnomnifocus.com/tutorials/2018-05-23-omnifocus-workflows-rose-orchard/?ref=16">Learn OmniFocus</a>, there’s also an article on how I’ve been using OF3 over on <a href="https://inside.omnifocus.com/rose-orchard/?ref=16">Inside OmniFocus</a>. Finally you might want to check on my <a href="https://www.rosemaryorchard.com/blog/omnifocus-3-sneak-peak">OmniFocus Sneak Peak</a> - though that was back in March and more than a few things have changed since then!</p>
<h2>Multi-Pane Mode</h2>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-overview/3-pane-view.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" />
My favourite feature has to be the multi pane view, being able to see 3 columns at once makes me happy, and it works exceptionally well on the 12.9” iPad Pro. You can choose to pin the sidebar and the inspector independently of one another or together, so you can have a 2 pane view if that’s what you need. The outline view is always shown on the iPad.</p>
<h2>Tags</h2>
<p>Tags, glorious tags. What used to be contexts has been renamed, and that opens up all sorts of possibilities. I’ve seen people experimenting with energy levels, I’m personally experimenting with “time of day” tags, and you can go as crazy as you like. Where tags are really paying off for me is being able to add both “waiting on” and “Person A” to a task - so whenever I check my agenda for “Person A” I see that I’m waiting on that task, as well as seeing it in my waiting on list.</p>
<h2>Perspectives</h2>
<p>Perspectives are where everything is different. All your perspectives have been migrated over from OmniFocus 2, and you can upgrade those to OmniFocus 3 perspectives which gives you the following options:</p>
<ul>
<li>Status
<ul>
<li>Due Soon</li>
<li>Flagged</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Availability
<ul>
<li>First Available</li>
<li>Available</li>
<li>Remaining</li>
<li>Completed</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Has a due date</li>
<li>Has a defer date</li>
<li>Has an estimated duration</li>
<li>Has an estimated duration less than
<ul>
<li>5 minutes</li>
<li>15 minutes</li>
<li>30 minutes</li>
<li>60 minutes</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Is untagged</li>
<li>Has a tag which
<ul>
<li>Is active</li>
<li>Is on hold</li>
<li>Is dropped</li>
<li>Is active and has available actions</li>
<li>Is active and has no available actions</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Is tagged with any of</li>
<li>Is tagged with all of</li>
<li>Is not a project or group</li>
<li>Is in the inbox</li>
<li>Has a project which
<ul>
<li>Is active or on hold</li>
<li>Is on hold</li>
<li>Has been completed</li>
<li>Has been dropped</li>
<li>Is active and has available actions</li>
<li>Is active and has no available actions</li>
<li>Is active and has a future defer date</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Is contained within a project or folder</li>
<li>Matches search terms</li>
<li>All of the following</li>
<li>Any of the following</li>
<li>None of the following</li>
</ul>
<p>The best part of perspectives is being able to add as many rules as you like. The top level is always “All of the following”, and then you start adding rules within that. You can also add “Any of the following”, “None of the following” and “All of the following” and add rules inside of those - useful for requiring a group of rules (e.g. flagged and has Tag X), or setting optional groups. I have a “Now” perspective which changes all the time, and I tap the rule above my Work folder to change it to “All of the following” to “None of the following” depending on if I’m at work or not.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-overview/now-perspective.jpg?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h2>Batch Editing</h2>
<p>Being able to edit more than one task at once is not a feature I need frequently, but it is one I really appreciate when I use it. You can enable it by tapping the “Edit” button in the top right, and then selecting multiple tasks. You can access the task inspector in the batch edit mode, and it will show you all of the properties which are the same, and a greyed out option where they’re different. If I selected two tasks, one had a due date of today and one with tomorrow, I could still set a new due date for both items at the same time though. You can also use CMD+A to select all the tasks in the current view if you have an external keyboard attached - very useful if your inbox was empty, you added a lot of tasks and then realised they should have been in a project instead!</p>
<p><img class="alignnone size-medium" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/05/batch-editing.PNG" width="2048" height="1536" /></p>
<h2>Custom Repeats</h2>
<p>I love repeating tasks, my problem is my repeating tasks aren’t all that regular (at least most of them), thankfully I can handle this in OmniFocus 3. You can set repeats with an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly interval, but you can also say “every Tuesday and Saturday”, or “the first Wednesday of every month”, or “the last day of every month”. This has made submitting my work timesheets much easier to remember.</p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-overview/repeat-options.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h2>Notifications</h2>
<p>Some tasks are very important, so important you want flashing lights, sirens, and people in hazmat suits running around if the deadline gets too close. In the main settings you can specify notifications for due dates and defer dates globally, and these can also be enabled or removed on each task. You are also able to set two extra kinds of notifications - ones relative to the due date, and ones at a specific date and time. These reminders are a great help with those crucial tasks - if you need someone with a hazmat suit though you’re on your own.</p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-overview/notifications.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h2>Customisable Inspector</h2>
<p>Some people love defer dates, some people hate them. Some people don’t want notifications or repeats, for others those are on every task. In OmniFocus 3 you can choose which properties you want to see by default in the inspector - just open up a task, tag or project and tap “Customize Inspector” at the bottom to move the items you want to where you want them to be.</p>
<h2>Forecast</h2>
<p>The forecast has changed a lot in OmniFocus 3, there are two major changes which I’ll look at here.</p>
<h3>Interleaved Events & Due Items</h3>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/omnifocus-3-overview/forecast-view.PNG?lightbox=1024" alt="alignnone size-medium" />
Calendar events are interleaved with due items in your day. Instead of the gantt chart style event display in in OF2 (which at least for me wasn’t very helpful), they are nice big blocks which show which calendar they’re on, when they start and when they end. If you have a meeting 9am-10am, and then a due date at 10:30 that’s the order you’ll see your tasks in.</p>
<h3>Forecast Tag</h3>
<p>You can now choose a task to display in the forecast view, this is ideal for things like routine tasks, a sprint at work (a series of tasks or projects to be completed within a specific time period), or errands. You can choose different forecast tags per device, so on your iPhone you might choose calls or errands, but on your iPad it could be “secret nerdy tasks”.<br />
There are a lot of big changes in OmniFocus 3, and based on the <a href="https://www.omnigroup.com/blog/omni-roadmap-2018#omnifocus3">roadmap</a> there will be a lot more to come, but first of all we have WWDC and the Mac app to look forward to!</p>Rosemary Orchard OmniFocus 3 for iOS is here, and there’s more than a few changes! If you want to see a video of my setup you can do so over on Learn OmniFocus, there’s also an article on how I’ve been using OF3 over on Inside OmniFocus. Finally you might want to check on my OmniFocus Sneak Peak - though that was back in March and more than a few things have changed since then!Inside OmniFocus: Tags, Perspectives, and Automation2018-05-30T18:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/inside-omnifocus-tags-perspectives-and-automation<p>Here I wrote about some of my OmniFocus workflow, with some Workflow workflows as well as Launch Center Pro automation.</p>
<p><a href="'https://inside.omnifocus.com/rose-orchard'">Read on Inside OmniFocus</a></p>Rosemary OrchardHere I wrote about some of my OmniFocus workflow, with some Workflow workflows as well as Launch Center Pro automation.Workflow as an OmniFocus Trigger List2018-05-25T05:05:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflow-omnifocus-trigger-list<p><img class=" alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/05/workflow-omnifocus-trigger-list.png" width="150" height="150" /> A workflow I frequently run to help me remember tasks is my Trigger List workflow. For those of you not familiar with them, trigger lists are essentially prompts you use to help you remember things you may have forgotten.</p>
<p>This workflow is very simple, it has a list of items at the top, goes through each item and asks you what’s on your mind regarding it. Then it takes all of these items and puts them in your OmniFocus Inbox.<br />
I’ve uploaded two “flavours” of this Workflow, one where the trigger word is noted after the task in brackets, and the other where the trigger word becomes the parent task of an action group, with your triggered tasks inside of it.<br />
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/240e9f7af97b428d8e7c3981b1c00558">Trigger word in brackets</a><br />
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/93c12b7a53a34f758ea84e729065a4c7">Action groups with the trigger word as the parent task</a><br />
If you need some inspiration for your trigger list the official <a href="https://gettingthingsdone.com/free-articles/mind_sweep_trigger_list/">GTD Trigger Lists</a> are a great place to start - and there are trigger list examples all over the internet.<br />
One enhancement you might make is to have more than one of these workflows - one at home, and one at work. You could also trigger the Workflow to run at a specific time with <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id532016360?at=1010lumu">Launch Center Pro</a> - I do this as it’s one of my tasks which kicks off my weekly review. Here’s the <a href="https://launchcenterpro.com/y9k96x">Launch Center Pro action</a>.</p>Rosemary OrchardA workflow I frequently run to help me remember tasks is my Trigger List workflow. For those of you not familiar with them, trigger lists are essentially prompts you use to help you remember things you may have forgotten.Interview with Rosemary Orchard, Creator of Automation Orchard2018-05-25T02:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/interview-with-rosemary-orchard-creator-of-automation-orchard<p>Jeff interviewed me about the launching of <a href="https://automationorchard.com">Automation Orchard</a> and my love of automation.</p>
<p><a href="'https://www.tablethabit.com/2018/05/interview-with-rosemary-orchard-creator-of-automation-orchard'">Read on Tablet Habit</a></p>Rosemary OrchardJeff interviewed me about the launching of Automation Orchard and my love of automation.Learn OmniFocus Workflows: Rose Orchard2018-05-23T02:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/learn-omnifocus-workflows-rose-orchard<p>This is a video where I demonstrate my workflow in OmniFocus 3 for iOS, as well as some Workflow workflows which I use to automate my system.</p>
<p><a href="'https://learnomnifocus.com/tutorials/2018-05-23-omnifocus-workflows-rose-orchard/?ref=16'">Watch on Learn OmniFocus</a></p>Rosemary OrchardThis is a video where I demonstrate my workflow in OmniFocus 3 for iOS, as well as some Workflow workflows which I use to automate my system.Workflow: Menus, Lists & Dictionaries2018-05-16T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflow-menus-lists-dictionaries<p>When should you use a list or a menu. What about a dictionary? If you’re not a programmer and have had little experience with writing for computers in general then this can be a little overwhelming.</p>
<h3>Lists</h3>
<p>A list is exactly what it sounds like. You have a list of items, and you can choose from them or get a specific item (at an index, so the 1st or 5th item for example). A list gives you what you choose - so if you have a list of animals, when you choose “Cat” you get “Cat” - fairly simple.<br />
You can make lists in a few ways, if you <code>Add to Variable</code> you can get that variable and use <code>Choose from List</code>. You can also <code>Split Text</code> and then <code>Choose from List</code> again. There is also the list action you can add items to - and you follow it with a <code>Choose from List</code> action again.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflow-menus-lists-dictionaries/workflow-list.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<h3>Menus</h3>
<p>A menu is a list of items which contain actions - this is ideal if you want to be able to do different things based on the option chosen (e.g. reminder vs calendar event vs note). You don’t get the text of the menu item after you click it, though you can work around this by using the <code>Text</code> action if you need it.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflow-menus-lists-dictionaries/workflow-menu.jpeg" alt="Workflow Menu Action" /></p>
<h3>Dictionaries</h3>
<p>A dictionary is somewhere between a list and a menu in many ways. If I choose “Spaghetti Bolognese” then a dictionary can return “ground beef, tomatoes, onion, spaghetti…”. This can have all sorts of applications - and Workflow actually gives you dictionaries a lot of the time when you put the <code>Choose from List</code> action after another, such as <code>Search App Store</code>.</p>
<p>Dictionaries can really help improve your Workflow experience. Maybe you want to have a simple list of people, and when you select one you get that person’s phone number - or maybe you want to get complicated and go crazy. That’s all possible with dictionaries.</p>
<p>A dictionary is a series of keys and values. The key is what you choose, and the value is what you get. There are multiple ways to make dictionaries in Workflow - the simplest way though is to use the Dictionary action.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflow-menus-lists-dictionaries/workflow-dictionary-choose-from-list.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<h3>Tips and tricks</h3>
<p>You can order lists, menus, and dictionaries manually using the grab handles on the side of their action blocks. But a list or dictionary can also be sorted by its key using the <code>Filter files</code> action. You can use this to sort the keys alphabetically. This won’t change the list or the dictionary in your editing view, but it will change before you choose or get an item from it.</p>Rosemary OrchardWhen should you use a list or a menu. What about a dictionary? If you’re not a programmer and have had little experience with writing for computers in general then this can be a little overwhelming.Siri Watch Face2018-05-02T08:30:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/siri-watch-face<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/siri-watch-face/apple-watch-siri-face-home-calendar.png" alt="Apple Watch Face showing a homekit scene and a calendar entry" /> The Siri Watch face has been an unexpected gem for me - it is limited but still very useful. One thing many people miss is that you can customise the data sources for the watch face - so if you don’t want to see reminders to breathe, or the stocks then you don’t need to.</p>
<p>The Siri watch face only allows you to have one complication, which complicates matters somewhat (pun intended!). I have chosen Carrot weather, because the weather in Vienna <em>tends</em> to stay somewhat stable throughout the day, this means I can turn off the Weather source in the watch face.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/siri-watch-face/apple-watch-blank-siri-face.png" alt="Blank Siri Face - Have a Nice Day" /> What is limiting is that 3rd party app developers can’t integrate into the Siri face - at least not directly. I have managed to get my OmniFocus data into it though - by subscribing to my OmniFocus calendar on my iPhone. This calendar is hidden, and does have the unfortunate side effect of giving me an extra notification when each task is due if I let it get that far - but for me the trade off is well worth it. You can manage the calendars shown on your Apple Watch in the Watch app, under Calendars. I don’t have this mirror my iPhone as I am subscribed to many calendars and toggle those on and off as needed - but I still don’t want birthdays showing up on my watch face as that’s a bit late reminder wise!<br />
Throughout the last year the Siri face has been very successful in providing me the data I want when I want it - possibly because I don’t have many data sources enabled. If you tried it before and gave up on it then I would recommend giving it another shot - perhaps with less data this time.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/siri-watch-face/siri-face-settings.png" alt="Settings for the Siri watch face" /></p>Rosemary OrchardThe Siri Watch face has been an unexpected gem for me - it is limited but still very useful. One thing many people miss is that you can customise the data sources for the watch face - so if you don’t want to see reminders to breathe, or the stocks then you don’t need to.Overlay Contact Information on Wallpaper2018-04-29T18:30:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/overlay-contact-information-on-wallpaper<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/overlay-contact-information-on-wallpaper/workflow-overlay-contact-information-on-wallpaper.png" alt="Overlay Contact Information On Wallpaper" />
A while ago <a href="https://katiefloyd.com">Katie Floyd</a> put out a call on
Twitter looking for a replacement app which can overlay contact information
onto your wallpaper for iOS. I thought “I bet you can do this with Workflow”,
and I was right! Here’s how it works.</p>
<p>Steps:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Text</code>: This contains your name.
