"Create New Entourage Mail Message" does not work with shell scripttext input?

[benhall]

Hi,

I have a short shell script to parse the output of a very basic daily
report. I'd like to email the output of the shell script to some
other people each day, and Automator should be perfect for this.

However, when I try to create a message inside Automator with "Create
New Entourage Mail..." as the next step after my shell script, the
message text is always blank. If I insert an intermediate step, say,
create a new text file on the desktop, and then create the new
Entourage message as the step after that, then the text file is added
as an attachment to the new message, and the text file does contain
the output of the script...

Does anyone possibly have any insight on how to properly get text into
the body of a new message in Automator?

Thanks for any input,
Ben

 

[benhall]

Hi,

I have a short shell script to parse the output of a very basic daily
report.  I'd like to email the output of the shell script to some
other people each day, and Automator should be perfect for this.

However, when I try to create a message inside Automator with "Create
New Entourage Mail..." as the next step after my shell script, the
message text is always blank.  If I insert an intermediate step, say,
create a new text file on the desktop, and then create the new
Entourage message as the step after that, then the text file is added
as an attachment to the new message, and the text file does contain
the output of the script...

Does anyone possibly have any insight on how to properly get text into
the body of a new message in Automator?

Thanks for any input,
Ben

Well,

I found a work-around rather quickly (got frustrated enough to try
anything), and so I'm replying here should anyone else ever have a
similar problem.

The work around is to copy the output of the script to the clipboard
with Copy to Clipboard, then immediately after run Get Contents of
Clipboard, and finally run Create New Entourage Mail Message. The
text output of the script is then in the body of the new message.

Another item of note (read: Bug, though not sure who's) is that the
shell script code (for my case in bash at least) should have at least
one simple "echo" as the first line- otherwise there is a case of
duplicated text in the body of the message, the amount of which, as
far as I can tell, is determined by the first newline present. I.E.
The text from the clipboard will be repeated up until the first
newline occurs, and then displayed normally after that. I don't think
I'm being very clear, so I'm just pasting some example text right
here:

AGILE Missed AGILE Missed
ASTEROIDS Missed
ATH2 Missed
CGA1 Failed 2
etc etc etc.

When I look at the output of the script in the results, or if I simply
paste the contents of the clipboard, the repeated text is not present,
so I can only assume this is a problem with the Entourage Automator
Action.

Any other input for a better solution or reasons as to why this work
around is necessary would still be appreciated.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[Diane Ross]

I found a work-around rather quickly (got frustrated enough to try
anything), and so I'm replying here should anyone else ever have a
similar problem.

The work around is to copy the output of the script to the clipboard
with Copy to Clipboard, then immediately after run Get Contents of
Clipboard, and finally run Create New Entourage Mail Message. The
text output of the script is then in the body of the new message.

There is an Automator list that might be helpful. Ben Waldie is on the list
and posts from time to time.

List-Subscribe: <http://lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/automator-users>

Very low traffic.

Interesting article: Automator Power: Variables and looping

<http://www.macworld.com/article/131450/2008/01/feb08geekfactor.html>