Beginner's Guide to Siri Shortcuts - Part 2: Variables

[@graemecarswell2528]

Although it is 12 months later I am learning more from your series than from any other source. Thank you. I am looking forward to the next 4 videos.

[@DanaKaempen]

Rob - this is SO incredibly useful! As an old UNIX guy, any sort of scripting is near and dear to my heart, but I was a bit stymied at how to jump into Shortcuts programming. Your very first video in this series which I just watched was *brilliant* and perfectly done! I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the series now. GREAT JOB & Thank YOU!!!

[@keemu8661]

I am curious to try these 2 shortcuts, which I do manually everyday 1. Clear Safari History and web data , Close all Tabs 2. In Telegram, Clear Telegram Cache Can anyone, guide how to get this done using shortcuts

[@khakiandgreendfw2243]

Thanks for these videos. I’ve been searching for a way to learn how to use Shortcuts and nothing clearly explained the process. You have. Thanks again!

[@kingtutt61]

Rob...you’ve found a area many people have been looking for. Brilliant. Much thanks.

[@ascheroz]

Thank you so much for this tutorial, I hope this series continues.

[@etienne4403]

Thanks for putting in all the effort to explain it clearly.

[@rfjy888]

I’ve learned a lot in this video, I thought one click to screenshot the whole page of the website is amazing but convert it to PDF is awesome!!!!! Thank you so much! Please upload more videos.

[@charleschiang6583]

Again, it's a great video and I didn't notice there's an attachment option in the show result! Can't wait to see the rest of videos!

[@LaHoraMaker]

Thanks for creating all these tutorials on Shortcuts! IMHO, It could be very useful to have list of the most useful programs on iOS that have shortcuts action. For example, Drafts for text manipulation. One of the most frustrating things I find when dealing with Shortcuts it's discovering that the app I use to manage pdfs, or create images, do not have any shortcut actions.

[@tech_craft]

Great idea. I’ll put something together.

[@alliejr]

This is/was a common problem with the old AppleScript. The concept was great but there was never any good documentation on the scripting "actions" offered by each app so the interfaces were always opaque.

[@nickaraiz1490]

Great Video! I am learning so much about Shortcuts from your videos. Thank you for taking the time to explain this in a way that is easy to digest.

[@stevenrobinson6544]

Wow this is awesome I’m a new subscriber now

[@morfor6978]

Thanks for the brilliant videos. Unfortunately I could not understand how it is possible to add timing to the memo notice? Can it be scheduled?

[@ioanpopovici]

Great that you are doing these for beginners. I’m not a beginner but I couldn’t find a way to play for example my fist unplayed podcast

[@tech_craft]

I checked and there doesn’t seem to be any action or property to check whether a podcast has been watched. Very frustrating.

[@ioanpopovici]

Tech Craft Ok, so I’m not a complete idiot :) Thanks for confirming this!

[@thomassaxe9078]

Hi Rob - is it possible to create a shortcut that takes all the songs from a playlist, search for the music video, and create a new (music video) playlist?

[@zamradk.p321]

Brilliantly explained!

[@sachinshaji9803]

Could you help me build a shortcut that automatically sends message in WhatsApp at a specified time.

[@sachinshaji9803]

@Casey Dallas but why would you hack your gfs account

[@sankalpdomore]

Great video! Quick question: How can someone automate a non-homekit light via a Aqara motion sensor. I have a yeelight monitor lamp which doesn't support homekit but runs well on siri shortcuts. Is there a way that I can automate it like this: "When Aqara motion sensor detects motion, run Siri Shortcut to turn on yeelight monitor lamp" ?

[@jazzman3968]

Thank you for these videos, as they are very helpful as I work to teach myself Shortcuts. I do have a technical question, if you can help. I’m creating a Shortcut that takes input from me and creates a note in the location and in the format that I want it. The complication is that I want to format the text (e.g., if I provide the text string for the header, then I want the header to be in a particular style (bold) and size). Is there an action that allows me to format the text? I can’t seem to find anything like that. I did play with “Rich text from Markdown”, but that didn’t work (although I might have been using it incorrectly. Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you.

