Why won't "Open File" Calendar alerts stick?
March 5, 2016 1:19 PM   Subscribe

I use a Calendar alert to run an Automator workflow each night at midnight. For months it worked fine, then suddenly on Wednesday I noticed the workflow not only wasn't running but the event was no longer on my Calendar even though I made no changes.

So I attempted to recreate the daily event, only to find that I can no longer get the Open File alert to stick any more. It's hard to describe so I made a couple of videos showing what I mean. I create the event, and point the alert to the Automator workflow. I click away, and then when I open the event again the alert is not there.

Disappearing Calendar Alert #1

In case it isn't immediately obvious from that video, check out this one where you can see the alert disappear right before your eyes. I am not clicking anything after I click "apply." It just disappears. OS X 10.11.3

Disappearing Calendar Alert #2

Really need some help.

I have posted this to apple discussions as well
posted by terrapin to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)
 
I think when you setup this kind of alert it has to be done using a local calendar, not an iCloud one. Otherwise OS X would potentially be trying to open files/run tasks on multiple machines connected to that calendar. No idea why it would stop working once setup correctly though.
posted by Lanark at 2:10 PM on March 5, 2016


Response by poster: I wondered about this, Lanark, but I am not sure how to create a new local (On My Mac) calendar anymore. All new calendars default to iCloud — I share other calendars with wife and family — and other methods of creating calendars want to me to choose an online calendar such as Google, etc. I even tried following the instructions here, and every new local calendar is assimilated when I turn iCloud back on.

I downloaded Fantasical 2 and the one alert it seems to be missing is the Open File.

I guess conversely if someone can tell me how to open an Automator-created Application using a shell script I can do a cron job. I know how to create a cron job, I don't know how to write a shell script to open an application.
posted by terrapin at 3:12 PM on March 5, 2016


Response by poster: Just tried using a Google Calendar in OS X Calendar to run the Open File, and the same result. Also tried to create a local calendar in Fantastical thinking I might import it into Calendar and see if it sticks as a local calendar, but That doesn't seem to be working either.
posted by terrapin at 3:20 PM on March 5, 2016


Best answer: Ok. Apparently I can write the cron job. Yay.

00 12 * * * open /Applications/MyAutomatorAppName.app
posted by terrapin at 4:26 PM on March 5, 2016


FWIW I have also been having problems with iCal just lately; I create events and seconds later details of it change back to default. If I edit it back then it sticks. I think there’s a problem with the iCal cloud systems, and it makes me worry.
posted by bongo_x at 7:40 PM on March 5, 2016


Best answer: errr, make that midnight and not noon...

00 00 * * * open /Applications/MyAutomatorAppName.app
posted by terrapin at 4:36 AM on March 6, 2016


Have you tried turning off iCloud for calendar completely (in System Prefs, iCloud), creating the task and then turning iCloud back on?
posted by Lanark at 7:39 AM on March 6, 2016


10.11 seems to hide the "on my mac" calendar but there are a few ways to reach it:

1. File Menu / New Calendar / ... should give you the option for On My Mac. Try creating one.

2. Then, View Menu / Show Calendars / then mouse up to "On My Mac" and click "Show" (this "Show" icon is hidden at first, another example of bad UI design if you ask me).
posted by soylent00FF00 at 5:22 PM on March 6, 2016


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