Automator for OS X 10.5 Leopard Revealed

Today at WWDC 07, Apple revealed a host of new features for Leopard (some cool, some sorta stupid– do we really want reflections in our Dock?). Not mentioned in the keynote but up at the website are a few details on the forthcoming new version of Automator.

The highlights:

• UI update. Automator now sports a cleaner interface, bringing it up to the new consistency promised for the whole OS.
• Recording. At long last, Automator will record manual steps, as macro recorders have done for years. QuicKeys, watch your back.
• Variables. While there are a number of actions and hacks for achieving pseudo variable functionality, the lack of real variable support has been very limiting for Automator users. No more.
• Wizardry. Mostly for newer users, Automator will sport a helper to set up common automation tasks.

Of course most Automator users would trade these features for stability and speed– hopefully that will come to pass, too.