Subject: Re: [Butler Talk] New and baffled

From: Eric Weir <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 10:57:53 -0400

On Jun 23, 2013, at 9:31 AM, Rob Griffiths <[email-masked]> wrote:

> It hasn't; the bookmark code in Butler is really old, and needs a total re-do with Butler 5.

Well, I think I'll survive.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eric Weir
Decatur, GA  USA
[email-masked]

"Our world is a human world." 

- Hilary Putnam

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From: Rob Griffiths <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 06:31:51 -0700

On Jun 22, 2013, at 4:51 PM, Eric Weir <[email-masked]> wrote:

> Can't do either in Safari. And when you go to add a bookmark in Safari it displays the entire bookmark list with all the folders open. With a long multi-layered bookmark list like mine that is very, very awkward.
> 
> Maybe Butler has already solved these problems, too?

regards,
-rob.

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From: Eric Weir <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2013 19:51:41 -0400

On Jun 22, 2013, at 11:42 AM, Rob Griffiths <[email-masked]> wrote:

> It does, but it also needs a lot more detail than you'll find there presently. Butler is so powerful that I'm still discovering stuff it can do, even 10 years on :)

Barely started with Butler, and already I have a suggestion. It gives you access to your browser's bookmarks in the menubar, which is great. Something I've longed for for a long time is easier ways of editing them. 

Firefox allows you to sort the bookmarks and folders in the library, it's version of the bookmarks bar. and when creating a bookmark you can move items around on the displayed list. 

“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability 
and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” 

- Aldo Leopold

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From: Rob Griffiths <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2013 08:42:11 -0700

On Jun 21, 2013, at 3:59 PM, Eric Weir <[email-masked]> wrote:

> too, but it's capabilities as anything other than an app launcher were a complete mystery to me. There is very little to explore if you don't know your way around. It's almost "you know or you don't." 

The default Butler menu icon in your menu bar actually has a pretty good set of default actions to explore - iTunes controls, folders, hot keys, macro, etc.

> Your documentation is better than Quicksilver's, too. It was a little Greek to me initially, but I suspect that after a little experience with the app the documentation will become more helpful.

It does, but it also needs a lot more detail than you'll find there presently. Butler is so powerful that I'm still discovering stuff it can do, even 10 years on :).

regards,
-rob.

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From: Eric Weir <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 18:59:21 -0400

On Jun 21, 2013, at 5:10 PM, Rob Griffiths <[email-masked]> wrote:

> On Jun 18, 2013, at 5:56 AM, Eric Weir <[email-masked]> wrote:
> 
>> With Quicksilver I typed a hotkey combination to bring up quicksilver. When 
>> it was up I typed a one or two character abbreviation to start or quit an 
> 
> Butler is set up that way, too. Press Control+Space Bar to activate the launcher (though launching is just one of Butler's skills). Then type a few letters, and you should see your app/doc appear. If you don't see the launcher, it's possible that OS X is grabbing the Control-Space shortcut. In that case, either change the OS X default (in the Keyboard Shortcuts section of the Keyboard System Preferences panel), or reassign the Butler shortcut (Configuration tab in Butler > Enter Abbreviation shortcut).

Thanks for the explanation, Rob. I meant to respond to my post before now, as I discovered that Control+Space does work. I think Quicksilver muscle memory brought it to my attention. I am now able to do everything that I had been doing with Quicksilver.

> I often describe Butler as the ultimate power tool with a very steep learning curve. The UI isn't obvious, but there's tons of power to be had in exchange for some learning pain. Feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

The UI isn't obvious, but there's more to it on first encounter than there is with Quicksilver. I know that it's pretty powerful, too, but it's capabilities as anything other than an app launcher were a complete mystery to me. There is very little to explore if you don't know your way around. It's almost "you know or you don't." 

There is an interesting thread on Google group website that I want to read. I think people had been invited to make suggestions for things they'd like to see in Butler, and I had the sense that I would probably learn a fair bit from reading the posts. 

Regards,

"Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position, 
but certainty is an absurd one."
 
- Voltaire

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From: Rob Griffiths <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 14:10:55 -0700

> documentation on launching applications, hot keys, and abbreviations and 
> tentative exploration of the configuration still leave me grasping for how 
> to start. 

This page on abbreviations in the documentation may help, too:

<http://manytricks.com/butler/guide/english/help/triggerabbreviation.html>

regards,
-rob.

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From: Eric Weir <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:56:19 -0700 (PDT)

I've used Quicksilver, just for launching apps, for a couple years now. 
Butler was recommended to me a while back. I'm in the process of getting a 
new computer set up, and decided to give Butler a try. Butler looks at 
least as versatile and, with the userguide and configuration, possibly more 
transparent. At this point, however, I'm baffled.

app. I'd like to do the equivalent in Butler, but quick reads of the 

Help appreciated. 

Thanks,

Eric Weir