</li>
<li>
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Text</code>: This contains your phone number, advice: Don't use the
number of your iPhone, use that of a trusted family member or friend, or
your home phone if you have one.
</li>
<li>
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Text</code>: HTML formatting of the above two items, your name is
set to be smaller than the phone number as it's likely to be longer and not
quite as important.
</li>
<li>
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/RichText.png" alt="Make Rich Text from HTML" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Make Rich Text from HTML</code>: Now we make that HTML into rich
Text - applying the formatting.
</li>
<li>
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/PDF.png" alt="Make PDF" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Make PDF</code>: Bear with me, PDFs are great!
</li>
<li>
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Image.png" alt="Convert Image" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Convert Image</code>: PDFs can be converted to images - voila! We
now have a white image with black text.
</li>
<li>
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Image.png" alt="Crop Image" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Crop Image</code>: Let's make this approximately the same aspect
ratio as an iPhone X screen.
</li>
<li>
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Image.png" alt="Resize Image" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Resize Image</code>: Shrink it down to be about the right size
</li>
<li>
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png" alt="Set Variable" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Set Variable</code>: Make it easy to access in a moment.
</li>
<li>
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Photos.png" alt="Select Photos" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Select Photos</code>: Choose your background.
</li>
<li>
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Image.png" alt="Mask Image" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Mask Image</code>: Here's the magic. The mask image action is like a
very smart overlay, here it will make sure the text of your name and contact
number shows up on the wallpaper, and nothing else.
</li>
<li>
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/QuickLook.png" alt="Quick Look" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Quick Look</code>: Check it for prettiness.
</li>
<li>
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Sharing.png" alt="Share" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Share</code>: Save it where you want!
</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/overlay-contact-information-on-wallpaper/example-before-after-iphone-wallpaper.png" alt="The original wallpaper, and the wallpaper with the contact information overlay" /></p>
<p>You can get the workflow here:
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/07ea46d7530b4da6b924ec61dfe970e2">Overlay Contact Information On Wallpaper</a</a></p>
<blockquote>
</blockquote>Rosemary OrchardA while ago Katie Floyd put out a call on Twitter looking for a replacement app which can overlay contact information onto your wallpaper for iOS. I thought “I bet you can do this with Workflow”, and I was right! Here’s how it works.Launching Automation Orchard2018-04-27T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/launching-automation-orchard<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/launching-automation-orchard/logo-background.png" alt="Automation Orchard Logo" /> I’ve been working on a project for a while - a place to find <em>all</em> of the automation content for Mac, iOS, Web and even your home, and it’s finally ready!</p>
<p><a href="https://automationorchard.com">Automation Orchard</a> is where I’ve collected every article, podcast and even video I’ve found regarding any automation topic related to Apple, from Workflow to IFTTT, and Automator to AppleScript. It doesn’t have everything - yet, but it has a lot. So if you were trying to find a Workflow workflow to work with Trello, you could search and find a lot of options. All of this content links back to the original website.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/launching-automation-orchard/automation-orchard.png?lightbox=1024" alt="Automation Orchard" />
There’s also a forum, this is split up into sections:</p>
<ul>
<li>Learn - housing lessons, challenges, and questions based on language.</li>
<li>Mac - for questions and posts about automating things on your Mac, including using AppleScript, Keyboard Maestro, et. al.</li>
<li>iOS - for automation on iOS, including Workflow and more.</li>
<li>Web - the place to talk about IFTTT, Zapier, Microsoft Flow, and other cool web automation services.</li>
<li>Home - where you can discuss home automation.</li>
<li>General - for everything else.</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/launching-automation-orchard/automation-orchard-forum.png?lightbox=1024" alt="Automation Orchard Forums" />
Why? I love to automate, I love to help people automate. The website has become my Wikipedia - if I want to find a DEVONThink Workflow then I know where to search, and I know I’ll probably find helpful related content too.<br />
The forum only has a few posts in it right now - started by me. I hope to see many of you there, asking questions, sharing your automations, and discussing why we automate!<br />
My personal posts will still appear here - <a href="https://automationorchard.com">Automation Orchard</a> is to collect content from around the web, including from here! There will be some blog posts there too - predominantly about the why of automation, you can check out the first post <a href="https://automationorchard.com/blog/welcome">here</a>.<br />
<em>P.S. Yes, the name is a play on my name and the focus on Apple!</em></p>Rosemary OrchardI’ve been working on a project for a while - a place to find all of the automation content for Mac, iOS, Web and even your home, and it’s finally ready!iOS App Review: Sidefari2018-04-25T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/ios-app-review-sidefari<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1046968235?at=1010lumu"><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/ios-app-review-sidefari/sidefari-web-browsing-companion-for-safari.png" alt="Sidefari - Web browsing companion for Safari" /></a> Sidefari is a small utility which has had a place on my iPad since shortly after it’s release. It’s a very simple browser which uses the Safari engine, and it’s purpose is to allow you to view two different web pages at once. This feature has been built into iOS since Sidefari was released, but it still has it’s place for me.</p>
<p>Sidefari wins over the built in Safari split screen for me in two ways: I am not required to have 50/50 split of the two web pages, and I can take one of those apps to a different space entirely if I wish to do so. This really helps me to work effectively on iOS. You can also use Sidefari as a browser with no tabs - useful if you are trying to avoid being sucked down a rabbit hole.<br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id1046968235?at=1010lumu">Sidefari - Web browsing companion for Safari</a> is available for free on the App Store.</p>Rosemary OrchardSidefari is a small utility which has had a place on my iPad since shortly after it’s release. It’s a very simple browser which uses the Safari engine, and it’s purpose is to allow you to view two different web pages at once. This feature has been built into iOS since Sidefari was released, but it still has it’s place for me.Workflows for Project Planning With Trello and OmniFocus2018-04-23T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflows-for-project-planning-with-trello-and-omnifocus<p><a href="https://trello.com/roseorchard/recommend">Trello</a> is a lovely service which offers Kanban boards for planning - and I often like to plan out projects there, especially ones that need to be done in multiple stages or have many areas of focus. OmniFocus is my task manager of choice though which means I need my tasks to end up in there to have any hope of accomplishing them. To this end I have created a few <a href="http://workflow.is">Workflow</a> workflows to get the data out of Trello and into OmniFocus, they’re not very sophisticated - but they function very well.</p>
<h3>Single Trello List to OmniFocus</h3>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflows-for-project-planning-with-trello-and-omnifocus/workflow-trello-list-to-omnifocus.png" alt="Trello List To OmniFocus" /> Maybe you just have one list in Trello and you want to get the tasks and put them in OmniFocus. This workflow does exactly that.<br />
Steps:</p>
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Trello Items" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Trello Items</code>: This gets all of your Trello boards.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Choose from List" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Choose from List</code>: You choose the board you want to get data from.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Trello Items" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Trello Items</code>: Then we get all of the lists in the board you just chose.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Choose from List" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Choose from List</code>: Now you choose which list you want to grab the cards from.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Trello Items" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Trello Items</code>: We get all of the cards.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Repeat with Each" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Repeat with Each</code>: We go through each card.
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Text</code>: We format the title and the description of the card to be the name of the text and the note (in TaskPaper format notes are indented on a new line after their task).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Combine Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Combine Text</code>: We put all of the cards together.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus</code>: The data gets added to OmniFocus.</li>
</ul>
<p>You can get the workflow here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/fc2e1d8c67534fa984a6e58848beb4af">Trello List To OmniFocus</a></p>
<h3>Multiple Trello Lists to OmniFocus</h3>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflows-for-project-planning-with-trello-and-omnifocus/workflow-multiple-trello-lists-to-omnifocus.png" alt="Multiple Trello Lists To OmniFocus" /> If you have several lists on a board you want to get into OmniFocus then this Workflow will allow you to do that. It will create a task or action group for each list with sub tasks for each card in that list in Trello.<br />
Steps:</p>
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Trello Items" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Trello Items</code>: Get your Trello boards here.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Choose from List" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Choose from List</code>: Choose the Trello board you want to get the lists from.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Trello Items" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Trello Items</code>: Get the lists.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Choose from List" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Choose from List</code>: Choose one or many lists</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Repeat with Each" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Repeat with Each</code>: With each list
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png" alt="Set Variable" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Set Variable</code>: Set the <code>list</code> variable to be the name of the list. Working with multiple repeats can get a bit tricky, hence not using the <code>Repeat Item</code> variables here.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Trello Items" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Trello Items</code>: Get the cards</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Repeat with Each" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Repeat with Each</code>: For every card
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png" alt="Set Variable" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Set Variable</code>: Set the <code>card</code> variable to be the card.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Details of Trello Item" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Details of Trello Item</code>: Get the name of the Trello card.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png" alt="Get Variable" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Variable</code>: Get the <code>card</code> variable back.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Details of Trello Item" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Details of Trello Item</code>: Get the description of the Trello card</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Text</code>: Format this in TaskPaper format.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Combine Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Combine Text</code>: Put all of the TaskPaper together</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Text</code>: Add the name of the list to the top of this TaskPaper format</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Combine Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Combine Text</code>: Put all of the lists of TaskPaper tasks together.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus</code>: Put it all into OmniFocus.</li>
</ul>
<p>You can get the workflow here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/0f2790c37e314e9eabf722c8fa76b9c8">Multiple Trello Lists To OmniFocus</a></p>
<h3>Trello Board to OmniFocus</h3>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflows-for-project-planning-with-trello-and-omnifocus/workflow-trello-board-to-omnifocus-project.png" alt="Trello Board To OmniFocus Project" /> If you have planned your whole project in Trello and want to move it over to OmniFocus then this Workflow will help you do so. It makes the whole board into one project, with each list becoming an action group and the cards becoming tasks inside of those.<br />
Steps:</p>
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Trello Items" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Trello Items</code>: This gets all of your Trello boards.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Choose from List" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Choose from List</code>: You choose the Trello Board you want to make into an OmniFocus project.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Trello Items" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Trello Items</code>: This gets all of the lists in the Trello Board.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Repeat with Each" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Repeat with Each</code>: For every list.
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png" alt="Set Variable" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Set Variable</code>: Set the variable to the list - multiple repeats can be a little tricky to follow.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Trello Items" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Trello Items</code>: Get all of the cards inside of this list.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Repeat with Each" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Repeat with Each</code>: For each card
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png" alt="Set Variable" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Set Variable</code>: Set the variable to the card.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Details of Trello Item" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Details of Trello Item</code>: Get the name of the card.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png" alt="Get Variable" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Variable</code>: Get the card back.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Details of Trello Item" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Details of Trello Item</code>: Get the description of the card</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png" alt="Get Variable" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Variable</code>: Get the card back again</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Get Details of Trello Item" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Details of Trello Item</code>: Get the due date of the card</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Text</code>: Combine the name, due date and the description into TaskPaper format.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Combine Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Combine Text</code>: Put all of those tasks together.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Text</code>: Put the name of the list together with the cards inside of it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Combine Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Combine Text</code>: Put all of the lists together.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Text</code>: Put the name of the board with all of the lists together.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/trello.png" alt="Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus</code>: And send everything to OmniFocus</li>
</ul>
<p>You can get the workflow here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/d0652dab2cf047408f1c3e3d6ad2ca36">Trello Board To OmniFocus Project</a><br />
These Workflows are very helpful to me - and get more use than I thought they would! I hope you find a use for them too.</p>Rosemary OrchardTrello is a lovely service which offers Kanban boards for planning - and I often like to plan out projects there, especially ones that need to be done in multiple stages or have many areas of focus. OmniFocus is my task manager of choice though which means I need my tasks to end up in there to have any hope of accomplishing them. To this end I have created a few Workflow workflows to get the data out of Trello and into OmniFocus, they’re not very sophisticated - but they function very well.Micro Monday Episode 72018-04-23T02:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/micro-monday-episode-7<p>I had the pleasure of chatting with Jean MacDonald for episode 7 of Micro Monday, a podcast in which she interviews members of Micro.Blog.</p>
<p><a href="'https://monday.micro.blog/2018/04/23/for-this-week.html'">Listen on Micro Monday</a></p>Rosemary OrchardI had the pleasure of chatting with Jean MacDonald for episode 7 of Micro Monday, a podcast in which she interviews members of Micro.Blog.Micro Monday Episode 7 Transcript2018-04-23T02:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/micro-monday-episode-transcript<p>This is the transcript of the episode I recorded with MacGenie for Micro Monday.</p>
<p><a href="'https://monday.micro.blog/2018/04/29/042401.html'">Read on Micro Monday</a></p>Rosemary OrchardThis is the transcript of the episode I recorded with MacGenie for Micro Monday.Workflow: Taskpaper to OF2018-04-20T20:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflow-taskpaper-to-omnifocus<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflow-taskpaper-to-omnifocus/workflow-taskpaper-to-of.png" alt="Taskpaper To OF" /> This is a very simple Workflow which allows you to add TaskPaper formatted tasks or projects to your preferred place in OmniFocus</p>
<p>Steps:</p>
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Calculator.png" alt="Count" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Count</code>: This checks for input.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="If" class="workflow-icon" /><code>If</code>: If there is no input...
