Shorten URLs with an Automator service

03.09.2010

That done, you should be able to Control-click on any URL in any program and select Shorten URL from the Services submenu; the shortened URL should then be available in your clipboard, ready for pasting into Twitter, e-mail, or wherever you need it.

This hint uses the lesser-known shortening service QGF.in. You can use other services too, as long as they have APIs. To use another service, replace http://qgf.in/api.php?url= in the script above; the syntax is usually http://shortener.name/api?url=.