(Revised May 2008)

Automator is the new scripting program included with Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.4 and using Automator can make your computing life quicker and easier. This short tutorial will show you how to create your first Automator application.

Let's create a simple application that will add video files on your hard drive to iTunes.

Launch the Automator application, located in the Applications folder on your hard drive. When Automator opens, you'll see a pane on the left with two columns - the Library and Action columns. In Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard), you might see a pane with several options, including "Files and Folders" and "Custom." Select Custom and click the Choose button to go to the main Automator window. You create an Automator application by dragging actions to the pane on the right side of the Automator window.

automator_action_step1

1.  Drag "Ask for Finder Items" from the action column to the pane on the right. Select these settings from the drop-down menus: Type: Files, Start at: [locate the folder where your videos are stored]. Check "Allow Multiple Selection."

automator_action_step2

2.  Drag "Add Any File to iTunes" from the action column to the pane on the right side. Make sure it is under "Ask for Finder Items."

automator_action_step3

Save Application

3.  Select "Save As..." from the File menu. A Mac OS X Finder pane will open. Give your Automator application a name and select a location for the saved file. Next, select Application from the drop-down menu next to "File Format." Click the Save button.

automator_action_step4


Run your new application by double-clicking on it, just as you would any other Mac OS X application. That's all there is to creating an Automator application.


Learn more about Automator with our Introduction to Leopard - Book 3.


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