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Text.png" alt="Text" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Text</code>: Show you your clipboard and allow you to edit it.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="If" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Else</code>
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png" alt="Get Variable" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Variable</code>: Get the input you provided to the Workflow</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><img src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/04/" alt="Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus" title="Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus" /> <code>Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus</code>: This asks you to choose where you want to add the TaskPaper: Inbox, Projects, Folder, Project, or Task. </li>
</ul>
<p>You can get the workflow here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/10f57be46f3f4c3da9afca67be329c3d">Taskpaper To OF</a></p>Rosemary OrchardThis is a very simple Workflow which allows you to add TaskPaper formatted tasks or projects to your preferred place in OmniFocusUsing Drafts 5 Taskpaper with OmniFocus2018-04-19T22:10:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/using-drafts-5-taskpaper-with-omnifocus<p><img class="alignright wp-image-2923 size-thumbnail" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/04/Drafts-Capture-Act-150x150.png" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></p>
<p>I have created an any action group for Drafts 5 which is meant to help you create Taskpaper formatted projects or tasks and then send it all along to OmniFocus afterwards.</p>
<p>The first thing you will want to do is to create a Draft with the Taskpaper format. This is the last but one action in the action group - the reasoning being you’re not likely to need it as often as some of the others! It simply opens a new Drafts with the format set to taskpaper - you can do this yourself by tapping the <code>+</code> icon if you’re in a Draft, and then using the <code>Aa</code> button to set the <em>Syntax Highlighting</em> of the current draft to Taskpaper.<br />
The first action in the group is a tab, this is for iPhone users and iPad users without an external keyboard and it simply inserts a tab wherever the cursor currently is.<br />
The next action is Placeholder, if you have text selected it will wrap the text in <code>«»</code> characters, and if no text is selected it will insert them. This is ideal for dates in templates you will want to update later.<br />
The first Due action takes advantage of the natural language parsing that OmniFocus has available via URL Scheme. Again, if you have text selected it will wrap it in <code>@due()</code>, otherwise that will be inserted empty for you to fill in the brackets.<br />
The Defer, Estimate, Tags, and Context actions work the same way as Due. Tags and context are both available so if you’re on the OmniFocus 3 beta or simply want to prepare your templates to work for both 2 and 3 you can already.<br />
Tags (suggest) offers a list of tags for you to choose from, allows you to choose more than one of them, and inserts them inside <code>@tag()</code>. You will need to edit this script to make it work for you - the <code>"one", "two", "three"</code> is the part that needs changing. Bear in mind that a long list of tags will be annoying to look through most likely. If you want any tags to be pre-selected for you (e.g. you usually add the <code>evening</code> tag to tasks created via Drafts), you can put that into the <code>[]</code> after the tag list.<br />
Autodone asks you if you want the task or project to be automatically completed when the tasks inside of it are completed and inserts <code>@autodone(true)</code> or <code>@autodone(false)</code>as per your choice.<br />
The Repeat Method allows you to choose how the task should repeat, and inserts <code>@repeat-method(fixed)</code>, or whichever the relevant choice is.<br />
The Repeat Rule is very simple, but allows you to choose if a task should be repeated every X days, weeks, months, or years.<br />
Parallel works the same way Autodone does, if the project should be parallel (actions able to be worked on at the same time) then <code>@parallel(true)</code> is inserted, if not <code>@parallel(false)</code> appears.<br />
Flagged just inserts <code>@flagged</code> when it is run - which adds a flag to a task.<br />
Due and Defer are here again - but this time with date and time pickers. This allows you to choose an exact date and time when your task or project is due. I’ve used European date formatting, but you can modify that to any other date formatting by replacing the <code>"dd-MM-yyyy hh:mm"</code> (for example in North America you might prefer <code>"MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm"</code>).<br />
Estimate makes another appearance, this time it asks you to choose how many minutes, hours, days or weeks something will take and fills in the <code>@estimate()</code> for you.<br />
The final action in this set is Taskpaper to OF. This will ask you where you want to save your Draft (as a new project, a new project in a folder, as tasks in a specifc project, or the inbox), go through any <code>«placeholders»</code> you have and help you replace them (important <code>cat</code> is always going to be replaced with whatever you tell the script when it asks you about it, so make sure you to use unique placeholders where necessary!), and then send everything off to OmniFocus. Once you return if it did have placeholders to replace it offers to make a new Draft, update your current Draft, or do nothing.<br />
This action group is set up as a keyboard group, which should make quick entry easier. You can get the action group from the Draft 5 Action Directory: <a href="https://actions.getdrafts.com/g/1F6">OF Taskpaper</a></p>Rosemary OrchardI have created an any action group for Drafts 5 which is meant to help you create Taskpaper formatted projects or tasks and then send it all along to OmniFocus afterwards.Drafts 5 Review2018-04-18T15:35:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/my-drafts-5-review<p>[TOC]</p>
<h3>Intro</h3>
<p><img class="alignright" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/04/drafts.jpeg" width="156" height="156" />For those of you not familiar with Drafts, it’s designed as an app which lets you input text and <em>then</em> decide what to do with it. Why? Sometimes that message turns into an email, or maybe the quick idea turns into a mind map. Or maybe you just don’t know where the text is going to end up when you start writing. Drafts is designed to let you write and then process the text, removing the need to choose where the text should go first.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-main-views.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" />
When you open Drafts you get a blank note - automatically. You can set the time out period so that when you return to Drafts you either see your last note or a new note - mine is set to the default of 60 seconds. You can also open the app with force touch which allows you to create a new blank note, create a note from the clipboard, dictate a note, search, or open any one of your 4 most recently edited Drafts. The first three of these options, plus the choice to import a file, appear when you force touch the <code>+</code> on an iPhone, or press and hold on an iPad. The great part about the dictation is that unlike regular Siri dictation there’s no timeout, that’s right - you can dictate for as long as you like. David Sparks made a great introduction to Drafts 5 which I highly recommend: <a href="https://vimeo.com/263943764">Drafts 5 Overview</a><br />
<a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-force-touch-icon.jpeg?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/04/drafts5-force-touch-icon.jpeg" width="413" height="537" /> </a><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-new-drafts-options.jpeg?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/04/drafts5-new-drafts-options.jpeg" width="404" height="719" /></a></p>
<h3>What Changed?</h3>
<p>Some of you may have used Drafts before, in fact if you’re reading this it’s likely you have so what’s new? First of all the app has been completely rewritten, this means everything is new and shiny - and 100% up to date. There’s also lots of new features.<br />
First things first, you can import all of your notes to Drafts and most of your actions. Make sure you’re running the latest version of Drafts 4, and then in the settings of Drafts 5, tap “Migrate from Drafts 4”. You can choose to import your Drafts, and/or Actions and Keys. You can also export from Drafts 4 into Drafts 5 - there’s a special <a href="http://drafts4-actions.agiletortoise.com/a/2Nv">Send to Drafts 5</a> for drafts, and inside each action in Drafts 4 you can choose to migrate the action, or add it as a callback so when the action is executed it is done so in Drafts 4 and then returns you to Drafts 5. Not every action which was available in Drafts 4 is available yet in Drafts 5, but Drafts 5 will make a list of the actions that couldn’t be imported so you can handle those manually.</p>
<h4>Themes</h4>
<p>Drafts 4 had three theme choices - white, cream and black - and the ability to automatically switch to the black theme at a certain brightness threshold. Drafts 5 has several more colour theme options, and you can specify a day theme and a night theme to work with, which will switch at the brightness level you prefer. Choose the theme is a pro feature, and I’ve really enjoyed using the dark Solarized theme during the day with black at night.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-theme-options.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h4>Custom Icons</h4>
<p>Choosing app icons is definitely a nice way to make your device yours, and Drafts now offers the ability to choose your app icon. There’s a mix of flat images and ones with gradients - I personally picked the purple as that’s my favourite colour.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-app-icons.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h4>Tagging and Flagging</h4>
<p>Tagging allows you to optionally file your note in multiple places - and helps you to group together notes on a particular topic as well. Tags are shown under a draft in the list of drafts. When adding a tag to a draft you can see a list of your current tags in the keyboard bar, if the one you are looking for doesn’t exist then you can type to create it. Tags are lower case - you can type capitals when creating them but they will be formatted for you. This is really useful as it allows you to avoid having <code>Groceries</code> and <code>groceries</code> by accident.</p>
<p>Flagging is simple - a draft is flagged, or it is not flagged. You can use it however makes the most sense to you.<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-flagging-tagging-a-draft.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="aligncenter" /></p>
<h4>Filtering</h4>
<p>Now we have filters we need to be able to work with them. Filtering allows us to choose combinations of tags to see or not as we want. By tapping the name of a tag in the filter section we add it to include, and by tapping the <i class="fas fa-ban"></i> (ban) icon we can add the tag to the omitted list. This means you could include the tags <code>cat</code> and <code>dog</code>, but disallow <code>spider</code>. These tags are combined with an <code>AND</code>, so only drafts with <em>all</em> of the included tags and <em>none</em> of the omitted tags will show up.</p>
<p>Tags are not the only settings however, you can also set how much of a draft you want to see in the list, the sort order, if flagged items should be included or not, specific text to search for and more.<br />
<a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-filters.jpeg?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/04/drafts5-filters.jpeg" width="400" height="711" /></a> <a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-workspace-options.jpeg?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/04/drafts5-workspace-options.jpeg" width="400" height="1780" /></a><br />
The full documentation for <a href="http://getdrafts.com/drafts/listoptions">filtering in Drafts</a> is well worth reading.</p>
<h4>Workspaces</h4>
<p>Workspaces can be created in two ways, from a filter you are currently using, or from scratch. They have the same set up as filters, but as you can name them and set the colour and icon to represent they are easy to keep track of. You can set the order that you would like to view your Workspaces in, and optionally show them, with or without their name, at the bottom of the list of Drafts. Workspaces are ideal for filters you make frequently, or which are more complex to construct.<br />
<a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-workspaces-overview.jpeg?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/04/drafts5-workspaces-overview.jpeg" width="300" height="534" /> </a><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-workspaces-below-draft-list.jpeg?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/04/drafts5-workspaces-below-draft-list.jpeg" width="300" height="533" /> </a><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-untagged-workspace.jpeg?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/04/drafts5-untagged-workspace.jpeg" width="300" height="286" /></a></p>
<h4>Focus</h4>
<p>By default Drafts will open to a new draft after a set period of time - which can be adjusted by you. Focus mode allows you to do that by focusing on one particular draft, this means that whenever you open the app - even if that’s next month - you’ll be back at the draft you had open last. You can enable focus mode in two ways, by tapping the eye icon in the bottom left hand side of the editor when you’re not editing a draft, or by opening the Settings and enabling it.</p>
<h4>SiriKit Integration</h4>
<blockquote>Hey Siri, make a note in Drafts to investigate buying the llama farm </blockquote>
<p>You can now create new Drafts using Siri, it’s simple but effective. You can also dictate notes, but that’s not new - what’s very useful though is that the dictation will not end as it does usually when dictating elsewhere on iOS.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-siri-integration.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h4>Editor Options</h4>
<p>In Drafts you can now control a lot of settings with regards to how the editor appears, from paragraph numbers to syntax highlighting, and even whether or not the toolbar or the status bar should show you have plenty of choices.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-syntax-options.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-editor-with-without-toolbar.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-appearance-options.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" />
Here are some of the options you can choose to set for the editor by tapping the <code>Aa</code> button:</p>
<ul>
<li>Syntax highlighting
<ul>
<li>Plain text</li>
<li>Markdown</li>
<li>Simple List</li>
<li>Taskpaper</li>
<li>JavaScript</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Font
<ul>
<li>Choose from any of the fonts pre-installed on iOS, or ones you have installed yourself.</li>
<li>Select a particular font to use for Monospaced text.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Line height</li>
<li>Paragraph spacing</li>
<li>Margins</li>
<li>Paragraph numbers</li>
<li>You can enable or disable
<ul>
<li>Autocorrect</li>
<li>Spell check</li>
<li>Smart punctuation
<ul>
<li>Quotes</li>
<li>Dashes</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Capitalisation
<ul>
<li>None or sentences</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Portrait, landscape, or any (only on iPhone)</li>
</ul>
<p>Draft 5 also has an improved arrange mode, Drafts 4 just allowed you to rearrange lines, Drafts 5 lets you edit blocks (separated by two line breaks) or lines, edit sections, and delete or remove them. You can also trigger the arrange mode via the <a href="http://getdrafts.com/urls/">URL scheme</a>.<br />
There is also a pre-installed Tasks action, which is shown on your keyboard by default. This is very clever, it makes the line that you’re on or the text you have selected into a simple bullet checklist by adding <code>- [ ]</code> at the beginning of the line. By tapping on the <code>[ ]</code> you can mark a task as done <code>[x]</code>.</p>
<h4> Actions and Keyboard Groups</h4>
<p>For those of you familiar with Workflow, actions are very similar in some ways. An action can contain any number of steps, a number of which are provided for you to use as is. Drafts does not arrive empty, it comes with 5 <a href="http://getdrafts.com/actions/examples/">example action groups</a>, 4 of which are available as keyboard groups for you - you can do what you like with these actions, including delete them. But if you’re not familiar with Drafts and it’s actions I recommend you swipe across the action from left to write, tap edit, and have a look.</p>
