This is quite certainly the least advanced computer software I have made publicly available (see here for others), but it may still be useful for some: a small application that will ask for a filename and create a new blank text file with that filename prepended by today’s date:
If you are interested in trying this out, here are the files:
- New text file (app)
- New text file (source - Automator workflow)
Over the last years I have become more and more vary of the problems of complex file formats, and find myself using plain text files for most things, including to-do lists and note taking. I use nvALT for jotting down notes quickly, which will also create text files directly in my notes folder. However, often I find that it is useful to create text files in other locations as well, and instead of doing this manually with the mouse I now use my little application instead. Call me lazy, but it saves me some seconds and annoyance every time (especially figuring out today’s date each time…), and is a nice addition to the service “Add date” that I use all the time to add a file’s creation date to the filename, and which is very practical for organising, for example, all the files I get from students in chronological order. Yes, I know that it is possible to use Finder/Explorer to sort files based on their creation dates, but I am using enough servers and weird university systems to know that those creation dates are not trustworthy.
For those that are interested, here is a screenshot of the Automator workflow.
