Hot-Reload changes to `prefs.plist`

[pseudometa]

Right now, as far as I can tell, Alfred has a file watcher running for all workflow's `info.plist` and reloads a workflow if the file has changed. This enables some more advanced workflows to dynamically "edit themselves".

 

From what it looks like, this hot-reloading mechanic is not in place for `prefs.plist`, though it would in my opinion my even more useful here than with the `info.plist`. Hot-reloading the `prefs.plist` would enable workflows to dynamically change settings for the user. One example is this feature request for Shimmering Obsidian workflow, which would allow the user to change which vault they want to control on the fly.

[Andrew]

@pseudometa Alfred doesn't currently support manually editing the prefs.plist, however he does provide some AppleScript to modify workflow configuration which ensures that this is done atomically during a workflow's lifecycle:

 

 

You could also use the "reload workflow" AppleScript to force reload the workflow, which would also achieve what you're requesting.

 

Cheers,

Andrew

[pseudometa]

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

iirc, the AppleScript-set-configuration method just modifies the variable during a given run. However, what I was looking for is to make a persistent change to a workflow configuration value, so that it also applies to subsequent runs.

 

Or does editing the `prefs.plist` and then reloading workflow accomplish that maybe?

edit: yes, editing the prefs.plist and reloading seems to do the trick!

Edited June 19 by pseudometa

[Andrew]

@pseudometa the AppleScript to "set configuration" does persist the configuration to the prefs.plist.

[pseudometa]

Hmm, I am pretty sure it didn't persist last I tried. 
 

Might have been a bug then, maybe? Will open a bug report if I can reproduce it. 

[Andrew]

@pseudometa this turns out to actually be a bug which will be fixed in the next release:

Cheers,

Andrew