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Behind the Scenes of the MacStories Shortcuts Archive

MACSTORIES EXTRAS

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Behind the Scenes of the MacStories Shortcuts Archive

Earlier this week, we introduced the MacStories Shortcuts Archive, a collection of 150 custom shortcuts for the Shortcuts app that I’ve created and updated over the years. Listeners of AppStories may be aware of the fact that I “soft-launched” this project months ago, when the archive only had 30 shortcuts or so; in the past few months, I’ve been busy updating all my old workflows (for the Workflow app) and creating new shortcuts based on modern techniques and new iOS integrations. The end result is a bigger, more organized archive that spans 20 categories and where each shortcut has a download link, an icon, and a description. Everything is available for free; as usual, more advanced shortcuts will remain exclusive to Club MacStories members.

As I noted in the introductory post on MacStories, the archive is a labor of love dedicated to the Shortcuts community. I want to help people learn about Shortcuts and make the most of it; personally speaking, I also relish the thought of knowing my work is neatly categorized and indexed for posterity. Those who know me well enough may have already guessed that the Shortcuts Archive was itself made possible by a series of shortcuts and an automated setup that controls everything behind the scenes. Today, I’d like to explain the approach I took to building the archive and share the details of the advanced shortcuts that make it possible.

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