[@TheKevo393]

hi Rob, any ideas how to add a "notes tag" to an apple note from a shortcut? I am trying to do the from a selection list of renamed tags. The idea is team members to select the tag from a list and add it to a shred note.

[@tech_craft]

This is a new action available in iOS16 along with a ton of other improvements to Shortcuts support in the built-in apps.

[@3DChallenger]

Love Your videos, they are very helpfull. Thanks for it 👊.

[@joseleoncaicedo2536]

Amazing videos!

[@atomiklyt7342]

Android Tasker's user and that was great👍

[@ChadMcDole]

Thanks for the video, this is crazy cool stuff! Hey, I have been messing around with trying to use shortcuts to creat a texting campaign. Do you know if it is possible to send some a sort of drip campaign using text with shortcuts?

[@slimeblitz32]

Drip campaign? What’s that?

[@czi2011]

thank you for sharing your knowledge. I can learn a lot from your videos.

[@Rakjkd]

How do you create a PDF with dark mode background and white writing your advise is most welcomed

[@Ziontastic]

i have researched all over and want to get your opinion. so pythonista cannot get/manipulate folders or files outside of pythonista folder. too bad i figured it out after buying the app. is there a way to copy files from sd card or hdd to the ipad file system? all i get is authority issues.

[@tech_craft]

Pythonista is yet to be updated for the newer Files APIs. It can read from iCloud folders so you can put your code there. If you are using Git and using Working Copy on the iPad then WC will transparently sync your files to a folder that Pythonista can see.

[@Ziontastic]

@@tech_craft i see. thanks. but i think Git and other working files wont fit for what I want hehe. Id like to code a shortcut to copy my videos to lumafusion. thanks a lot

[@tech_craft]

Ziontastic I’d love to see what you come up with there. I’ve been dabbling but not really made much progress.

[@renaes5262]

So much great information. I have a puzzle. I have an Apple Homepod Mini. iPAD is my home hub, and of course iPhone. When I execute my shortcut "Whos at the Front door" prior to bringing the home pod in, the Alarm app would display my door bell camera on the device I was speaking to. NOW try as I might, Siri responds from the Home Pod which has no screen, and the action does not display on may iPad I am looking for guidance on a variable that hears "door" and hands off action to the iPAD. regardless of device that Siri initialized on. Is this possible.?

[@tech_craft]

Can you share a link to the shortcut?

[@renaes5262]

@@tech_craft in the meanwhile. Now that I’m almost finished setting up my basic workflow at Home. I find that connecting my AirPods to my iPad that acts as my home base and wearing one earpiece while in the house allows me full use of shortcuts i use daily and my commands go to the iPad when i execute this shortcut. And! Wearing the earpiece now like this I realize i dont need a mini pod in every room like i had with Echo. I still need to send this particular command to iPad only no matter which listening device is initiated

[@bigrjc2008]

Can create an expenses list to run with numbers or excel ?

[@hellreza]

I am using ios 14 public beta so this might be just a bug. but I followed all steps and a few things had slightly different outcomes. 1. the picture that comes out my most recent isn't the most recent, the first time I tried it used a video so it didn't show up in the notification. 2. the convert to PDF turned out as just text.

[@harrisarts]

I love this series of videos. Week 1 I had no issues following along with your instructions. But this video, I think I’ve followed as you directed but I’m not getting anything showing up in the Quick Look window? It’s always blank. I also wonder where the shortcut saves the PDF when it’s done. I’ve looked around in the Files app but I’m not finding anything. ~Thanks

[@tech_craft]

Thanks! I think what you’re seeing is a bug that has been plaguing the 13.2 series. The PDF-related actions will just randomly stop working. I’ve found that force quitting all apps or doing a reboot fixes this - at least temporarily. I’ve been using 13:3 beta and it seems like this problem has gone.

[@harrisarts]

Tech Craft I’m using iOS 13.2.3 (the most updated version I think?). I tried closing all apps and restart. No changes. It still doesn’t work? I did spot the share icon, so I figure that’s how you would save the final PDF into a location. But at last it still makes a blank file.... still trying.

[@harrisarts]

Ok, update. The shortcut works on the iPad Pro but not on the iPad 6th generation?

