Switching between project files/URLs

macOS
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I work on multiple projects throughout the day and am constantly opening and closing files and links in Salesforce. I was thinking of using Shortcuts to ask for a client name and then opening the associated docs. Is that the best way or is there something easier?

I’ll use ACME as the fictitious client name for what I need to do:

  • notes file in OmniOutliner: “notes - ACME”
  • Project in OmniFocus: “ACME - project name”
  • Opportunity in Salesforce: (I have a custom search that I trigger with Alfred that inserts the customer name into a custom URL)
  • related emails in Outlook: (I have a smartfolder for ACME)

I would want to open the Omnioutliner file, focus on the project in Omnifocus, open the associated custom URL in Chrome and either go to the smartfolder in Outlook or search for the client name in outlook. I don’t think Outlook has Shortcuts support.

Any recommendations on the tools I should use? Shortcuts? Bunch? Applescript?

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Sounds like MY life. Worldwide job with lots of customers, working on multiple weeks-long engagements at a time.

This does sound like a Bunch sweet spot, perhaps with a shortcut with a menu in it. Two potential issues with that:

  • (POTENTIALLY MINOR) updating the whole thing when you add an engagement or its nature changes.
  • (POTENTIALLY MAJOR) tetting Bunch to do all the things. Some on your list might not be doable. (I wouldn’t know.)

I’d be interested in your experience. Right now I use Keyboard Maestro to set up all my study files - as I build multiple PowerPoint presentations in an engagement for Markdown (with extensions).

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I’d suggest you take a look at the Hook app at https://hookproductivity.com. While it doesn’t allow for automation like you ask in your third bullet, it’s a one-time setup for each of your clients.

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Thanks. I’ve been using Hook as well. I might have to see about integrating it with some Keyboard Maestro macros for setting up accounts.

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I agree with Martin_Packer that Bunch is a good solution. From Bunch, you can do everything listed above directly or via other tools, with the Outlook one being the ugliest as it is only doable via keyboard shortcuts. But in addition to exploring the shortcut menu, check out these features in Bunch:

These two features would address Martin_Packer’s concern:

You could use the former for active clients, making a new bunch for each client that simply calls the bunch that does the work, and the latter for relatively dormant clients. Alternatively, you could move dormant clients to a subfolder in Bunch.

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