Automator for OS X 10.5 Leopard Revealed

Today at [WWDC 07](http://developer.apple.com/wwdc/), Apple revealed a host of new features for Leopard (some cool, some sorta stupid-- do we *really* want [reflections](http://images.apple.com/movies/us/apple/mac/macosx/2007/wwdc/apple-desktop_672x416.mov) in our Dock?). Not mentioned in the keynote but up at the [website](http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/features/automator.html) 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.