<p>One important change between Drafts 4 and Drafts 5 is there is no longer an app wide default as to what to do once an action has been executed, you now set this per action group. This is very useful so if you have a group of “share” actions for example, designed to get the text out of Drafts, you could immediately have the draft the action was executed on archived or trashed as you prefer.</p>
<p>You can choose to enable an action group on the keyboard, Draft has a row of buttons above the keyboard, and if you have multiple groups of keyboard actions you can swipe up and down on this row to switch between them. As you can assign keyboard shortcuts to actions as well this becomes very powerful very quickly.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-action-steps.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h4>Scripting in Drafts</h4>
<p>The most powerful part of Drafts actions is the Script action, this is what it sounds like - you write a script which does things. Drafts uses JavaScript, if you use OmniGroup products they are introducing JavaScript for automation in those too - so learning the language could definitely pay off in the long run.</p>
<p>There is <a href="https://github.com/agiletortoise/drafts-documentation/wiki">a wiki about Drafts scripting</a>, which is definitely worth reading if you intend to use them.</p>
<p>My favourite functions that can be included in Scripting is the Prompt - so if you want to ask the user “cats or dogs”, you could create a prompt which shows “cats” and “dogs” as buttons, and then depending on which they choose your script would react accordingly. A prompt can have any of the following options</p>
<ul>
<li>Title</li>
<li>Message</li>
<li>Text Fields</li>
<li>Date and or Time Fields</li>
<li>Selects - single or multiple choice</li>
<li>Buttons</li>
</ul>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-script-prompt.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" />
Here’s the script to create that prompt:</p>
<pre><code>var p = Prompt.create();
p.title = "Title";
p.message = "Message";
p.addTextField("myTextField", "Text Field", "");
p.addDatePicker("myDate", "Date Field", new Date(), {
"mode": "date"
});
p.addDatePicker("myTime", "Time Field", new Date(), {
"mode": "time"
});
p.addDatePicker("myDateTime", "Date & Time Field", new Date(), {
"mode": "dateAndTime"
});
p.addSelect("mySingleSelect", "Single Select Field", ["Cat", "Dog", "Llama"], [], false);
p.addSelect("myMultipleSelect", "Multiple Select Field", ["Cat", "Dog", "Llama"], [], true);
p.addButton("Button");
p.show();</code></pre>
<p>The cancel button is in a prompt by default, but you can hide it if you wish. The prompt will definitely make an appearance in actions you import from the action directory - if only because it’s a great way to get credentials from you which can be used in an action.</p>
<h4>Credentials</h4>
<p>If you want to Tweet with Drafts, save something to Evernote, or add tasks to Todoist, there are two ways to do that. Passing the data to the app on your device and telling it what to do - which is not possible with every app - or by using the API of the service to complete the action. The difficulty with an API is you need a token to access it - similar to needing a username and password to log in. Drafts 5 has a clever way to store these, so that scripts can access them without needing to save the access key in the script itself - so there’s no worry that by sharing your Todoist action people can start adding things to <em>your</em> Todoist, unless you explicitly want them to do so and share your credential! You can change the credentials saved in Drafts by tapping on the Settings wheel in the bottom right of the editor, and opening Credentials. By choosing the “forget” option the credential is deleted, and you can input a new one the next time you run an action that needs it. This system is especially useful as you can share one credential with many scripts - so it doesn’t matter if you have 1 or 100 Todoist scripts, they can all access the same key, and you are in charge of it. The <a href="https://github.com/agiletortoise/drafts-documentation/wiki/Credential">documentation for credentials in scripts</a> is definitely worth reading if you want to access APIs, and the <a href="http://getdrafts.com/settings/credentials">general documentation</a> is also very helpful - especially if you have multiple accounts you want to interact with.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-credentials.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h4> Price</h4>
<p>Drafts 5 is free. Yes, you read that correctly. For the basic functionality you can get the app for free. If you want to create and edit your own actions, choose your theme(s) and custom icon, use Workspaces, have access to enhanced URL automation and support development you can do so for $1.99 a month, or $19.99 a year. If you’re not sure which you need then there is a 7 day trial to let you play with the pro features.<br />
<a href="https://www.macsparky.com/">David Sparks (MacSparky)</a> made a second video for Agile Tortoise showing what’s new in version 5: <a href="https://vimeo.com/263948739">Drafts 5: What’s New</a></p>
<h3>Upgraded and Awesome Things</h3>
<p>That’s a brief overview of the new things, now onto everything else!</p>
<h4>Widgets</h4>
<p>Drafts 4 had a widget, which allowed quick entry by default and if you enabled “Show More” (on the top right) allowed you to see the most recent Drafts. Drafts 5 has 3 widgets - one for quick entry, one for your recent items, and one for your workspaces. This allows you to enable and disable the ones you want on different devices, and with the workspaces go straight to the collection of Drafts you need.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-basic-widget.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-recent-widget-sizes.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-workspaces-widget-options.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h4>Backup and Export</h4>
<p>Your data is important, and there are backup options in Drafts which allow you to backup your drafts themselves, and/or your actions. These options were there before, but are now unified onto one screen. You can also export your drafts with the option to add a filter - so you could export all of your Drafts with the tag “cake recipe” if you wanted - for example to send them to me.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-backup-options.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-export-drafts.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h4>Reminders Import</h4>
<p>Reminders import was present in version 4 too, but now you can add a tag when the reminders are imported - which is very helpful for filtering for them later.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/my-drafts-5-review/drafts5-reminders-import.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h4>After Action Success</h4>
<p>This setting used to be global which could be overridden on a per action basis. You can now set this option for each action group, and you can still override it for an action if you wish. This is extremely helpful for the keyboard action groups as you’re unlikely to want most of those actions to archive or trash your Draft when use them.</p>
<h3>Drafts Forums</h3>
<p>Agile Tortoise have set up forums where Drafts users can talk to one another, help each other create actions, request features, and more - I’ve already signed up and am checking it regularly to see what I can learn from everywhere else.<br />
<a href="https://forums.getdrafts.com/">Drafts Forums</a></p>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>I’ve been using Drafts 5 instead of Drafts 4 for quite some time now, and I’m very happy with it. It has been my go to “text starts here” application ever since I bought it after hearing it mentioned on an episode of the Mac Power Users at some point - and it has become more than that over time. With the scripts and actions I can now write entire blog posts in Drafts, and could even upload them to the server and post them immediately if I wanted. This app has more than earnt it’s position in my dock and will be there for the foreseeable future.</p>
<h3>Other Reviews</h3>
<ul>
<li>Tim Nahumck has written a much longer and more in depth review over on MacStories: <a href="https://www.macstories.net/reviews/drafts-5-the-macstories-review/">Drafts 5: The MacStories Review</a></li>
<li>Colin Walker has a nice overview from the perspective of someone who has been using Drafts for many versions: <a href="https://colinwalker.blog/welcome-drafts-5/">Welcome Drafts 5</a></li>
<li>Christopher Lawley has a video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t932yYzE1gQ&amp;feature=youtu.be">Drafts 5: A Powerful Text Editor and Automation Tool for the iPad & iPhone</a></li>
<li>Josh Ginter on the Sweet Setup tells you about all the new features: <a href="https://thesweetsetup.com/drafts-5-launches-with-new-design-drafts-pro-workspaces-advanced-scripting-functionality-and-much-more/">Drafts 5 launches with tagging, workspaces, advanced scripting functionality, and much more</a></li>
<li>MacSparky tells you about how he uses it: <a href="https://www.macsparky.com/blog/2018/4/big-update-for-drafts">Big Update for Drafts</a></li>
<li>Andre at Digitally Speaking Lab gives us <a href="https://digitallyspeakinglab.wordpress.com/2018/04/18/a-brief-overview-drafts-5-for-ios/">a brief overview: Drafts 5 for iOS</a></li>
<li>Mac Rumors: <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2018/04/19/drafts-5-overhauls-note-taking-app-with-new-themes-editor-options-and-action-features/">Drafts 5 Overhauls Note-Taking App With New Themes, Editor Options and Action Features</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Get The App</h3>
<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drafts-5-capture-act/id1236254471?mt=8&at=1010lumu">Drafts 5</a> is available in the App Store from today.</p>Rosemary Orchard[TOC]TaskPaper to OmniFocus Project in a Folder with Editorial2018-04-17T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/taskpaper-to-omnifocus-project-in-a-folder-with-editorial<p>When OmniGroup first added Taskpaper support to OmniFocus they published an Editorial workflow which allows you to create new project - in the Mac Power Users Facebook Group someone asked if you could specify which folder the project should go into, a few minimal tweaks later and here is the solution! The key changes were:</p>
<ul>
<li>Ask the user which folder they want to save the project in.</li>
<li>URL encode the folder name.</li>
<li>Modify the X-Callback URL so the project would be saved to the specified folder.</li>
</ul>
<p>You can get OmniGroup’s original Editorial workflow from <a href="https://www.omnigroup.com/blog/omnifocus-for-ios-now-automation-ready">their blog post here</a>, and the modification to allow you to add directly to a folder is available here: <a href="http://www.editorial-workflows.com/workflow/5903282794921984/B7PmEGtLdT8">New OmniFocus Project in Folder</a></p>Rosemary OrchardWhen OmniGroup first added Taskpaper support to OmniFocus they published an Editorial workflow which allows you to create new project - in the Mac Power Users Facebook Group someone asked if you could specify which folder the project should go into, a few minimal tweaks later and here is the solution! The key changes were:I’m Going to Be on Learn OmniFocus May 23rd2018-04-12T07:30:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/announce-learn-omnifocus<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/announce-learn-omnifocus/learn-omnifocus.png" alt="alignright" />{.image-right)</p>
<p>For those of you not familiar with Learn OmniFocus, it’s a great site with <a href="https://learnomnifocus.com/articles/?ref=16">articles</a>, <a href="https://learnomnifocus.com/videos/?ref=16">videos</a> and more which will help you learn about OmniFocus. You can see some examples from <a href="https://learnomnifocus.com/recordings/omnifocus-workflow-guests/?ref=16">previous workflow guests</a> if you want to get an idea of what my session will be like. If you’re a member there’s plenty of extra goodies too like AppleScripts - including the ability to watch my session live and chat with everyone before and after but the chat sessions won’t be included.<br />
I hope to see some of you there!</p>Rosemary Orchard{.image-right)Review: MacSparky iPhone Field Guide2018-04-11T22:30:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/macsparky-iphone-fieldguide<p><a href="(https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1366611031?at=1010lumu)" class="image-right">https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/macsparky-iphone-fieldguide/macsparky-iphone-field-guide.png)</a> I was fortunate enough to get a quick look at David Sparks’ new field guide in Chicago earlier this year and was impressed - and then David kindly sent me a copy of the book to beta test! I expect you all think of me as a power user, and I class myself in that category as well, but I was <em>very</em> pleasantly surprised to find how many tricks I was missing on my iPhone!</p>
<p>For those of you not familiar with a MacSparky field guide be prepared, this is not just a book. In fact, I would say it’s a “Beauty and the Beast” book - though without the singing. This book has videos embedded in it, over two hours of them where David demonstrates these features. The book is split into 44 chapters, and multiple sections within each chapter. A chapter tends to be an area such as Email, with sections being a look at the apps available. You even get tips and tricks such as how to use Fantastical’s natural language parser to add an alert to an event when creating it, or which calculator application has an augmented reality mode in it. You can see the <a href="https://www.macsparky.com/iphone">full chapter list here</a>.<br />
David’s done a great job here; the whole book is jam-packed full of knowledge - even for power users. I’m going to be buying a few copies for my family and best of all these tips and tricks can be used to enhance your iPad usage too. The only thing you should be aware of is that you’ll most likely buy at least one app because of this book!<br />
Get your copy of the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1366611031?at=1010lumu">iPhone Field Guide</a> now.<br />
The current price is introductory so grab it while you can!</p>Rosemary Orchardhttps://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/macsparky-iphone-fieldguide/macsparky-iphone-field-guide.png) I was fortunate enough to get a quick look at David Sparks’ new field guide in Chicago earlier this year and was impressed - and then David kindly sent me a copy of the book to beta test! I expect you all think of me as a power user, and I class myself in that category as well, but I was very pleasantly surprised to find how many tricks I was missing on my iPhone!Workflow: Clearing Out Your Camera Roll2018-04-04T17:30:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflow-clearing-out-your-camera-roll<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflow-clearing-out-your-camera-roll/workflow-clear-the-camera-roll.png" alt="Clear The Camera Roll" /> Sometimes you take screenshots, lots of screenshots. And sometimes you use built in screen recording to capture what’s happening on a device. You probably use these features even more frequently if you’re beta testing an app - and that’s how this Workflow came to be. <a href="http://www.twitter.com/nostodnayr">Ryan</a> mentioned in the OmniFocus Beta Slack that his camera roll was suffering with all the screenshots he’s been taking. Challenge accepted. This workflow will help you delete <em>both</em> screenshots and screencasts you’ve taken on your devices.</p>
<p>Steps:</p>
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Calculator.png" alt="Number" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Number</code>: Set this number to be the number of screenshots and screencasts you want to go through.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Photos.png" alt="Get Latest Screenshots" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Latest Screenshots</code>: This fetches the number of screenshots chosen above.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Choose from List" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Choose from List</code>: You select which screenshots you want to delete. </li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Photos.png" alt="Delete Photos" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Delete Photos</code>: The photos are deleted.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Videos.png" alt="Get Latest Videos" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Latest Videos</code>: This gets X number of the most recent videos, X being the number right at the top of the Workflow.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Repeat with Each" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Repeat with Each</code>: It checks every picture.
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Get Name" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Name</code></li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="If" class="workflow-icon" /><code>If</code>: If the name of the photo contains "Screen"... (Screen recording videos are called something like <code>ScreenRecording_04-04-2018 15-17-54</code>.)