[@yaroslavyudenko3022]

Thank you for all the useful info, but reminding to watch a previous episode and teasing the future 3 for two minutes and saying “let’s get straight into it” should be a crime

[@tiitulitii]

How to go back to the Part 1? ... KZbin aways shows the following videos, but never the previous ones!

[@lvenema]

How do i use shortcuts to press a specific button within an app. E.g. to open the door?

[@coach_yo]

Thanks for doing this

[@zeynepdemir890]

How could we create a swiping and a clicking shortcut on an app ?

[@landwirtschaft2116]

Nice plane!

[@ujjawalsharma2176]

Can i turn on my car via shortcuts and automate it with a nfc tag?

[@ARMadillo18]

Thank you for this “Beginner’s Guide to Siri Shortcut.” Can you make a video about html on Shortcut?

[@tech_craft]

Sure thing. I have a video that discusses how to use HTML in the context of making PDFs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kILCZmyppLV0sKM. What HTML-related topics are you interested in hearing about?

[@rachelbratten1001]

I’d really like to learn how to do a shortcut for - when I reach specific destination (AND specific day of the week), menu provides options of texts to send to a designated person. Like on Wednesdays when I arrive at my clients house I can choose one of three things to send to that client. I’ve got the destination, the menu, and the sending text all built but I’m missing something because it’s not working. I tried "if" options as well but "Wednesdays" as a text variable isn't working ☹️ any advise?

[@tech_craft]

This is not as easy as it should. You have to use a specific Format Date specifier to get the date into a format that’s just the day of the week. Here’s an example of how it can work. www.icloud.com/shortcuts/4c3cc6bce1a14c51859b583994779876

[@cstv333]

Hi Rob, great tutorials. Is it possible that, in a future tutorial, you could cover how shortcuts works with the files app. I've been trying to setup a shortcut that displays all pdf files created on a particular date. No joy. Anyway, thanks for sharing your knowledge and its great to see your subscriber base is growing fast. Cheers

[@tech_craft]

Let me look into that one and see what can be done.

[@michaelnewton2297]

I have followed the tutorial to the letter, everything looks exactly the same as your convert to PDF shortcut but my shortcut doesn't show in the share sheet, I'm using iPhone 12 Pro max on iOS 14.7.1, any ideas??

[@ARMadillo18]

What do you think about the app Koder

[@tech_craft]

I haven’t had chance to try that one much. I’m slowly trying to work through all the coding apps I can find on the app store so I can do a roundup video on them.

[@rolandlandry5023]

The Convert To PDF shortcut does not work on my iPad. The shortcut runs when I select the shortcut in Safari, but I get no PDF.

[@GerardWassink]

Nice Image of a hand plane... ;-) And using my website as an example as well... I feel honoured.

[@tech_craft]

Gerard Wassink my Dad and I did a traditional timber framing course a few months back. It was a fantastic experience and they had some lovely hand tools

[@tuzuncakmak]

How did you display the pointer on the iPad?

[@driftkinger1]

It appears when you connect a mouse to the iPad

[@t1000se]

hey Rob, I'm trying to add my Lohas Smart bulbs to shortcuts to easily turn on and off them from the widget but their app is not visible in the shortcuts app. Does this mean that I can't do this? Philips Hue is visible but it's only for turning off, i can't change it to on :( also, there is an app called ifttt, i hope you will make some videos on that as well

[@tech_craft]

That does sound like the app isn’t supported by shortcuts directly. Is the device available under Apple Home? If so you can use the Home actions to automate it.

[@t1000se]

Tech Craft I just checked now but not there either, only in Google Assistant :( and I’m not a coder so I don’t know what else I can do. I found another video that explains how to use IFTTT to automate things but couldn’t manage that either :( I think I should replace all my smart bulbs with Philips Hue. Thanks for the answer Rob, I really appreciate it 👍🏻

[@tech_craft]

Hue definitely works and works well. I automate all mine through the Home integration in Shortcuts. I’m planning a few home automation centric videos to start the new year and I’ll also be covering IFTTT and Zapier as a way of getting more out of iOS automation.

