AppleScript Productivity > Create OmniFocus Followups from Contacts
As an OmniFocus for Mac user, it's important that I can quickly create tasks at any time, in any app. OmniFocus makes this pretty easy, by providing integration with OS X Mail, a keyboard shortcut for clipping content in apps such as Safari, a system-wide Quick Entry window and a Services menu item. One feature OmniFocus lacks, however, is direct integration with the Contacts app. Suppose I am in Contacts, for example, and I need to schedule a followup phone call or email to one of my clients? Sure, I could bring up the Quick Entry window and enter the task, but I want something a bit more streamlined. I can accomplish just what I need by writing some custom AppleScripts. The following two examples demonstrate how to write AppleScript-based plug-ins for the Contacts app, which add OmniFocus followup options right into the email and phone number popup menus of your contacts.
Note: If you have any trouble following along, you can download both of the scripts outlined in this post here.
Creating the Email Followup Script Plug-In
1. Quit the Contacts app.
2. Launch AppleScript Editor in /Applications/Utilities and create a new script document.
3. Insert the following code:
4. Save it as a script named Contacts > Email Follow Up with OmniFocus.scpt into the ~/Library/Address Book Plug-Ins folder in your home directory. If this folder doesn't already exist, go ahead and create it.
Saving the Script into the Address Book Plug-Ins folder
The Address Book Plug-Ins folder in ~/Library
Creating an OmniFocus Email Followup Task
To give your new plug-in a try, launch the Contacts app and go to a contact. When you hover over the email address field, it becomes highlighted. Click it and choose Follow Up with OmniFocus from the popup menu that appears.
The OmniFocus Quick Entry window appears, and it contains an email follow-up task for the contact, including a note with a clickable email link.
Creating the Phone Call Followup Script Plug-In
The process to create phone call followup plug-in is essentially the same.
1. Quit the Contacts app again.
2. Create another AppleScript Editor document.
3. Insert the following code this time:
4. Save the script as a script named Contacts > Phone Call Follow Up with OmniFocus.scpt into the ~/Library/Address Book Plug-Ins folder in your home directory.
Creating an OmniFocus Phone Call Followup Task
Launch the Contacts app again. This time, click on a contact's phone number field and choose Follow Up with OmniFocus from the popup menu.
Again, OmniFocus' Quick Entry window is displayed. This time, it contains a phone call follow-up task and a note containing the phone number.
Voila, you now have quick OmniFocus integration with Contacts, and you can use it anytime you need to schedule a follow-up.
Until next time, Happy Scripting!
