Time Based App Launchers
Time Based App Launchers


Every night my Obsidian Vault is synchronized to a folder on Dropbox. I use an app called Sync Folders Pro, in which you can schedule tasks. The only problem is that in order for the task to run, the app must already be launched. There's no way I can remember to launch it when I'm done using my computer for the day, so I had to find a way to have it launched for me prior to the time the task is supposed to run.

I chose Keyboard Maestro to do it for me, since Keyboard Maestro can also quit the app after the task completes. I use KBM for a lot of things, so it wasn't like I had to spend extra money just to get that feature. There are other, less expensive and simpler apps that can do the same thing.

  • Task Til Dawn - A Free Mac Automation App - Also automates some file management tasks, printing and browser based tasks
  • Alarm Clock Pro - An insanely useful app for all sorts of things, app launching is just a single feature
  • Shortery - The Missing Mac Automator - Unlike iOS, you can't trigger shortcuts based on conditions. Shortery takes care of that by running shortcuts when triggered by time of day, wi-fi connections, calendar events and a dozen other conditions
  • Scheduler for Mac - Free Automation Utility - this app can launch scripts as well as appsto accomplish all sorts of tasks
  • Running Cron Jobs on Your Local Mac - If you are a CLI pro, you don't need a third party tool to automate events. You can use crontabto run scripts that do all sorts of things for you on a time based schedule
  • LaunchControl: The launchd GUI - This is another pretty technical app, one that l provides all the information you need to create or debug a launchd(8) service through an easy to understand GUI.
  • How to schedule workflows on Mac - You can use the Automator app built into your Mac to create launchers for apps, documents and URLS and then activate those through a calendar alert. One of the available alerts built into the Apple calendar is the ability to open a file. If you just want to open an app, you don't even need to use Automator, just tell Calendar to open the app at time relative to the calendar event your created,

Some other time based tasks I use include:

  • An Applescript to eject my backup drive in the morning before I wake up so all I have to do is unplug it. ChatGPT can write Applescripts pretty well
  • An Applescript that moves tasks in Things 3 to a different data and time every night
  • A shortcut that imports imports screenshots that meet certain conditions into a designated photo album every night
  • Open and close an app on my two Macs at alternating times because I don't want it running on them simultaneously
  • Before I retired, I automated the launching of the web page for my job's time clock systm so that I could clock in and out for the day and my lunch break

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