I have a couple of simple smart rules defined. Right now, I activate them by control-clicking on the smart rule and choose ‘Apply rule’.
Being a shortcut fiend, I prefer just hitting some key combination to activate the rule.
That seemed simple to do. The rules are all in the menu under Tools->Apply Rules. My plan was to define a shortcut to activate a rule (I use Keyboard Maestro).
However, during general use, the menu items there are disabled. Worse, even if I click on the smart rule to show all the items it knows it should work on, the menu items still are disabled. I have to select all the items in the smart group to get it to work. By then I have done so much mousing that I might as well right-click on the smart rule icon and choose Apply.
It’s not clear to me why the menu items aren’t available elsewhere. If they only are available when something is selected, even in other places than where the smart rule is told to find applicable items, the ‘smart’ aspect goes out the window, doesn’t it?
If they only are available when something is selected, even in other places than where the smart rule is told to find applicable items, the ‘smart’ aspect goes out the window, doesn’t it?
No. smart doesn’t mean it just acts in any and all cases.
Also, from the Help > Documentation > Windows > Sidebar: Navigate…
Thanks I now understand better, and Perform Rules’ does exactly what I want.
I think my confusion stemmed from the fact that there are Apply and Perform menu commands, but the contextual menu only has Apply, which, I now understand (after al little experimenting) to mean ‘Apply’ in the menu sense if something is selected, and ‘Perform’ if nothing is selected. Perhaps in the contextual menu these same two modes of operation should be separately available?
Also, a minor quibble: In the Tools menu, all rules to Apply or Perform are labeled with the ellipsis, as Apply Rule->aRule… This suggests that I can safely choose it, because there will be subsequent interaction, some choice to make, including presumably a cancel button. None of this is true once I have checked the ‘do not ask again’ box. The rule is just executed without further ado. But the ellipses are still there.
I hope this is helpful!