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png" alt="Get Variable" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Variable</code>: Get the actual video, otherwise you just have the name.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png" alt="Add to Variable" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Add to Variable</code>: Add the video to a variable called <code>Screen Recordings</code>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="If" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Else</code>: It’a not got "Screen" in the name
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Nothing" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Nothing</code>: We don’t want these videos to be included here.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png" alt="Get Variable" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Variable</code>: Get all those screen recordings.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Choose from List" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Choose from List</code>: Choose which screen recordings you want to delete.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Photos.png" alt="Delete Photos" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Delete Photos</code>: Delete the screen recordings. We’re using this action rather than "Delete Files" because the Videos actions outputs a "photo like object".</li>
</ul>
<p>You can get the workflow here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/7573d4ee1c4b44dd80bb5c4be0c431d8">Clear The Camera Roll</a><br />
Enjoy clearing your camera roll!</p>Rosemary OrchardSometimes you take screenshots, lots of screenshots. And sometimes you use built in screen recording to capture what’s happening on a device. You probably use these features even more frequently if you’re beta testing an app - and that’s how this Workflow came to be. Ryan mentioned in the OmniFocus Beta Slack that his camera roll was suffering with all the screenshots he’s been taking. Challenge accepted. This workflow will help you delete both screenshots and screencasts you’ve taken on your devices.Workflow: Mac Power Users & Podcast Show Notes2018-03-21T08:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflow-podcast-show-notes<p>This is a very simple Workflow I use to get the show notes for the Mac Power Users podcast, I use it when I’m listening on another device and I don’t want to grab it or interrupt what I’m doing. It’s quite simple, just 3 steps in fact.</p>
<h4>Steps:</h4>
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Scripting" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Ask for Input</code>: This asks you for the episode number.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/URL.png" alt="URL" class="workflow-icon" /><code>URL</code> This creates the URL for the show notes.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Web.png" alt="Web" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Open URLs</code> And this opens the above URL.</li>
</ul>
<p>You can get the workflow here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/4cf72716fa3d4c79bdb36eccc9dabf13">Mac Power Users Show Notes</a>. It’s designed to run in the today widget.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/workflow-podcast-show-notes/workflow-podcast-show-notes.png" alt="Podcast Show Notes" /> Now, you might listen to more than one podcast (<code>dramatic music</code>) - and you probably don’t want one of these for every podcast you listen to, that’s just not manageable. But with some help from the dictionary action you can make it much easier.</p>
<h4>Steps:</h4>
<ul>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Scripting" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Dictionary</code>: This is where you store the list of the friendly name for the podcast and the URL which comes before the show number, so in the case of the Mac Power Users podcast, that is <code>http://www.relay.fm/mpu/</code> - attaching an episode number (such as 318) gives you a link directly to the show notes.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Scripting" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Ask for Input</code>: This asks you for the episode number.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Variable.png" alt="Variable" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Get Variable</code>: This grabs the dictionary from above.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Scripting.png" alt="Scripting" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Choose from List</code>: Here’s where you choose the podcast you’re listening to.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/URL.png" alt="URL" class="workflow-icon" /><code>URL</code> This creates the URL for the show notes.</li>
<li><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/workflow-icons/Web.png" alt="Web" class="workflow-icon" /><code>Open URLs</code> And this opens the above URL.</li>
</ul>
<p>You can get the workflow here: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/6faf80b0404e4b6eb1b5fa3f5de3f9e2">Podcast Show Notes</a></p>Rosemary OrchardThis is a very simple Workflow I use to get the show notes for the Mac Power Users podcast, I use it when I’m listening on another device and I don’t want to grab it or interrupt what I’m doing. It’s quite simple, just 3 steps in fact.Omnifocus 3 Sneak Peak2018-03-18T22:30:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/omnifocus-3-sneak-peak<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-temp-logo.png" alt="alignright" /></p>
<p>I’m fortunate enough to have been let into the very early OmniFocus 3 Beta. The app isn’t finished yet, but here are some of the features which you might enjoy. To make things clear, I have the dark theme on OF3, and the light theme in OF2 - and I’ve tried to do screenshots to let you compare the two easily.</p>
<h3>Multi Pane Views</h3>
<p>You can now have a multipane view, this means you can have the traditional Home Screen on the left, tasks in the middle, and the inspector (detailed view of a task, project or tag) on the right - or you can have any combination of these three.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-inspector-right-multiple-tags.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-inspector-floating-sidebar-pinned.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-three-pane-view.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h3>Forecast View</h3>
<p>There have been some changes to the Forecast view as well - primarily the interleaving of tasks and calendar events. This is purely based on the due time of a task and the time of the calendar event.</p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-today-view.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-2-today-view.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" />
<a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-forecast-view-iphone.png?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/omnifocus-3-forecast-view-iphone.png" width="423" height="916" /><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/omnifocus-2-forecast-view-iphone.png" width="422" height="913" /></a><br />
A new feature is the ability to have <strong>a</strong> tag displayed in the forecast view. This might be very handy if you have lots of <code>#waiting on</code> tasks which you need to be on top of, or if there’s a particular area you need to focus on. Of course, if you want multiple tags that’s what perspectives are for.</p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/showing-tags-in-the-today-view.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h3>The Inspector</h3>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-customising-the-inspector.jpeg?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/omnifocus-3-customising-the-inspector.jpeg" width="304" height="856" /></a></p>
<p>The inspector for tasks, tags, and projects has received some updates. You can set what you want to see and hide by default - so if you never use locations in tags (or contexts as they are in OF2) you can hide them.</p>
<h4>The Project Inspector</h4>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/project-inspector-default.png?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/project-inspector-default.png" width="300" height="650" /></a><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/project-inspector-default-extended.png?lightbox=1024"> <img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/project-inspector-default-extended.png" width="300" height="650" /> </a><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/customising-the-project-inspector.png?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/customising-the-project-inspector.png" width="300" height="649" /></a></p>
<h4>The Tag Inspector</h4>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/tag-inspector-default.png??lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/tag-inspector-default.png" width="300" height="649" /> </a><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/tag-inspector-default-extended.png?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/tag-inspector-default-extended.png" width="300" height="650" /> </a><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/customising-the-tag-inspector.png?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/customising-the-tag-inspector.png" width="300" height="649" /></a></p>
<h4>The Task Inspector</h4>
<p><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/task-inspector-default.png?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/task-inspector-default.png" width="300" height="649" /> </a><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/task-inspector-default-extended.png?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/task-inspector-default-extended.png" width="300" height="650" /> </a><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/customising-the-task-inspector.png?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/customising-the-task-inspector.png" width="300" height="649" /></a><br />
And of course these changes are present on the iPad as well.</p>
<h3>Search</h3>
<p>Search can now happen from any view, just by pulling down on the tasks list. Previously it was in the bar at the top.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-search-in-any-view.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-2-search.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h3>Location Based Notifications</h3>
<p>The notifications have had some changes made to them as well. Here on the top you see OmniFocus 3, and below it you see OmniFocus 2. Omnifocus 2 shows you the name of the context, the first task, and the number of other tasks available. OmniFocus 3 shows you the name of the tag, and how many tasks are available to you.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-iphone-notifications.jpeg" alt="" />
The watch notifications are exactly the same. At first glance this seems like it is less information - but force touching or 3D touching the notification (depending on which device you’re on) gives us a lot more choice.</p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-watch-notification.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" />
OmniFocus 3 here lets me View Location, or View Actions. OmniFocus 2 lets me dismiss the notification.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-watch-notification-detail.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h3>Notifications</h3>
<p>Notifications have had an overhaul - gone are the days where you get pinged as something goes from “hell being about to break loose” to “apocalypse”, you can now set up a series of notifications for a task. If your task has a due date you can set reminders to happen X amount of time before it becomes due by adding minutes, hours, or days. Whether or not your task has a due date you can set a custom or fixed notification which will happen at the date and time you specify - very helpful. These notifications are one off, but the customisability is definitely something I’ll be using frequently.<br />
<a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-reminders-for-tasks.png?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/omnifocus-reminders-for-tasks.png" width="300" height="649" /> </a><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-before-due-notifications.png?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/omnifocus-3-before-due-notifications.png" width="300" height="650" /> </a><a href="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-fixed-notification.png?lightbox=1024"><img class="" src="https://rosemaryorchard.com/assets/2018/03/omnifocus-3-fixed-notification.png" width="300" height="650" /></a></p>
<h3>Flagging</h3>
<p>A task or project is flagged or isn’t flagged. A task can inherit a tag from the project or task it belongs to - and none of this has changed in OmniFocus 3. What has changed is how you tag things. You can simply swipe from left to right on a task or project, and tap to flag it.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-quick-flagging-and-unflagging-tasks.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" />
You can also see very easily when a task is flagged because its parent is flagged which is very nice.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/parent-is-flagged.jpeg?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h3>Quick Editing</h3>
<p>So swiping from left to right lets you flag or unflag, swiping in the other direction allows you to delete the task, or if you tap more you can schedule it - for today or tomorrow.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-swipe-to-delete.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/OmniFocus-3-sneak-peak/omnifocus-3-quick-schedule.png?lightbox=1024" alt="" /></p>
<h3>Batch Task Editing</h3>
<p>It’s now possible to edit multiple tasks at once as well - this is hard to explain in screenshots so I’ve created a very short video for you.<br />
https://youtu.be/CZhEAUf5jKM<br />
To summarise, I absolutely love the beta of OmniFocus 3. There are things planned for this iOS app which haven’t yet arrived, and many exciting new possibilities. I’m going to really have to dig into tags to see mysq<br />
A quick note about the icon:<br />
https://twitter.com/kcase/status/970840191207333888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw</p>Rosemary OrchardI’m fortunate enough to have been let into the very early OmniFocus 3 Beta. The app isn’t finished yet, but here are some of the features which you might enjoy. To make things clear, I have the dark theme on OF3, and the light theme in OF2 - and I’ve tried to do screenshots to let you compare the two easily.Tile: Finding the Things I Lose2018-03-08T06:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/tile-finding-the-things-i-lose<p>I am a forgetful person, not necessarily disorganised, but forgetful. And the more I have to do the more forgetful I tend to be - which results in things like misplaced keys, purses, ID cards - and naturally at the most inconvenient of moments. I heard about <a href="http://ssqt.co/mEdevMh">Tile</a> a long time ago, but the thought of not being able to replace the battery or recharge the device seemed wasteful.</p>
<p>Not too long ago, KeySmart, a company who makes Swiss army style covers for keys, came out with the <a href="https://getkeysmart.com/products/keysmart-pro-with-tile-smart-location-tracking">KeySmart Pro</a> - which has built in Tile technology, and a micro USB port. So now once every 2 months or so I need to charge my keys, but when I misplace them I can open the app on my phone, and make them ring. I’be had this since November, and actually ordered two as I have the keys to my parents house - which I don’t need the vast majority of the time, so am more likely to misplace.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/tile-finding-the-things-i-lose/KeySmart-pro-charging.JPG" alt="KeySmart Pro on charge" /><br />
After a while of having the ability to find my keys (though summoning them Harry Potter style is not yet possible, sadly) I realised that being able to locate my work ID and keys, or my purse would also be handy. This week I picked up a set of the Tile Mate and Slim. The slim is about the thickness of 2 credit cards, and the same height as one, I put one in my passport holder, and another in my purse (having managed to pack my purse in my checked luggage and spending an hour looking for it last week really pushed me here!). The Tile Mates will go on my work keys once I get home, and then I have a spare - purpose to be determined.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/tile-finding-the-things-i-lose/tile-mate-slim.JPG" alt="Tile Mate and Slim, dollar bill and purse for scale" /><br />
One of the deciding factors for me when getting my first Tile though, was a story of a woman in Australia who had lost her keys. She marked them as lost in the TIle app and a few months later got a push notification that they had been found - someone had walked past the lost property area where her keys were and the Tile app on their device registered that her keys were present. While this <em>sounds</em> creepy, you can’t see anyone else’s devices unless they choose to share them with you - so your phone scans for the locations, and reports them back to Tile, but you don’t ever see the data yourself. The brilliance of this is helping others - maybe today I have all of my possessions where I expect them to be, but if/when I misplace one of my things it’s comforting to know that other people are helping me look, and they don’t have to lift a finger to do so.<br />
The advantages of Tile are simple:</p>
<ul>
<li>They will recycle dead devices and give you a voucher towards your next Tile, called <a href="https://support.thetileapp.com/hc/en-us/articles/200550678-What-is-reTile-">ReTile</a>.</li>
<li>There’s a large network of users, which means if you can’t find your propery then maybe someone else can.</li>
<li>It works.</li>
<li>The KeySmart Pro is rechargeable.</li>
</ul>
<p>Unfortunately there are some disadvantages to Tile:</p>
<ul>
<li>You can’t recharge most of their devices.</li>
<li>The white does discolour, depending on where you keep your items and how much you handle them this may be quick or slow, but the white will probably turn grey sooner or later.</li>
<li>There are no notifications for leaving something behind. </li>
</ul>
<p>That said, for me the advantages well outweigh the disadvantages - and I’m very happy with my new system. I use my Apple Watch to ping my iPhone, and my iPhone to ping whatever is missing.</p>Rosemary OrchardI am a forgetful person, not necessarily disorganised, but forgetful. And the more I have to do the more forgetful I tend to be - which results in things like misplaced keys, purses, ID cards - and naturally at the most inconvenient of moments. I heard about Tile a long time ago, but the thought of not being able to replace the battery or recharge the device seemed wasteful.Apple Store Opening, Vienna2018-02-24T09:30:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna<p>00&classes=image-right “Apple Store Vienna, Grand Opening”) The first Apple Store in Austria opened today, and it happened to be the 501st Apple Store. I attended the opening and was lucky enough not to be too far back in the line - lots of people seem to have arrived before midnight, including one man from China who arrived at 2pm the day before! At it was cold I <em>only</em> got there at 7am.</p>
<p>This store matches Apple’s new style with plants indoors, but they’re using Genius tables and the grove is outside. All of the employees were there today and seemed to be really enjoying it - everyone I spoke to was enthusiastic and friendly, a few looked a little overwhelmed but that is to be expected!</p>
<h2>The Day Before</h2>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpgeg?" alt="The first person in line - from 2pm the day before" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpgeg?" alt="The Grove is outside" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="A stone staircase - in keeping with the style of the building" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpgeg?" alt="Staff watching a presentation the evening before the store opens" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpgeg?" alt="Last minute adjustments to the power cables" /></p>
<h2>Opening Day</h2>
<p>When I got to the store the queue was just going past the end of the barrier. Due to the width of the street and the fact that it can be used for delivery vehicles Apple had prepared further waiting areas towards the other side of the street. The few of us tailing past the end of the ropes were asked to move to the middle and remain in order. Once that area filled up they moved on to the next and further on. Of course this meant there were lots of people milling around between the queues - but Apple had thought of that. When each queue was allowed to progress to the next one every person was given a card. You had to show this to enter the next queue, and then hand it over when exiting the queue or just before entering the store. This was a very simple but efficient system and prevented queue jumping.<br />
Thankfully the security managing the queues were multi lingual and friendly enough to allow you to make a quick bathroom or coffee run - assuming the people standing next to you in the queue were happy to hold your spot that was, they did stop allowing that at 9am though (30 minutes before the store opened). While we were in the queue four employees came through to photograph everyone and get permission to use your photo in their marketing material. If you didn’t want to be featured they did request permission to take a photo anyway so they could work on an exclusion basis rather than an inclusion basis. At around 8:30am staff brought out coffee for people in the queue which was very much appreciated.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpgeg?" alt="There are just two lines allowed next to the Apple Store" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpgeg?" alt="There are three further lines of the queue in the middle of the street" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="The queue" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpgeg?" alt="It's a bit like a reverse zoo" /></p>
<p>? “Making new friends in line!”)</p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="Queue pass" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="Exercise Rings" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="A purchase and set up" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="Sockets embedded between the seats and the windowsills" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="Plants on the wall" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="HomeKit Corner" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="Upstairs" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="The queue from the window" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="Downstairs" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="Seating near the screen" /></p>
<h2>Postcards and a pin</h2>
<p>Instead of giving out t-shirts we were given postcards and a commemorative pin. The postcards are on lovely thick, cream card stock, and the design is raised on the front with a slight gloss. I’ve scanned them in to show you - but the designs do belong to Apple. These images are animated and shown on the screen at the back of the store on the ground floor.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="Pin & postcard pack" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="Pin closeup" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="Postcard pack closeup front" /></p>
<p><img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/apple_store_opening_vienna/Vienna_Apple_Store_Opening.jpg" alt="Postcard pack closeup back" />
‘Postcard 1: Pencils’)</p>
<p>‘Postcard 2: Birds’)</p>
<p>‘Postcard 3: Chevron’)<br />
‘Postcard 4: Abstract’)</p>
<p>‘Postcard 5: Sound wave’)</p>
<p>‘Postcard 6: Cameras’)<br />
When I left the store at just after 11am they were still letting people in - with the cheering still at full volume and enthusiasm. I’m really looking forward to shopping in my local Apple Store.</p>Rosemary Orchard00&classes=image-right “Apple Store Vienna, Grand Opening”) The first Apple Store in Austria opened today, and it happened to be the 501st Apple Store. I attended the opening and was lucky enough not to be too far back in the line - lots of people seem to have arrived before midnight, including one man from China who arrived at 2pm the day before! At it was cold I only got there at 7am.Controlling a Raspberry Pi via SSH2018-02-21T20:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/remote-control-raspberry-pi<p>I have a Raspberry Pi 3 running <a href="https://github.com/nfarina/homebridge">HomeBridge</a>, <a href="https://home-assistant.io">HomeAssistant</a>, and a few other services. It has a <a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-touch-display/">7” touchscreen display</a> attached which is lovely - but bright. I prefer to turn the screen on and off when I want to use it instead of relying on the energy saver preferences (as I inevitably use the device just before I want to sleep) - however typing the terminal commands to do it is rather old fashioned.</p>
<p>“Dictionary of actions in Workflow”)<br />
The first action is a dictionary - so every ssh command I run has a name which I look at when running the Workflow. You can have anything here of course - providing it’s a valid SSH command. My commands are as follows:<br />
<strong>Screen On</strong></p>
<p><code>sudo bash -c "echo 0 > /sys/class/backlight/rpi_backlight/bl_power"</code><br />
<strong>Screen Off</strong></p>
<p><code>sudo bash -c "echo 1 > /sys/class/backlight/rpi_backlight/bl_power"</code><br />
<strong>Restart HomeBridge</strong></p>
<p><code>sudo systemctl restart homebridge</code><br />
<strong>Restart HomeAssistant</strong></p>
<p><code>sudo systemctl restart home-assistant@homeassistant</code><br />
Then Workflow asks you to choose an action to execute, and executes it. Finally you see the result of the SSH command returned to you - which is useful if there is output.<br />
You can <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/bfd213edebfd4f9597cad6150a586e08">download the Workflow here</a>. You’ll need to know the IP address of your Raspberry Pi, the username (default <code>pi</code>), and password (default <code>raspberry</code>). If your username and password are the default ones I recommend you change them.</p>Rosemary OrchardI have a Raspberry Pi 3 running HomeBridge, HomeAssistant, and a few other services. It has a 7” touchscreen display attached which is lovely - but bright. I prefer to turn the screen on and off when I want to use it instead of relying on the energy saver preferences (as I inevitably use the device just before I want to sleep) - however typing the terminal commands to do it is rather old fashioned.Mac Power Users 418: I’m A Guest!2018-02-19T08:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/mac-power-users-418<p>I am honoured to be a guest on the fabulous <a href="https://www.relay.fm/mpu">Mac Power Users podcast</a> this week. I’ve been listening to the show for years and help to moderate the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/macpowerusers/">Facebook Group</a> - which is one of the nicest places to hang out on the internet.</p>
<p>As mentioned briefly in the show I’ll be at the Chicago meet up in just over 2 weeks, for details of that listen to the start of episode <a href="https://www.relay.fm/mpu/416">416</a>. If you have any suggestions on places to go or food to eat in Chicago then send me the recommendation on Twitter or via the contact page here!<br />
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/mpu/418">Here is the episode</a> - thanks to David and Katie for the great interview, and to the wonderful editor for making me sound coherent!</p>Rosemary OrchardI am honoured to be a guest on the fabulous Mac Power Users podcast this week. I’ve been listening to the show for years and help to moderate the Facebook Group - which is one of the nicest places to hang out on the internet.Good Morning Computer2018-02-13T20:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/good-morning-computer<p>A while ago in the Mac Power Users Facebook Group I was challenged to make a Workflow which would tell the user about their upcoming day. When it runs Workflow will say something like this:</p>
<blockquote>
Good morning Rose, it is 07:38.
