Episode 10: An iTunes Alarm Clock (Automator 101)
Filed in Tutorials, Podcasts by TheSage May 17th, 2007 at 10:46 amIn this episode The Sage show you how to create an alarm clock that plays songs from a playlist in iTunes. This tutorial will require the use of Automator, iTunes, and iCal.
You can watch this episode here.
The first step is to launch iTunes (Applications/iTunes) and create a new playlist. The steps to create a playlist are:
- Click on the plus icon at the bottom left hand corner of iTunes.
- Type the name of the playlist you would like to create and press ⌅
- Drag song/songs from your music library to your newly created playlist
The second step is to launch Automator (Applicatioons/Automator) and create the workflow. The steps are as follows.
- Select the System library and double click the Set Computer Volume action to add it to your workflow. You will want to drag the volume slider in the workflow pane so as to ensure that you can hear your alarm if the system volume was previously muted.
- Select the iTunes library and double click the Set iTunes Volume action. Again, drag the volume slider to your desired volume.
- Double click the Get Specified iTunes Item action. A dialog box will prompt you to select the songs or playlists that you desire. Select the playlist you would like to wake up to and click Add.
- Double click the Start iTunes Playing action.
- Double click the Start iTunes Visuals. You can configure the iTunes visual action within the workflow to display full screen, small, etc.
- Test your work flow by pressing ⌘R
Once you have verified your workflow, you will need to save the workflow as a Plug-in for iCal
- Press ⌘⌥S or go to File/Save As Plug-in
- Type in the name for the Plug-in and select iCal Alarm from the Plug-in for: drop down dialog box.
- Click Save
Once you click Save iCal will launch and an event will be placed in iCal at the current time. You can change the date and time of this event or you can create new events. To create a new iCal event with the iTunes alarm:
- Double click on the date you would like to set the alarm.
- Type in the name of the event
- In the information pane click on the alarm text and select Open File.
- Select the file you would like to open (e.g. Alarm) and you are all set.
This is a very simple example of how automator can be used to automate tasks. The Sage has an alarm that he uses which not only plays his desired tunes but also uses the voice utility to create a reading of his RSS feeds, convert that to an audio file, and load it onto his iPod.
Technorati Tags: Automator, iTunes Alarm Clock
June 10th, 2007 at 12:23 am
i can dig it. forgive my naivety, but i have a question. How many of the three applications(itunes, automator, ical) do i need to have open for this to work?
June 10th, 2007 at 8:10 am
I am not sure exactly what you are asking but I will try to cover all of the possibilities
When you are creating the alarm you only need the application that you are using open.
Once you have set the alarm you do not need any of the applications open. iCal alarms will open even if iCal is closed. There is one caveat to this. You must have the check box for “Turn of alarms when iCal is not open” unchecked. This box is located in the iCal–>Preferences–>Advanced pane of iCal
Hopefully this answers your question. If not feel free to repost and email me directly.
Sage
July 13th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
wondering if there is a way for a macbook to do this while sleeping? like for instance run insomniaX to wake the computer then run the following.
July 14th, 2007 at 1:42 am
I am not sure that I completely understand your question but I will try to answer. The best way to do this is to go to System Preferences and double click Energy Saver. Select the Options Tab.
Fromhere click on the lock on the lower left hand corer and enter an Administrator’s Username and Password. From here, select schedule and select a time to have your computer to wake up (preferably a minute or two before you want to run the automator script) and click OK. This should allow you to run the automator work flow while still allowing you to put your computer to sleep.
You could also use something like Aurora. Anyways, I hope that this answered your question. If not, feel free to recomment and I will try to answer to the best of my ability.
July 14th, 2007 at 6:32 am
will this work if the screen of the laptop is closed?