1/30/2024 0 Comments Launchbar costOn a file or contact returned in Alfred I can press the right arrow key to conduct a series of actions – launch file, mail file, delete file etc. This allows for very quick searching and launching of applications and files. If I don’t want to launch 1Password I can tap down through the returned results via he arrow keys or I can use cmd+number to open another file, contact etc. As I’ve launched 1Password before, Alfred will present that as my favourite result. For example, type 1p and Alfred will start to list files matching the text 1p. So typing cmd+space opens the Alfred window and from there I can search for applications and files on my local machine or on the web. I always use cmd+space for my launcher applications. Alfred is called via a keyboard shortcut which can be chosen by the user. Downloading the free version from the App Store brings with it a host of functionality. Alfred can be used to quickly launch any application, find documents on your computer or quickly launch web shortcuts plus a whole lot more.Īlfred is still called a beta but it’s been rock solid so far in my usage. It’s a productivity tool in the mould of the much loved Quicksilver and more recently Launchbar. If you want a broader keyboard-driven productivity tool, I haven't found anything that beats Alfred these days.Alfred for Mac has been available for nearly a year but I only recently tried it via the Mac App Store. If you're going for pure launcher with a bit of system integration, LaunchBar might be better. In the end it probably matters more what you're looking for. I just spent 15 minutes in LaunchBar and couldn't figure out how to do it. In Alfred, I was able to figure out how to assign a global system keyboard shortcut to trigger a workflow. Some things are also more or less intuitive in different apps. Once you find the ones that work for you, there's nothing out there that can execute them with quite as much fluidity as Alfred. I've made workflows that are as simple as file actions to quickly send a file to an app to full-fledged mini-apps that query APIs, process data, return an array of actionable responses, and then can produce multiple forms of output. But there's such power and flexibility in them that once you get in there and start making some for your workflows, the power is fantastic. It's hard to just "sample a bunch" because you'll forget how to invoke them. I think one of the biggest challenges with Workflows are, however, what you said. Its file buffer is easy to use, it has a "good enough for 95% of people" text snippet module with variables, its mini-player for music is good for quick commands, and the real guts of it, Workflows, are amazing. It's fast, which is good, but it doesn't index Spotlight metadata and for simple operations can suffer from some of what you mention.īut it can do so much more, and a lot of it is more intuitive than I've found in other applications. But for me, the raw power of Alfred more than makes up for it.Īs purely a launcher, Alfred is okay. I do think that for some operations, how you describe is more intuitive. I think that ultimately it's down to how your brain works. I know Alfred is immensively popular, so I'm asking myself whether I'm the only one having a big gripe about this behaviour. Then I press Tab and get to set the verb: "Remind me to ", "Send as e-mail", "Send as sms", "Google ". Quicksilver and Launchbar both get this right, allowing workflows to start by typing the object: "Buy Milk". Was it "Remind "? "Note "? "Create "? "Remember "?). Alfred interrupts this process by forcing me to first recall the specific command that I want to execute on the thought I'm forming. When I get a thought that I want put into words ("Buy milk"). Hoping for some good input, I want to verbalise where I think Alfred goes wrong: I did my master's thesis on cognition and how user interfaces affect working memory. Installed, got disappointed, installed Quicksilver, got disappointed and installed Launchbar, which turned out to be only half a dissapointment. Some quick research dubbed Alfred the new kid on the block. I still miss the workflow part and thought I'd look into today's alternatives. I'm installing my new MacBook and came to think of Quicksilver - a workhorse some 15 years ago, sent away once Spotlight entered into my life.
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