In Vienna the weather will be mixed precipitation throughout the week, with temperatures rising to 6°C on Friday..
The current temperature is 0 degrees celcius.
There is a 11% chance of rain.
Your iPad has 80% battery.
Your calendar events for today are Shrove Tuesday, Work.
The top news headlines for today are:
<ol>
<li>
</li>
<li>
</li>
<li>
</li>
<li>
</li>
<li>
</li>
<li>
</li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Here is some of your favourite music:
</blockquote>
<p>After it speaks this it then plays some of my favourite music (shuffling from a playlist I chose).<br />
So, how does this all work?<br />
When you import the Workflow it asks you three questions, what you name is, your Dark Sky Weather API, and the RSS feed of your favourite news source.<br />
<img src="https://resources.rosemaryorchard.com/images/blog/good-morning-computer/workflow_import_questions.png" alt="https://darksky.net/dev/docs" />
Next the Workflow gets the data we need:</p>
<ul>
<li>the date</li>
<li>the titles of the last 6 items from the RSS feed</li>
<li>the current location and the name of it</li>
<li>the weather for your current location</li>
<li>the kind of device you're using</li>
<li>the battery level of the device you're using</li>
<li>your calendar events for today</li>
</ul>
<p>Then this information is inserted into the text, let’s look at that again.</p>
<blockquote>
Good morning **Name**, it is **Current Time**.
In **City** the weather will be **Weather Summary**.
The current temperature is **Temperature degrees celcius**.
There is a **Rain %**% chance of rain.
Your **Device Model** has **Battery Level**% battery.
**Calendar Events.**
The top news headlines for today are **Headlines**.
Here is some of your favourite music:
</blockquote>
<p>Everything in bold is a variable, replaced with data we either fetched from the internet, or collected from the device. After this text all that Workflow has to do is use the speak text action, and the play music action.<br />
There are two current versions of the Workflow, <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/94ba7b07407948bdbabccfdb4c1d63fa">an imperial version for those who prefer Farenheit</a> and a <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/c9964e848eee49c6a3b4290f00338322">metric version for those who prefer Celsius</a>. If you download either of these you can have your device talk to you in the morning, and tell you about your day.</p>Rosemary OrchardA while ago in the Mac Power Users Facebook Group I was challenged to make a Workflow which would tell the user about their upcoming day. When it runs Workflow will say something like this:Creating My Own Raspberry Pi HomeKit Controlled Light2018-02-05T11:58:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/creating_my_own_raspberry_pi_homekit_controlled_light<p>I recently bought a <a href="https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/mood-light-pi-zero-w-project-kit">Raspberry Pi Zero W mood light kit</a> on Pimoroni. I’ve been looking for a project to practice my python and thought playing with lights would be fun. After <a href="https://learn.pimoroni.com/tutorial/sandyj/assembling-mood-light">assembling said light</a> (I recommend the <a href="https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/gpio-hammer-header">solderless set</a> by the way, unless you <em>really</em> like soldering) and playing with it, I wanted to control it along with the Philips Hue lights which are around my desk - via HomeKit.</p>
<p>Pimoroni has a <a href="https://learn.pimoroni.com/tutorial/sandyj/using-mote-with-homekit-and-siri">guide to set up Mote lights via HomeKit</a>, so with some tweaking I got it running.<br />
Make sure you <a href="https://learn.pimoroni.com/tutorial/sandyj/getting-started-with-unicorn-phat">install the software</a> first. Then I had to modify their code - I don’t have Mote lights, but I have the Unicorn pHAT. So instead of importing <code>mote</code> I had to import <code>unicornhat</code>, and very importantly I had to change the dimension of the lights - if you try to set lights that don’t exist on the unicorn pHAT then it won’t work. Despite doing this I had some problems with floats being returned instead of integers, so I changed all the division to use <code>//</code> instead of <code>/</code> which resolved that issue nicely. Here’s the code for the API:</p>
<pre><code>#!/usr/bin/env python
from colorsys import hsv_to_rgb, rgb_to_hsv
import unicornhat as unicorn
from flask import Flask, jsonify, make_response
app = Flask(__name__)
unicorn.set_layhout(unicorn.PHAT)
unicorn.brightness(0.5)
width, height = unicorn.get_shape()
colour = 'FFFFFF'
status = 0
def hex_to_rgb(value):
value = value.lstrip('#')
length = len(value)
return tuple(int(value[i:i + length // 3], 16) for i in range(0, length, length // 3))
def unicorn_on(c):
r, g, b = hex_to_rgb(c)
for channel in range(width):
for pixel in range(height):
unicorn.set_pixel(channel, pixel, int(r), int(g), int(b))
unicorn.show()
return True
def unicorn_off():
unicorn.clear()
unicorn.show()
return True
def get_status():
global status
for channel in range(width):
for pixel in range(height):
if unicorn.get_pixel(channel, pixel) != (0, 0, 0):
status = 1
return status
@app.route('/unicorn/api/v1.0/<string:st>', methods=['GET'])
def set_status(st):
global status, colour
if st == 'on':
status = 1
unicorn_on(colour)
elif st == 'off':
status = 0
unicorn_off()
elif st == 'status':
status = get_status()
return jsonify({'status': status, 'colour': colour})
@app.route('/unicorn/api/v1.0/set', methods=['GET'])
def get_colour():
global colour
return jsonify({'status': status, 'colour': colour})
@app.route('/unicorn/api/v1.0/set/<string:c>', methods=['GET'])
def set_colour(c):
global status, colour
colour = c
if status != 0:
unicorn_on(colour)
status = 1
return jsonify({'status': status, 'colour': colour})
@app.errorhandler(404)
def not_found(error):
return make_response(jsonify({'error': 'Not found'}), 404)
if __name__ == '__main__':
unicorn_off()
app.run(host='0.0.0.0', debug=True)</code></pre>
<p>(I can’t claim any credit here, I just modified their example to work for the unicorn pHAT instead of Mote.)<br />
Next I had to add the light to my HomeBridge installation. I ran <code>sudo npm install -g homebridge-better-http-rgb</code>, added the following configuration and restarted HomeBridge. Make sure to replace the IP address with your light, or with <code>localhost</code> if you’re running HomeBridge on the same machine as your light.</p>
<pre><code> {
"accessory": "HTTP-RGB",
"name": "MoodLight",
"switch": {
"status": "http://10.0.0.116:5000/unicorn/api/v1.0/status",
"powerOn": "http://10.0.0.116:5000/unicorn/api/v1.0/on",
"powerOff": "http://10.0.0.116:5000/unicorn/api/v1.0/off"
},
"brightness": {
"status": "http://10.0.0.116:5000/unicorn/api/v1.0/brightness",
"url": "http://10.0.0.116:5000/unicorn/api/v1.0/brightness/%s"
},
"color": {
"status": "http://10.0.0.116:5000/unicorn/api/v1.0/set",
"url": "http://10.0.0.116:5000/unicorn/api/v1.0/set/%s",
"brightness": true
}
}</code></pre>
<p>Here’s a video of the light in action.<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciWX-mXVaME</p>Rosemary OrchardI recently bought a Raspberry Pi Zero W mood light kit on Pimoroni. I’ve been looking for a project to practice my python and thought playing with lights would be fun. After assembling said light (I recommend the solderless set by the way, unless you really like soldering) and playing with it, I wanted to control it along with the Philips Hue lights which are around my desk - via HomeKit.iPad Diaries: Transmit Replacements and FTP Clients – MacStories2018-01-19T14:01:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/ipad_diaries_transmit_replacements_and_ftp_clients_macstories<p>Being a regular user of Transmit, this is a must read!</p>Rosemary OrchardBeing a regular user of Transmit, this is a must read!Get Slack-style emoji everywhere with Rocket - Six Colors2018-01-15T14:01:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/get_slack-style_emoji_everywhere_with_rocket_six_colors<p>The tool I didn’t know I needed, but will be being installed - I constantly struggle with emoji on the Mac, which isn’t helped by some applications automatically replacing :) with 😀</p>Rosemary OrchardThe tool I didn’t know I needed, but will be being installed - I constantly struggle with emoji on the Mac, which isn’t helped by some applications automatically replacing :) with 😀Satechi’s Multiport Travel Charging station is going to make your life so much easier | iMore2018-01-14T14:01:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/satechi-multiport-travel-charging-station-is-going-to-make-your-life-so-much-easier<p>I’ve got an Anker 5 port hub which has a USB C port with power delivery on it. It’s great for a MacBook adorable or fast charging an iPhone or iPad, but it wouldn’t do a great job on a MacBook Pro. I’m glad to see more of these devices coming to the market as they are absolutely perfect for travel!</p>Rosemary OrchardI’ve got an Anker 5 port hub which has a USB C port with power delivery on it. It’s great for a MacBook adorable or fast charging an iPhone or iPad, but it wouldn’t do a great job on a MacBook Pro. I’m glad to see more of these devices coming to the market as they are absolutely perfect for travel!5K iMac vs. iMac Pro: The pro’s silent fans made a fan out of me | iMore2018-01-13T14:01:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/5k_imac_vs_imac_pro_the_pros_silent_fans_made_a_fan_out_of_me<p>Stephen Hackett did exactly what I would have done - calculated that the top of the range iMac would do it, bought it, and regretted it. I’m not in the market for an iMac right now but his experience here is one I’ll keep in mind. For now my 2011 Mac Mini Server is still running well enough - hopefully that will remain the case until Apple finally release a new model.</p>Rosemary OrchardStephen Hackett did exactly what I would have done - calculated that the top of the range iMac would do it, bought it, and regretted it. I’m not in the market for an iMac right now but his experience here is one I’ll keep in mind. For now my 2011 Mac Mini Server is still running well enough - hopefully that will remain the case until Apple finally release a new model.A Roundup of CES Home Automation and Apple Accessory Announcements – MacStories2018-01-12T14:01:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/a_roundup_of_ces_home_automation_and_apple_accessory_announcements<p>There are several products in this roundup that I’m interested in, the power sleeve is a great idea and would have been ideal for me in a past life, and the HyperDrive is something I would love on my desk at work now. What I’m most interested in though is how long these items take to make their way to Europe - Fibaro are usually good there at least.</p>Rosemary OrchardThere are several products in this roundup that I’m interested in, the power sleeve is a great idea and would have been ideal for me in a past life, and the HyperDrive is something I would love on my desk at work now. What I’m most interested in though is how long these items take to make their way to Europe - Fibaro are usually good there at least.“Wireless” charging standardises2018-01-11T14:01:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/wireless_charging_standardises<p>It was clear as soon as Apple announced they were going with Qi charging that the other standards would likely die, hopefully the resources from creating the different standards will go a long way - greater range, for one, would be appreciated.</p>Rosemary OrchardIt was clear as soon as Apple announced they were going with Qi charging that the other standards would likely die, hopefully the resources from creating the different standards will go a long way - greater range, for one, would be appreciated.Goodbye to Transmit2018-01-10T14:01:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/goodbye_to_transmit<p>I’m very sad to hear that Panic are discontinuing another app - I found out about Status Board too late, but have been a heavy user of Transmit for the last few months.</p>
<p>I can’t fault a company for cutting products which aren’t money makers - but the App Store needs to change so that apps like these become money makers. Is it a niche product? Yes. Is it rock solid and high quality? Definitely.<br />
I won’t stop using Transmit right away - I will look out for other products and if I find a good alternative I’ll switch. I just hope whatever it is has Workflow integration like Transmit did.</p>Rosemary OrchardI’m very sad to hear that Panic are discontinuing another app - I found out about Status Board too late, but have been a heavy user of Transmit for the last few months.Daring Fireball: Pressing the Side Button to Confirm Payments on iPhone X2018-01-09T14:01:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/daring_fireball_pressing_the_side_button_to_confirm_payments_on_iphone_x<blockquote>
I think Apple needs to come up with a better indication -- perhaps something more explicit, the first time you encounter it -- that you need to click the hardware button, not tap something on screen.
