Automation April: Interviews with the Developers Behind Pushcut and Working Copy 
This week, Federico and John interview Rodrigo and Victor Araújo, about the many-layered ways that Pushcut extends the utility of Shortcuts and Anders Borum, the creator of the iOS and iPadOS Git client Working Copy, about the app’s use of Shortcuts.
My Obsidian Setup, Part 9: Saving Articles and Music Albums for Later with Shortcuts and Dataview In Parts 6 and 7 of my Obsidian Setup series, I explained how I created a system to save Safari webpages and YouTube videos as ‘rich links’ in Obsidian thanks to a combination of Dataview and Shortcuts. For this first week of Automation April, I thought I’d add two more examples of content I’ve been...
Interesting Links Cider is a new, open-source Apple Music client for Windows, macOS, and Linux built with Electron. I installed it on my Steam Deck, and it’s a very nice experience with an Apple-inspired design that feels right at home with the Apple Music aesthetic. (Link) Writing for MacRumors, Joe Rossignol reminds us that five years...
Discord Giveaways, Raindrop.io Shortcuts, Using Regex to Match Multiple Device Models, and Icons for PC Gamers Here are the highlights from the Club MacStories Discord this week: This week, we kicked off giveaways on Discord for Downie, Permute, Bear, and Streaks, with more to come next week and throughout Automation April. Check out the #giveaways channel on Discord for details on how to enter each giveaway (it only takes one click...
It’s Week 1 of Automation April, and as I announced last week, alongside the several initiatives we’ve prepared for this month-long automation event, I’ve been working on 30 shortcuts to share with everyone for free on MacStories this month.
Today, I’m pleased to share the first group of 10 shortcuts that will join the other 250 on the MacStories Shortcuts Archive. These shortcuts are a diverse collection of utilities that have been specifically optimized for the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Monterey. Below, you’ll find shortcuts that take advantage of new actions for Translate and Live Text; there are Mac-only shortcuts that integrate with Finder and AppleScript; there’s even a shortcut that helps you speed up multitasking and window control on macOS.
As always, all the shortcuts I’m sharing as part of Automation April have been tested across all Apple devices and you can install them via the iCloud download links in this story. So grab a good cup of espresso, take a break from the Automation April contest, and let’s have a look.
Automation April: Our Shortcuts Setups
Rescheduling Reminders to Specific Days with GoodTask In yesterday’s issue of the Monthly Log, I wrote about why I switched to setting due dates only, without due times, for my reminders. In the story, I mentioned how the Reminders, GoodTask, and Remind Me Faster apps deal with creating and visualizing date-based reminders that don’t have a time associated with them, but I...
Over the past decade, MacStories has become the hub for all kinds of user automation. Starting with URL schemes, then Workflow, and eventually Shortcuts, we’ve created hundreds of shortcuts for MacStories readers and Club members and published stories about automation that have been read by millions of people around the world. With the MacStories Shortcuts Archive, launched three years ago, we unified our catalog of free shortcuts in a single gallery; with the arrival of Shortcuts on macOS, we’ve expanded our Mac coverage for Club members and launched a new column and Discord channel all about automation.
I love automation because of what it stands for: giving users – the people – the power to fully control their computer and make it more efficient. To make it truly their own. This is why I’ve been writing about the Shortcuts app for years and why I’ve always believed in it as the future of automation on Apple platforms: it’s the software equivalent of a bicycle for the mind.
For this reason, I’m absolutely thrilled to introduce Automation April, a month-long showcase of automation on Apple platforms by us, developers, and MacStories readers – with a focus on Shortcuts.
For the entire month of April, we will cover automation and Shortcuts – even more than we normally do – on every property of the extended MacStories universe. There will be shortcuts and articles on MacStories; we will post Automation April-themed episodes of AppStories; there will be special content in MacStories Weekly and AppStories+ for Club members; we will host special ‘Town Hall Workshops’ and a dedicated Automation April channel in our Discord community.
But there’s more:
In addition to all of the above, we are launching a contest to pick the best shortcuts submitted by MacStories readers for Automation April.
Starting Monday, April 4th, until Wednesday, April 20th, we will be accepting up to two shortcut entries per user via a dedicated Automation April website. The contest will be open to everyone with a free MacStories account (more on this below). We’ve also assembled a panel of Shortcuts experts who, alongside the MacStories team, will judge shortcuts submitted by people.
Oh, and we’re giving away an Elgato Stream Deck XL and an Analogue Pocket for the Best Overall Shortcut prize. Yep, you read that right.
April has always been a special month for MacStories: the site turns 13 (!) on April 20th, and this isn’t the first time we’ve organized a special event to celebrate our community. But with Automation April, we’ve prepared the biggest event we’ve ever done that will encompass every single aspect of the MacStories family – from the articles you know and love to Discord, the Weekly newsletter, and a brand new community contest.
The next four weeks are going to be fun. So let’s dive in and let me give you an overview of what you can expect from the first edition of Automation April.
Why I Stopped Using Due Times in Reminders and Embraced Due Dates Only For the past week, I’ve been running an experiment, which I think is going to stick for the foreseeable future: I stopped using due times in Reminders, and I’ve decided to manage my daily responsibilities with due dates alone. For as long as I can remember using a task manager – which is to say,...
John
