Shortcuts on myByways

Lock Screen "Launcher" Widget with Scriptable

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

iOS 16 introduced new lock screen widgets! Rather that installing various third party widdgets, I want to create my own using Scriptable. Here is a simple “universal” widget to launch an application or a Shortcut (bonus: or even the home screen too!)

Script to re-map MacBook Pro function keys

Sun, 19 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

In my last post, “Re-mapping physical function keys on MacBook Pros” I used the hidutil tool to re-map the function keys on a Mac without a touchbar. I’ve since created a script to more easily apply changes.

Re-mapping physical function keys on MacBook Pros

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000

One common ask from M1 (Apple Silicon / ARM) MacBook Pro users is to be able to re-define what the top row of physical function keys do, for example, to change the Dictation (F5) key to decrease the keyboard backlight brightness and DND (F6) to increase it, similar to other Macs. Here’s how to do that… and more!

Shortcut to convert image format and paste - redux

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

I was not satisfied with my last macOS Shortcut to convert image format and paste. The simple version forced me to choose between PNG and JPEG, and the complex version was too slow - specifically, the Find All Windows action. So here we go again…

My macOS Shortcut to Tile Windows

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

In the macOS Monterey Shortcuts Gallery, there are Shortcuts to “Tile Last 2 Windows”, “Tile Last 3 Windows” and “Tile Last 4 Windows”. This is my single combined version for any window (not just the last x).

Shortcut to convert image format and paste

Sat, 13 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I have a hangup about Microsoft Office on macOS - it often elects to paste images from the clipboard in TIFF format, instead of PNG or JPG, which results in massive files, be it PowerPoint .PPTX presentations, Word .DOCX documents or Excel .XLSX spreadsheets. Enter: A new macOS Shortcut to convert clipboard images to (lossless) PNG or (lossy) JPG.

Shortcuts on macOS: A review

Sat, 06 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

This is an opinion piece on Shortcuts v5.0 (1144.2) for macOS Monterey v12.0.1. Readers of my blog know I use Automator, AppleScripts, and shell scripts to get stuff done. So I was curious to see if I could replace all these with just Shortcuts. TL;DR: no, no I can’t.

Extract Text from a Screenshot with Shortcuts

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Here is a macOS Shortcut to take a screenshot and extract text from it using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). I find this useful to copy text from e.g. a presentation or video during a virtual call, etc.

Sending keystrokes to an application using Shortcuts for macOS Monterey

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been trying out Shortcuts on macOS 12 Monterey! I have written about Shortcuts on iOS/iPadOS in the past, so was keen to migrate my automation scripts from Automator or osascript to Shortcuts. Here is the first one: A Shortcut plus global hotkey to an application, leveraging AppleScript/JXA.

iOS Shortcut to Join Cisco WebEx

Sun, 01 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Here is a quick iOS Shortcut to join Cisco WebEx personal rooms by email name. In my organization, once logged in to Cisco WebEx, we can join a colleague’s personal meeting room just by his or her email name. Here is a shortcut to either:

Launch WebEx for the contact from the Contacts App share sheet,
Or just run the shortcut to select email to launch WebEx.

Shortcuts on iPhone home screen

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Here’s how I “changed” an app’s home screen icon on iPhone. I’m so OCD that I want my home screen dock icons (the tray at the bottom) to be all of the same colour! Actually, changing an icon is not possible, but creating a new shortcut with an icon of my choice is!

Workaround for YouTube PiP using iOS Safari with a Workflow.is Action Extension

Sat, 29 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000

It’s pretty easy to get Picture in Picture (PiP) in Safari on macOS - just a right-click twice - and if that didn’t work, I described simple workaround by disabling JavaScript. Here I have a Workflow.is App based workaround to enable PiP in YouTube in Safari on iOS. This allows me to surf (or work) while having a video running in a tiny floating window on my iPad.

Workflow is a great start to learning to code

Sun, 23 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000

In August 2016, GE’s CEO said he wanted every new hire to learn to code. And I must say, I do agree! In today’s digital, data-driven, self-service world, everyone should learn to code. But, to clarify, I’m not necessarily referring to programming in C# or Swift (like I do), but rather “coding” for automation.

Using Google Maps in Workflow

Mon, 10 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000

By now you have realized that the latest version of the Workflow App no longer has deep integration to Google Maps. That’s not too big a deal, since you can make do with the Workflow Open URLs function. Here’s how…

Workflow Action to add cheap IDD call prefix

Sun, 09 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Does your service provider differentiate between standard or “premium” IDD and “budget” IDD like mine does? Typically, the standard + international call prefix will default to the premium option, but to use the the cheaper option, usually via voice-over-IP (VoIP), one has to specific a different carrier-defined prefix, e.g. 12300 (I just made this up, check with your telco). I can’t find a built-in way to do this on iOS… enter the Workflow App!

Retrieving an Exchange Rate with Workflow

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Here’s how to retrieve and display the latest exchange rate for two currencies with the Workflow App (though one could just use Numbers on iOS or macOS too).

Scanning a Contact via QR Code using Workflow

Mon, 27 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been playing with the Workflow.is App recently, and this one is pretty cool - using Workflow to scan and generate a QR Code with Contact information.

iOS Dictionary Lookup via Workflow App

Sun, 26 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

I love that iOS includes the Oxford Dictionary. I dislike that iOS has not provided a simple way for me to lookup a word, unlike on macOS, which has Dictionary. Here’s the fix with the Workflow.is app!

Using Workflow App to Track Travel Expenses

Thu, 23 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Apple acquired Workflow today, and Workflow is now free in the App Store! Workflow (http://workflow.is)is a powerful yet simple rule-based automation tool. One pre-built workflow is to lookup your next calendar meeting, retrieve the location if there is one, and pop up directions in Maps - all this from a single button click.

If you are new to Workflow, here is a short tutorial to use Workflow to track travel expenses.