Two useful Automator workflows

24.05.2012

Choose the Files & Folders library and then drag these actions to the workflow area: Get Specified Finder Items, Get Folder Contents, and Copy Finder Items. At this point, save your workflow.

When you do, iCal will launch and create a new event. You can then edit this event so that it repeats every day at, say 8 PM.

Now return to your workflow and drag the To Backup Folder into the first action and then drag the My Backup folder to the pop-up menu in the last action. Save it again.

Now, let's give it a try. I'll take this document on the desktop and drag it into the To Backup folder. I'll then show you the contents of the My Backup folder. Within Automator I then click on the Run button and watch what happens--the file in the To Backup folder has been copied to the My Backup folder.

The beauty of an iCal Alarm trigger is that I needn't push this Run button manually. Instead, iCal will simply trigger the workflow at the time I set within the event.