</blockquote>
<p>I have to agree, I did not “get” how to purchase apps to start with (one of the first things I did with my iPhone X), once I knew how to do it then it was obvious - so I would guess the physical action came first and the animation later, when everyone testing it knew how to use it.</p>Rosemary OrchardI think Apple needs to come up with a better indication -- perhaps something more explicit, the first time you encounter it -- that you need to click the hardware button, not tap something on screen. I have to agree, I did not “get” how to purchase apps to start with (one of the first things I did with my iPhone X), once I knew how to do it then it was obvious - so I would guess the physical action came first and the animation later, when everyone testing it knew how to use it.AirPods - A Year On2018-01-02T08:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/airpods-a-year-on<p>Just over a year ago I walked into the Apple Store and picked up my AirPods - I was lucky enough to get a pair on launch day, but wasn’t really sure if I’d like them. Over the next few days I got used to them and found that unlike EarPods they didn’t cause my ears to ache - or constantly fall out.</p>
<p>A year later I use my AirPods most of the time without thinking about it. They have become something I take with me almost everywhere without thinking about it. From my smallest handbag, to the side of the pool, to flights across the Atlantic Ocean they have gone on every trip I’ve made. They’re not perfect - if they had noise cancelling built in then I would use them even more instead of getting my over ear headphones out to block loud conversations and screaming children. But if I’m commuting to work these are what I reach for - and they’re wonderful.<br />
Since the release of iOS 11 you can <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2017/07/12/ios-11-how-to-customize-airpods-controls/">customise the controls on the AirPods</a> independently of one another. I set my right ear to play/pause, and the left ear to skip the track. I rarely use the play/pause option to be honest - removing an AirPod is usually what I do, and the auto resume when you put it back in your ear has been flawless for me.<br />
The case for my AirPods is showing a few marks and dents where it has slipped out of my hand onto the pavement a few times, however as Apple have said they will be selling a case with Qi charging built in I’m not too worried - the Qi charging will allow me to top up the case regularly without really thinking about it.<br />
I love my AirPods - a lot more than I thought I would.</p>Rosemary OrchardJust over a year ago I walked into the Apple Store and picked up my AirPods - I was lucky enough to get a pair on launch day, but wasn’t really sure if I’d like them. Over the next few days I got used to them and found that unlike EarPods they didn’t cause my ears to ache - or constantly fall out.Creating Rich Contacts on iOS2017-07-26T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/creating-rich-contacts-on-ios<p>I recently discovered a little trick from the Map app in iOS - that you can add a rich contact to your contact, complete with map.</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>The first step is finding the place on the map - Apple Maps has got much better over the years so points of interest and useful places like doctors surgeries are often searchable by name.<br />
?resize=400)</p>
</li>
<li>Then you need to choose to either add a new contact, or add this information to an existing contact.<br />
?resize=200)<br />
?resize=400)</li>
<li>Once this is done you have an enhanced contact - complete with mini map, and any other information that is attached to that place in Maps - so here we have opening hours and more.<br />
?resize=400)</li>
</ol>Rosemary OrchardI recently discovered a little trick from the Map app in iOS - that you can add a rich contact to your contact, complete with map.Airmail Custom Actions2017-07-19T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/airmail-custom-actions<p>I’ve been experimenting more with <a href="http://airmailapp.com">Airmail</a> on iOS recently, specifically the <a href="http://docs.airmailapp.com/airmail-for-ios/custom-actions-airmail-for-iphone">custom actions</a>. Being a regular user of <a href="http://www.rosemaryorchard.com/blog/tag:workflow">Workflow</a> I’m very familiar with the concept - but Airmail does things a little differently.</p>
<p><a href="http://airmailapp.com/ios"></a></p>
<p>To get started with the custom actions you first need to enable integration with the apps you want to work with - for me this is primarily OmniFocus and Workflow, but not exclusively, this is done in the Services section - and there’s everything from Dropbox to Instapaper, and even GitHub.</p>
<p>So, what is the purpose of an action? An Airmail action allows you to chain multiple steps together - these can be purely email steps (e.g. forward an email, add a label, archive it), or involving external applications. I’ll go through some of mine for you.</p>
<h2>Receipts</h2>
<p>I prefer to handle receipts as PDFs on my Mac - or to be precise, I let Hazel handle my receipts on my Mac. This means I need to get my receipts to somewhere on my Mac Hazel is watching. I have a Workflow which I usually share a PDF directly to - and Airmail has an option to share the message as a PDF to Workflow, along with a whole host of other options.</p>
<p>The only catch is that Airmail shares a link to the PDF - but it can override the choice you previously made in Workflow to only accept certain document types. As such I added an If - and if the input is a URL I get the contents of it, and then have Workflow file the receipt in my chosen folder in Dropbox. You can get my <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/3b0ca2be8e614dd19f5c48ad7e5e7dcc">Web Receipts Workflow here</a>.<br />
Once the receipt has been saved as a PDF and filed I have Airmail delete the Workflow and that’s it! One less email in my inbox.</p>
<h2>Travel</h2>
<p>I use <a href="https://www.tripit.com">TripIt</a> to organise my travel - and TripIt is very good at parsing booking emails for the right data. While they do have an option to scan your inbox, I get enough bookings forwarded to me from my family and friends that this isn’t a great option - otherwise I’d be in two places at once and permanently on holiday! (Unless I did a lot of manual management in Tripit.) My preferred solution then is to forward emails to TripIt myself - I then apply my travel label and archive the message. With this custom action I just have to confirm the forwarding of the message and Airmail does the rest for me.</p>
<h2>Waiting On</h2>
<p>Waiting on is used a lot in <a href="http://gettingthingsdone.com">Getting Things Done</a>, essentially it’s a list of things you’re waiting on other people for - simple enough. However most of my waiting on ‘tasks’ come via my email inbox. I send Workflow the title and the link to the email, have it parse that and then add the resulting task to OmniFocus. You can get my <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/a34e6dbcbb1a4e008a8d751d5dfd69ad">Airmail Waiting On Workflow here</a>.</p>
<h2>Link to Clipboard</h2>
<p>Airmail actually has a built in action for this, but I use it in parts of other custom actions and it’s very handy to know how to get a link to an email as part of a custom action. All I do is use the Workflow action to send the mail link to a Workflow called <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/7c537bb994a7486a8ee0dd6b895af03d">Copy to Clipboard</a> which has exactly one action - it takes whatever the input is and copies it to my clipboard. (I have this purely for the times when something is being difficult and the copy button is either not available or not working because I’m running a beta iOS).</p>
<h2>Track Deliveries</h2>
<p>Last for now is Track Delivieries, I use the <a href="https://appsto.re/gb/DGbwr.i">Deliveries App by Junecloud</a>, and Airmail can either share a message to it directly, or as part of a custom action. I start by sharing to Deliveries, then use my Waiting On workflow from above, add an extra label of packages, and then archive the message. This way I can track my package, as well as see in OmniFocus I’m waiting on something.</p>Rosemary OrchardI’ve been experimenting more with Airmail on iOS recently, specifically the custom actions. Being a regular user of Workflow I’m very familiar with the concept - but Airmail does things a little differently.WWDC Keynote Games2017-06-05T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/wwdc-keynote-games<p>Today is the day, Apple fans are perhaps a little too excited but that’s par for the course. We’ve had plenty of “pre-announcements” and speculation that these have come over the last week because they’re running short of time in the Keynote. There’s even been an apparent <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/6ezhwm/iama_foxconn_insider_with_information_on_next_12/">supply chain leak</a> on Reddit (and a <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/6f21c7/everything_ufoxconninsider_reported_today/">handy summary</a> if you don’t feel like wading through all those comments).</p>
<p>There are a few WWDC games you can play along with during the keynote (useful if it’s 3am your time and you’re tired!), so I made a short roundup:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/upgrade/143">Upgrade #143</a>: Myke or Jason? Who gets more points? There's a PDF scorecard in the comments, and you can listen to their episode afterwards discussing the event and dishing out scores (they have an independent judge incase they can't agree!).
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/6f7dkr/for_the_first_time_in_2017_back_again_its_apple/?st=J3IRCB7T&sh=4a5baabf">WWDC 2017 Keynote Bingo</a>: From <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/TheMechanoids">/u/TheMechanoids</a> on Reddit. I appreciate the fact that "one more thing..." is right in the middle - and I hope we get a full house!
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/connected/144">Connected #144</a>: Federico, Stephen and Myke decided not to score but to decide who would be happier, Federico suggested the Happy-o-meter, and I <a href="https://twitter.com/rosemaryorchard/status/869961982740398080">threw one together</a>, there was a positive reaction on Twitter so <a href="Connected_Happy-o-meter.pdf">here it is in PDF</a> for you if you prefer that to an image.
</li>
</ul>
<p>Have fun, and remember - even if you don’t get what you thought you wanted you might well get something much better.<br />
Personally I’ve even thrown a WWDC 2017 wallpaper on my watch ;) (Wallpaper available from <a href="http://www.macerkopf.de/2017/02/22/wwdc-2017-wallpaper-hintergrundbilder-als-download/">macerkopf.de</a>).</p>
<p>Oh, and if you’re planning on installing the developer betas don’t forget to do an encrypted backup first.</p>Rosemary OrchardToday is the day, Apple fans are perhaps a little too excited but that’s par for the course. We’ve had plenty of “pre-announcements” and speculation that these have come over the last week because they’re running short of time in the Keynote. There’s even been an apparent supply chain leak on Reddit (and a handy summary if you don’t feel like wading through all those comments).WWDC 2017 hopes, wishes and predictions2017-05-31T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/wwdc-2017-hopes-wishes-and-predictions<p>With just 5 days to go before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference everyone’s getting in on the prediction/wish list action!</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.macstories.net/stories/ios-11-ipad-wishes-and-concept-video">MacStories</a>'s Federico Viticci along with Sam Beckett did a brilliant video of an iOS 11 concept - I especially like the Shelf, it feels very Apple like and I could see myself using it a lot.
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/upgrade/143">The Upgrade WWDC Keynote Draft</a> had Myke and Jason make 10 picks each that they think or hope will happen - I'm looking forward to the post-keynote scoring episode! I'm also crossing my fingers for another #mykewasright and that a 10.5" iPad Pro is announced - as much as I love my 12.9", if the iPad Mini is indeed dead I would like to consolidate to one device and 12.9" is too large whilst the 9.7" is too small really.
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.relay.fm/canvas/36">Canvas made wishes</a>, Federico and Fraser got Merlin Mann on as a guest (making the episode even more fun) - Fraser and Merlin made an excellent suggestion that it would be good if you could find apps you've not used in a long time or which haven't been updated for a while. We currently have the ability to find the 32 Bit apps (under Settings > General> About > Applications), but that alone isn't that helpful.
</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Bye bye to Pirates!</em></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://joe-steel.com/2017-05-26-WWDC-2017-Wish-List-tvOS.html">Joe Steel</a> made some excellent comments on tvOS. I particularly like the picture in picture suggestion, and the change away from the Rolodex view. </li>
</ul>
<p>So, with all of the above, I have a few of my own wishes:</p>
<h2>macOS</h2>
<ul>
<li>I would really like them to Sherlock <a href="http://eternalstorms.at/yoink/Yoink_-_Simplify_and_Improve_Drag_and_Drop_on_your_Mac/Yoink_-_Simplify_drag_and_drop_on_your_Mac.html">Yoink</a> - it's a great concept and I love it. Unfortunately my parents and many less technical folk don't see the point of paying for things like this when they can do it the more difficult way for free.
<h2>iOS</h2>
</li>
<li>iPad Splitscreen improvements - basically the current system is only workable if you spend a lot of time making it work. For a machine to be ideal it needs to work for you - and right now I'm working for it. </li>
<li>Being able to set default contact methods for different contacts. I have friends in multiple countries, if I want to call them I am almost never going to use the phone app - it'll be via FaceTime, WhatsApp, Telegram or Skype. Currently I have to remember which method I use and use it specifically.
<h2>watchOS</h2>
</li>
<li>More flexible watch faces. I would like to have a few completely customisable faces, think of a modular face with 9 boxes, you can choose to merge any boxes next to each other - allowing you to make complications of various sizes.
<h2>tvOS</h2>
</li>
<li>Adding local media storage and apps like Infuse to the TV app. I have all this content, but I need to visit multiple different apps to find all my content. </li>
<li>Speaking of which: the TV app needs to be available outside of the USA/North America.
