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I would like visualize the result of a workflow with my own application (not yet written). For example, I have a workflow which extract strings matching a regular expression on a web page.

How can I send these strings to my application ?

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Programming questions are off-topic according to the FAQ. The Automator exception stated their applies to programming in Automator, not for developing Automator actions. You will get better answers in StackOverflow. – patrix♦ Oct 21 '12 at 16:42
OK, please migrate it to StackOverflow. – Antoine Oct 21 '12 at 16:46

closed as off topic by patrix♦, Nathan Greenstein♦ Oct 21 '12 at 17:09

Questions on Ask Different are expected to relate to Apple hardware or software within the scope defined in the FAQ. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about closed questions here.

2 Answers

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You could make your application scriptable Then the workflow could send it data via Applescript. Here is an example SKProgressBar 1.0, of how it works.

But IMHO doing that seems over kill for what you want and a bit pointless since you are writing the app anyway. Why use workflows when you can just get the app to grab the data from the webpage and display it.

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I want the application to be able to receive data from other processus, or to be used as a stand alone application. Both are useful. I would like my application to behave like other actions in Automator. – Antoine Oct 21 '12 at 16:23
SKProgressBar doesn't seem to be open source. – Antoine Oct 21 '12 at 16:41
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Apple's Developer site has a guide on creating Automator actions that integrate with an application. It would be a good starting point, and if you have more specific questions, StackOverflow is typically the place to go for programming help, including Mac stuff.

As an aside, you may want to focus on implementing your application's core functionality first, since that will limit what you can do with Automator.

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