[@t1000se]

Tech Craft wow looking forward to seeing them 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@prathameshdhumal3659]

Thank you

[@mdzaid5925]

Hi, I am facing some issues and cannot figure it out. I had a script like Text=currentWallpaperName // abbreviated code,i store wall name in reminder set lastPic to Text Get photos from album Repeat with each photo Get Name of repeatItem If lastPic is Name Set Wallpaper to repeatItem fi Set lastPic to Name End repeat When I add that last set operation, the condition in the above if block resets and only option available are ‘have value’ / ‘does not have value’. Can anyone please help to fix this?

[@keyur_01]

is anything available to auto reply to every message with specific message??

[@tech_craft]

You can create a Personal Automation to trigger on receiving a message, but only from senders that you specify. You cannot respond to every message unfortunately.

[@StaceyMaher-z9w]

My “Show Notification” , when I click on the arrow next to “TheMessage”, won’t let me add any attachments; where your screen showed “choose variable” in the attachment line, mine shows nothing and when I press on the attachment line, nothing happens 😢

[@Linxy]

can u make shortcuts on macbook?

[@tech_craft]

Sadly no. The closest thing on the MacBook is AppleScript.

[@chinarut]

Shortcuts appears to be inspired by Automator, no? support.apple.com/guide/automator/welcome/mac I've made some nifty actions back in the day!

[@qasimjaved363]

Need a little bit of help. So I need to send a certain whatsapp message to someone if certain conditions are met. It goes something like this: 1. If during weekdays, (Mon-Fri & time) is between (10am to 2pm), AND (my location) is not my work; THEN send (this message) whatsapp message to (contact). Can you help?

[@quintonrichards4805]

Found part two. Just wasn’t in the playlist.

[@mrigankamaji8405]

How to control two tasks from one shortcut one after one . just like toggle switch.

[@tech_craft]

You can place two tasks like toggling switch in sequence and they should work just fine.

[@mrigankamaji8405]

@@tech_craft can you explain more please.

[@sairagul8855]

For third party app how can I automate

[@michaelslone7442]

iOS 15 broke my shortcut! Can I get help?

[@TekoaSmith]

to be honest i was rewlly excited when you stated the seriers was for beginners but you juat go way too fast during some of the inputs im tryung to follow along with my phone and i have to jeep replaying everything sorry about the crazt message got a broje keybaord so this is as good as it gets

[@dullbananas9901]

Who else remembers Workflow

[@jasonlei9666]

I remembered apple bought Workflow to have the shortcut app

[@Mehmehx]

Your viewing will crack now when shortcuts come to Mac

[@Rood67]

The most important thing of this series so far is at the end of this video. All I see are timer and task shortcuts. I kid you not, I saw one for when to brush teeth?!?!? What kind of useless crap is this??? But at the end of this video, converting a webpage to a PDF is useful, and most importantly, you show how it is accessed from the share button in the browser. And I assume, most any other app as well.

[@beautifullybrilliant7542]

Anyone who tells you they’re allergic to something take it seriously don’t play around! I literally got it divorced because my piece of crap X thought I was lying about my allergy because it’s rare. Oddly enough, my allergist my allergy doctor has the same rare allergy I’m allergic to olives and anything to do with olives, olive oil anything I went into severe anaphylactic shock to be hospitalized for a couple days. Grandmal seizures, my tongue swell up.

[@Trackhoe075]

Such a waste of time setting up these short cuts are! I just don’t have time to play geek

[@Trackhoe075]

I’m sorry but honestly I think this subject is so uninteresting I just can’t get myself to sit in front of a computer doing all this stuff when I have a life to live I know I know this is probably your passion in life it’s just not mine lord knows I’ve tried to get interested in this stuff but it’s just not interesting I’ll let you and all your buddies do the work not me I’m just more mechanical I guess Give me a car to fix give me a leak in the wall to repair give me a light to hang or run wires in a house or car etc This stuff nope you can have it Best of luck as long as you enjoy what you do that’s all that matters I certainly can do spreadsheets and other stuff like that but jumpin into the weeds with this not for me

[@norahalhuwemel7500]

🫶🏼