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Applescript: using Quicksilver to append to OmniOutliner documents

I'm hoping that someone can help me. I've done some searching today for this and was surprised not to find very much information about what I'm looking for.

We all know that you can use Quicksilver to append to an existing text file (with the .txt suffix). However, I keep a set of lists—my non-systematic ‘stuff’—in a set of OmniOutliner documents. These documents are all stored in one folder. There seems to be no way to use Quicksilver to append a line to an arbitrary OmniOutliner document, as far as I can tell.

I've found this page which gives a script to use as a Quicksilver action. That script will append to a .oo3 document whose filename is hard-coded into the script. I would like to be able to define which document to append to from within the Quicksilver interface, in the third argument.

So, my ideal situation would be to think of something to add to one of my lists, bring up Quicksilver and then do something like this in the argument panes:

  1. [Whatever mind-numbingly mundane thought I've just had to append to a list]
  2. “Append to OmniOutliner document” (action)
  3. [Specify which OmniOutliner document will be affected]

Surely this is possible? I'm sure someone here with a brain far bigger than my own would be able to help out with the necessary hacking of the Applescript, which is something I've not ever really come to terms with (especially in writing Quicksilver actions).

Hope someone can help me here! Thanks in advance.


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Merlin Mann's picture

Re: Applescript: using Quicksilver to append to OmniOutliner doc

A partial solution would be the OO clipping service:

OmniOutliner Professional’s new clipping service allows you to select text from other applications and seamlessly store that information in OmniOutliner without actually copying and pasting. It’s fast and easy to archive snippets from email, content from web pages, paragraphs from TextEdit, and so on - and OmniOutliner stays out of your way while you’re doing so.

I’m not sure if it works with multiple OO docs, but I remember having used it successfully with one doc in the past.

Richard Flynn's picture

Services+Quicksilver=Fun fun fun

Thanks, Merlin. I had thought of OOP’s clippings but had half-dismissed them since I would have to type out what I wanted elsewhere, and then mouse to the Services menu. However, I’ve now discovered the Services Menu Module plugin for Quicksilver, which allows you to use Services as Quickilver actions.

(OOP allows you to define multiple clippings files; the non-pro version only allows one.)

One slightly annoying thing is that the OOP ‘Add to clippings’ service prepends your text with the time (parent) and date (grandparent) you added the item. Oh well, I’ll live: it’s easy enough to sort this stuff out when I’m reviewing my lists.

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