<h2>siriOS</h2>
</li>
<li>I get it, Siri isn't an operating system. But it would be good if Siri could work (mostly) the same way across all platforms. I can't create a note on my watch - but I can on my phone. Consistency, and a shared brain would be excellent. Not needing to set up who my family is on every device would be a good start.</li>
</ul>Rosemary OrchardWith just 5 days to go before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference everyone’s getting in on the prediction/wish list action!JSON Feed2017-05-24T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/json-feed<p>Everyone’s been talking about <a href="https://jsonfeed.org" title="JSON Feed">JSON feed</a> recently, or at least that’s how it seems! As said by <a href="https://daringfireball.net/linked/2017/05/17/json-feed" title="John Gruber at Daring Fireball">John Gruber</a>, it’s written for real humans. JSON is everywhere nowadays, and it’s very easy to parse!</p>
<p>As such I thought it would be nice to implement JSON feed here on this blog. Unfortunately there isn’t yet a JSON feed plugin for <a href="https://getgrav.org" title="Grav, Content Management System">Grav</a>, however there is a <a href="https://github.com/getgrav/grav-plugin-feed" title="Grav Feed Plugin">feed plugin</a> - which I was already using to provide RSS. As such I decided to do a bit of playing with it, and a <a href="https://github.com/getgrav/grav-plugin-feed/pull/21" title="My GitHub pull requests for Grav Feed Plugin">pull request</a> or two later there will be a JSON feed! In the mean time I’ve already implemented it locally.<br />
And just for fun, I made a workflow where you can read JSON feeds: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/527a5cac66ee40ce9899b642cf84eb94" title="JSON Feed Reader Workflow">JSON Feed Reader</a>, to keep the Workflow from getting too long (and because it was just a proof of concept), the article you select is opened in the in app Safari window and there’s no tracking which articles you have or haven’t read.</p>Rosemary OrchardEveryone’s been talking about JSON feed recently, or at least that’s how it seems! As said by John Gruber, it’s written for real humans. JSON is everywhere nowadays, and it’s very easy to parse!Migrating Wunderlist to Trello2017-05-08T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/migrating-wunderlist-to-trello<p>As <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/19/microsoft-to-shut-down-wunderlist-in-favor-of-its-new-app-to-do/">Wunderlist is sadly shutting down</a>, I decided that I would move before I was pushed - so after some evaluation of my uses (shared lists primarily, and nothing that would end up in <a href="http://www.rosemaryorchard.com/blog/tag:omnifocus">OmniFocus</a>) I decided on <a href="https://trello.com/roseorchard/recommend">Trello</a>. They have optional Trello Gold which means I can pay them and make them more likely to stick around - ideal!</p>
<p>Then there was the challenge: “how do I move my data from Wunderlist to Trello?”. There are a few paid tools out there, but as much as I’m happy to pay for a good service - I do love free! As such I decided to do it myself.</p>
<p>The first step was exporting all of my data from Wunderlist. Inside of the Wunderlist web app, inside of your account settings you can create a backup. Unfortunately this brought me to my first problem.</p>
<p>I suspect that Wunderlist doesn’t play nicely with Safari, but giving me a file called “Unknown” with no extension wasn’t very nice either way. Thankfully a quick Google told me that this is in JSON format and so I renamed it, and put it in my Workflow folder in iCloud.</p>
<p>That done it was time to get started! The first thing to do was to poke around at the data and see what it was like. Workflow’s “Get Dictionary from Input” was immensely helpful here, and I quickly managed to isolate the lists and tasks. I ended up creating two Workflows here, one which turns each Wunderlist list into a board, with a list - both of which have the name of the Wunderlist list, and then one which fetches all the tasks and puts them onto said list on the correct board.<br />
<a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/f1f2ce60833b4f8597d39c6a9e72b321">Wunderlist to Trello Boards and Lists</a> and <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/e37a39a91c194782bbe56a5519d621ac">Wunderlist To Trello Tasks</a> are the two Workflows here - I separated them to allow you to modify them separately more easily. Simply run the first one, and then the second one and off you go!</p>Rosemary OrchardAs Wunderlist is sadly shutting down, I decided that I would move before I was pushed - so after some evaluation of my uses (shared lists primarily, and nothing that would end up in OmniFocus) I decided on Trello. They have optional Trello Gold which means I can pay them and make them more likely to stick around - ideal!Omnifocus resources2017-05-03T08:00:00+01:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/omnifocus-resources<p>I’ve been using OmniFocus ask my task manager for a good few years now, and I frequently like to search out articles about how other people use it to glean some ideas - and I frequently pick up tips.</p>
<p>As such I have a collection of articles below, most being pages which link to many more articles on that site! I also saved not just the links below, but also articles from the <em>lists of posts</em> websites that I particularly enjoyed or found useful on <a href="https://pinboard.in/u:RosemaryJayne/t:omnifocus/">Pinboard</a> - hopefully this will help you on your OmniFocus journey!</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://learnomnifocus.com/articles/">Learn OmniFocus Articles - Learn OmniFocus</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://support.omnigroup.com/documentation">Support - The Omni Group</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://inside.omnifocus.com/">Workflows - Inside OmniFocus</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://simplicitybliss.com/essential-omnifocus-posts-cb5d7fd4bbd6">Essential OmniFocus Resources – simplicitybliss</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://workingwithomnifocus.com/?pa=727C158523">Working With OmniFocus – A repository of videos about OmniFocus</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://learnomnifocus.com/videos/beyond-basics/">Beyond the Basics - Learn OmniFocus</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://gumroad.com/l/creating_flow_with_omnifocus">Creating Flow with OmniFocus - Second Edition</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.macsparky.com/omnifocus/">OmniFocus — MacSparky</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.macsparky.com/?tag=omnifocus#show-archive">MacSparky</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.lynda.com/OmniFocus-tutorials/OmniFocus-iOS-Essential-Training/386384-2.html">OmniFocus for iOS Essential Training</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.lynda.com/OmniFocus-tutorials/OmniFocus-Mac-Essential-Training/386383-2.html">OmniFocus for Mac Essential Training</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.rcardigan.com/blog/2016/7/8/omnibulk-entry-messy-way">OmniFocus Bulk Entry from a PC (The Messy way) — RubIn Cardigan</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.asianefficiency.com/omnifocus/">OmniFocus Tips, Articles, Tricks and Tutorials</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://joebuhlig.com/tag/omnifocus/">Joe Buhlig | leverage the digital and welcome real life</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://computers.tutsplus.com/tutorials/the-ultimate-guide-to-omnifocus-2--cms-20913">The Ultimate Guide to OmniFocus 2</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/omnifocus/">OmniFocus Community on Reddit</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.macstories.net/tag/omnifocus/">MacStories - Omnifocus</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://productivityist.com/omnifocus-next-level/">Productivityist - OmniFocus, next level</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://brettterpstra.com/topic/omnifocus/">Brett Terpstra - OmniFocus</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://brettterpstra.com/search/?q=OmniFocus">Brett Terpstra - More OmniFocus</a></li>
</ul>Rosemary OrchardI’ve been using OmniFocus ask my task manager for a good few years now, and I frequently like to search out articles about how other people use it to glean some ideas - and I frequently pick up tips.Mac Power Users Meeting2017-03-17T08:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/mac-power-users-meeting<p>This week the <a href="https://www.relay.fm/mpu">Mac Power Users podcast</a> hosted a meet up in Chicago. The event was sponsored by <a href="http://macpaw.com">MacPaw</a> (delicious food, thanks guys!), and it was a lot of fun.</p>
<p>Along with meeting <a href="https://katiefloyd.com">Katie</a> and <a href="https://www.macsparky.com">David</a>, I also met <a href="http://ilc.com">Tom Siko</a>, <a href="http://mcnary.me">Joshua McNary</a>, <a href="http://www.themactutor.com">Tony Marengo</a>, and many others. <a href="http://leancrew.com">Dr Drang</a> was apparently in the room too, however as he was anonymous I couldn’t say how much I appreciate his script sharing on his blog.<br />
I didn’t go just for the appetisers of course, it was lots of fun to meet everyone, and I even got a t-shirt!</p>Rosemary OrchardThis week the Mac Power Users podcast hosted a meet up in Chicago. The event was sponsored by MacPaw (delicious food, thanks guys!), and it was a lot of fun.Charging Tech While Travelling2017-03-08T08:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/charging-tech-while-travelling<p>Whenever you’re on the go you always seem to end up needing to charge more gadgets simultaneously than at home - or at least you do if you’re me. Along with the standard devices there are backup battery packs, and of course, if there are any long journeys you want everything fully charged before you depart! One handy little thing I’ve been carrying in my travel bag for over a year now is the <a href="http://amzn.to/2mstaYN">AUKEY 5-Port USB Charger</a>. As the name implies it has 5 ports, and each of them should charger at 10A (the power of the old iPad chargers). While it’s not perfect - it certainly won’t charge my massive 12.9” iPad Pro in a hurry, it’s more than good enough for nearly everything else. I can charge my phone, both iPads, headphones and a battery pack simultaneously - and if I plug in the behemoth of the iPad Pro overnight it’ll be 100% come morning too.</p>
<p><a href="http://amzn.to/2mstaYN"></a></p>
<p>The best part of this though, at least for me, is that it uses a standard figure of eight lead - the same ones used on Apple’s Airport range, the Mac Mini and the Apple TV - plus a plethora of other gadgets. This means you can buy alternative cables easily. As it’s 110V-240V it will work around the world, all you need to do is plug it in. I personally prefer having different cables to take with me vs a regular cable and an adaptor - it takes up less space. Additionally in some places I visit frequently, I have a spare cable there - just to reduce on packing a little.<br />
Of course, this isn’t the only charging solution I carry. As mentioned above I have battery packs, and as well as that I have the 29W USB C charger from Apple with the Lightning to USB C cable, and a standard Apple iPhone charger. These come in handy when plugs are inconveniently placed, more gadgets need charging, or I need to use my iPad Pro whilst charging it (it usually maintains battery life on the Aukey charger, but it certainly won’t increase). Both Apple chargers are also ideal for use on a plane which has a charging socket too.<br />
I hope that at some point soon Anker will come out with a charging block with a well powered USB C port on it which will allow me to ditch the 29W adapter when travelling at least.</p>Rosemary OrchardWhenever you’re on the go you always seem to end up needing to charge more gadgets simultaneously than at home - or at least you do if you’re me. Along with the standard devices there are backup battery packs, and of course, if there are any long journeys you want everything fully charged before you depart! One handy little thing I’ve been carrying in my travel bag for over a year now is the AUKEY 5-Port USB Charger. As the name implies it has 5 ports, and each of them should charger at 10A (the power of the old iPad chargers). While it’s not perfect - it certainly won’t charge my massive 12.9” iPad Pro in a hurry, it’s more than good enough for nearly everything else. I can charge my phone, both iPads, headphones and a battery pack simultaneously - and if I plug in the behemoth of the iPad Pro overnight it’ll be 100% come morning too.Tracking Exchange Rates When Travelling2017-03-01T08:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/tracking-exchange-rates-when-travelling<p>I’ve recently been travelling a lot (which as my family is well aware, is a normal state!) and wanted to be able to easily keep track of the exchange rate, plus be able to calculate the prices including tax - as well as find out how much it would be in my normal currency.</p>
<p>Step 1 was finding an API I could use. I’m a big fan of free - and when that’s nor possible affordable. Naturally <a href="http://xe.com">XE Currency</a> was my first port of call but that was a little out of my price range. A little Googling found <a href="http://fixer.io">Fixer.io</a> which is free, and while not giving the identical rates to xe.com or my card company, close enough to give me a very good approximation.<br />
The first step was creating a Workflow which would get me the current exchange rate, and save it to a file so I could use it offline. A simple GET command and some RegEx was all that was needed to extract the exchange rate, then it was a simple matter of saving the file for later retrieval - and I added an alert at the end.</p>Rosemary OrchardI’ve recently been travelling a lot (which as my family is well aware, is a normal state!) and wanted to be able to easily keep track of the exchange rate, plus be able to calculate the prices including tax - as well as find out how much it would be in my normal currency.Podcast Appearance - The Hitchhiker’s guide to the Plannerverse2017-02-23T08:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/philofaxy-podcast-appearance<p>This week I was a guest on the Philofaxy podcast, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Plannerverse - Episode 51. I had a great time talking to Steve (as always!), as we delved into how I plan and my systems.</p>
<p>We touched on the following topics:</p>
<ul>
<li>First encounters with planners</li>
<li>Parental influence on planning</li>
<li>Current style of planning</li>
<li>Work Planning</li>
<li>What I like most about paper planning</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p><strong><a href="http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-plannerverse_23.html">Listen on the Philofaxy website</a>.</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-plannerverse_23.html">)</a></p>
<hr />Rosemary OrchardThis week I was a guest on the Philofaxy podcast, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Plannerverse - Episode 51. I had a great time talking to Steve (as always!), as we delved into how I plan and my systems.Workflow: What’s the weather like today?2017-02-15T08:00:00+00:002021-10-10T00:00:00+01:00https://rosemaryorchard.com/blog/workflow-daily-dark-sky-weather<p>I’ve been exploring APIs quite a bit recently and came across the <a href="https://darksky.net/dev/docs">Dark Sky API</a> (free for up to 1000 calls a day). The possibilities with this API, like most, are many - and my immediate thought was I could use it to tell me at the start of the day what the weather will be like for the day - regardless of where I am.</p>
<p>I’ve experimented with IFTTT to tell me automatically at X time, but the problem with IFTTT is your location is static - you have to log into the website every time you need to change it. It also tells me at the same time <em>every</em> day and my schedule can vary somewhat.<br />
Anyway, on to the Workflow! I wanted to get the max and min temperature for the day, plus humidity and a rough summary of the next few days, all of these are possible in the API. I also decided that regardless of where I am in the world I would like the units to be metric (standard international, to be precise). I explored the <a href="https://darksky.net/dev/docs/forecast">very thorough API documentation</a> and realised I could exclude current, minute, hourly, alerts and flags data, and did so.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>Here is the Workflow: <a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/f820044097a9467a8879795058e0f887">Daily Dark Sky Forecast</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://workflow.is/workflows/f820044097a9467a8879795058e0f887"></a></p>
<hr />
<p>It’s a today widget, it will likely take a little while to run as it gets your GPS location - if you don’t travel much or at all then it might be worth finding out your latitude and longitude and hard coding them in. The emojis in the top dictionary can be modified of course - they’re just there to represent the icon which is available in the API.<br />
Of course, if you like Dark Sky it’s well worth buying the app!</p>Rosemary OrchardI’ve been exploring APIs quite a bit recently and came across the Dark Sky API (free for up to 1000 calls a day). The possibilities with this API, like most, are many - and my immediate thought was I could use it to tell me at the start of the day what the weather will be like for the day - regardless of where I am.