Seems data jar for macOS is out
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Does it sync between platforms?
That might open up new use cases.
I haven’t used Data Jar on iPad/iOS but being able to store these variables across platforms opens up some new possibilities. I’m wondering whether these key pairs stored in Data Jar would eventually be directly accessible in other programs like Keyboard Maestro. A good global variable system for Mac with a nice graphical interface would be a dream.
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Could you not just write JSON to a file in iCloud Drive to accomplish that? Keyboard Maestro and Shortcuts both support files and JSON.
Alternatively, Keyboard Maestro could run a shortcut from the command line to interact with Data Jar.
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It is much easier to manage basic CURD operations with Data Jar than with bare-bones JSON.
Plus Data Jar can handle objects, i.e. files. JSON cannot do that.
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Agreed, but not prohibitively onerous.
Simon made Data Jar explicitly for use with Shortcuts.
JSON is intended for the serialisation of objects. If you wanted to reference a file, you either store the file or base64 encode it.
If you look at the Data Jar folder in iCloud, you will see the files there. As far as I know, Data Jar is holding the references to those files then when accessed is reading/writing them through into the pipe to Shortcuts.
It really doesn’t feel that much different to me once you want to start using Data Jar across automation applications.
You either roll your own version with data and files, or retain Simon’s abstracted version with a management UI, and go from your other automation tools via Shortcuts to the Data Jar data. Shortcuts is effectively the API for accessing Data Jar data.
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I wonder what can’t of use cases you have in mind.
Also, I agree with @sylumer: by using JSON files stored in iCloud, these use cases are already possible probably. Albeit a bit less convenient compared to using DataJar.
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Actually I don’t have a particular use case. I just wanted to open up the possibility. I have to confess I don’t actually have a “single device” use case for Data Jar - but I think “multiple device” might get me there.
Isn’t that true of everything done in Shortcuts? All of it could be done in some other way on either iOS or macOS but if Shortcuts (and/or Data Jar) makes it simpler/quicker to do, then we will be more likelky to use it for frequent but not as “major” tasks that nonetheless benefit overall from automation.
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I don’t think it true for everything done in Shortcuts that it can be done in another way, at least not automated.
There are still plenty of app/services that can’t be automated at all, because there is no shortcut support or API available.
But anyway, I definitely agree that Data Jar is a nice solution to make automation of certain use cases more effortless.
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Any news on whether Toolbox will have a macOS counterpart?
Assuming you mean Toolbox Pro, that’s a different app to the one being discussed in this thread, and probably a good question for that app’s developer, @mralexhay.