I think that use of Automator with KM will work better than what Chat GPT is suggesting I should do by using my calendar and automator in combination. I want to make a set up that will automatically record online seminars where I know the date, time starting and time stopping Keyboard Maestro and Mac automator.
I asked Chat GPT to make an Mac automator file/app which will turn on my video recording program (Camtasia) to record an online. Chat GTP made another app to have Mac automator shut off the program at a set time. To impliment this, I need to set my mac to open at a certain time (the mac is on). I know so little, but Keyboard Maestro can do this I believe. Then, I need to copy the times to start and stop the program.
I want template for this frequent need to record online seminars.
I cannot upload the templates that Chat GPT made because they are text files. Maybe I should be using something like apple script, but in any case I know next to nothing about coding. What do you suggest?
I would suggest that, unless you are a particularly keen user of Automator, start with Keyboard Maestro and only then consider whether you need to bring Automator (or Shortcuts, or Applescript or other technologies!) into the solution.
Also, if you are going to seek advice from Chat GPT, it is likely that you will still need to fully understand its answer so you can tweak the solution as needed (and know what is going on on your Mac!).
You will probably want to trigger your macro with a Time of Day trigger.
You mention Automator again—in what way would it be needed, do you think?
It usually can!
By “template” do you mean a readymade solution? My personal opinion on the creation of macros is always that it is far better if one can have a go at putting them together oneself and then ask for help with the macro as needed. I would therefore urge you to have a go at creating a macro from scratch.
I do not think your macro will need to be at all complex. I see from Wikipedia that “In Camtasia Recorder, users can start and stop recording with at any time”, so your macro could use the Type a keystroke action to send the shortcut to Camtasia (don’t forget the “Send to Background App” setting).
Forget, for now, Automator and Applescript or whatever. You probably won’t need them, and if you do, you will find out in due course and can then add them. Concentrate on making a KM macro and if you get stuck, of course upload it to the forum.
What one needs to do at the start is to break down the big (actually not that big) challenge into smaller ones.
If one wanted to bake a cake, it wouldn’t help to acquire more and more kitchen gadgets in the hope that a cake would appear somehow. What is needed is to think about the goal (a cake) and break it down into smaller goals that need to be accomplished, e.g. buy ingredients; prepare the oven...
In the same way, throwing Automator, Javascript and Applescript into the considerations at the start won't usually help. We have to think about what needs to be done, and then how to do it, and only then what additional “gadgets” are needed, if any.
One can think of ways to break the goal for a macro into smaller goals (e.g. “such-and-such application must be running, so I shall need to make sure that is the case”; “the macro must stop running when something-or-other happens, but only on Thursdays”..!).
So... it is initially about thinking about how to break down goals into smaller ones. Then one can think about how to build that in a macro. And then one will find unexpected challenges, and have to revise the initial thinking perhaps!
