Finder Right Click

just found rightclickbooster https://hobbyistsoftware.com/rcb that allows you to add right click actions to the finder. It uses the finder Synch function as far as I know https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/General/Conceptual/ExtensibilityPG/Finder.html

Its pretty nice to trigger finder related macros with this.

Maybe even would be worth considering adding something like this to Keyboard Maestro directly?

Thanks for sharing. Interesting tool.

I think I'm missing something about the righclickbooster.
I have a number of KM Macros that I can trigger based on the Finder selection, using either a hot key and/or Trigger by Name.

What is the difference/advantage of using rightclickbooster?

Hey JM,

Contextual menu.

Some people like to use the mouse.

I generally prefer not to...  :sunglasses:

I tested RightClickBooster and don't like it. It apparently relies on the app running and won't let you get by with just the Finder extension.

Otherwise I like it in concept.

Long ago I used to use FinderPop and another unremembered utility for such things.

-Chris

Chris, it looks like to me that it just allows you to ADD stuff to the contextual menu. That's quite different from being able to display it/access it from the keyboard.

No the app is just to set the settings. You can take them out of the auto start and then it's just the finder extension.

It lets you execute applescript so just it is pretty simple to call a macro. But yes its not a Plugin or something so of course it is not seamless integrated.

#Action:{"name":"New File","appleScriptHandler":"new_file"}
on new_file()
	tell application "Keyboard Maestro Engine"
		do script "New File"
	end tell
end new_file

My main motivation was the get the rightclick "new File" as in ftp programs or on windows.
But yes I guess in general a shortcut may be faster but lets say one creates macros for multiple people that don't want to learn a loud of shortcuts.

Also if that would work folder/filetype specific this could be massively handy. Lets say if you rightclick on a image you get for example "Convert to CMYK", "Resize to twitter format", "Move to images folder". In that case is a visual dialog more elegant than a shortcut in my opinion.

What I also tried out is to trigger them through an applescript app in the top bar of the finder. Still testing things out a bit not quiet sure where I should trigger my macros =).

I’m sure I’m missing something, but why not simply use Services? (You can write a Service with the Automator app, and it can can contain AppleScripts and other stuff.)

Your Services automatically appear in the contextual menu (Submenu “Services”). They can also be limited to only appear while in certain apps.

Hey Julian,

That's curious.

Every time I run a script from the Contextual Menu the main app launches...

-Chris

Hey Julian,

See this thread for some ideas.

Create New Text File in Finder

I've changed my copy of the script in post #6 to create new text files from scratch, so the creation and modification dates match when the file was created.

I've left the dates of the other template files alone, so they reflect when the template was created/modified – although it wouldn't be too hard to update these to NOW() (when the "new" file is created) – and that might be the better choice for some users.

-Chris

@Tom

I see part of the author's intent is to save you the trip to the submenu then selecting from within the submenu by putting the action at the top directory of the contextual menu.

"Mac OS has had the ability to use custom scripts as services – but they’re too far from the right click to be useful (right click, scroll down hover over services, skip right, find the command you need)." http://blog.hobbyistsoftware.com/category/desktop/rcb/

If I can put KM macros at the top of the contextual menu from within whatever app I'm in then I'm all in :wink: .

Thanks for the explanation. Got it now :wink: