Automa extension helps create macros in Chrome and automate routine tasks
Miscellaneous / / November 18, 2021
Clicking on links, filling out forms, taking screenshots, searching and much more.
Quite often during the day we are forced to perform simple repetitive actions in the browser. They take seconds, but they add up to minutes and hours that can be spent on something more useful. The Automa Chrome plugin helps solve this problem.
The extension offers flexible tools for automating the browser with a ton of settings. At the same time, their use does not require programming and code skills. All manipulations are carried out in a visual editor, and algorithms are composed of simple and understandable action blocks that can be dragged and dropped. Thanks to this, the necessary connections are formed between them.
After installation, clicking on the plugin icon opens a drop-down menu with scripts, a button for analyzing elements on the page, which will be useful to us later, and a house icon. The latter, in fact, opens the editor.
Here, the Dashboard displays the most recent scenarios and their execution history. On the tab with a folder icon, you can combine several of them into a set and run at the same time. The extreme tab opens more detailed logs.
But the most interesting thing happens in the Workflow section. This is where scripts, or macros, are created. To add a new one, you need to click New workflow and give it a name.
"Programming" is carried out by dragging blocks from the panel on the left to the editor area. There are a lot of actions here: from various triggers and repetitions to browser control, clicking on elements and executing Java scripts. For example, let's create a macro that will automatically go to the Lifehacker profile instead of me and open the last comment in the articles. To do this, add a Trigger block, select the Interval option and specify an interval of 60 minutes so that the script is executed every hour.
Next, add a New Tab block and insert a link to your Lifehacker account in the URL field. Let's connect both elements by moving the cursor from an empty circle to black. Now every 60 minutes Automa will open a new tab and go to the notifications section of the profile.
It remains to force the algorithm to look at the last comment. To do this, put the Click Element block next in the chain.
For the extension to know where to click, you need to define the element. This is easy to do: go to the page with notifications, open the Automa drop-down menu and first click on the button with the crosshair, and then on the desired element on the page. Then we copy its value from the field in the lower left corner.
We return to the editor and paste the resulting value into the settings of the Click Element block.
Click Save in the editor and the start button. From now on, every hour, the extension will open a new tab, visit the profile, and be directed to the last comment in the article.
This is an example of a very simple scenario, but Automa has everything you need to implement more complex automations. With a little experimentation, you can customize your routine tasks and optimize your workflow. All this is completely free.
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Mechanical engineer, well versed in engineering and technology. I have been using Mac and iPhone for over 10 years, I know everything about the ecosystem and Apple products. I not only write, but also know how and love to work with my hands. I worked as a car mechanic for 3 years, I only fix the car myself. I designed and built a house from scratch with my own hands, accumulating a lot of experience along the way. I love old school video games and comics, I play the guitar.