One of the most welcome announcements at WWDC this year was that Apple is bringing its iOS/iPadOS automation system Shortcuts to macOS 12 Monterey. This article looks at how that’s going to work, and how it will affect users and developers.
Macs have had automation for the last 28 years, when Apple introduced AppleScript in System 7 (for those who like great precision, in System 7.1.1). However, this is a programming language which depends on apps providing support for its capabilities, and on the user learning to code in AppleScript. Mac OS X added Unix shell scripts, which had previously only been available to developers using Apple’s Macintosh Programmer’s Workshop. Although widely used on other systems, shell scripting still requires command tools and the user learning to code.
Five years later, in 2005, Mac OS X Tiger brought the automation app Automator, which is capable of running AppleScripts, shell scripts, and Actions provided by apps, in graphical Workflows. Although Automator has proved popular with many users, in general its potential has never been fully realised. This is most probably due to limited support in third-party apps, and the fact that it’s limited to macOS.
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