Take Control of Automating Your Mac, 5th Edition

Automate the Web

You might not think of web browsing as an activity that requires automation. You follow links, you read articles, watch cat videos, maybe make the occasional purchase, but that’s all inherently manual, right? After all, I don’t want my Mac to read Facebook posts for me or play games behind my back.

But in fact, the web offers numerous opportunities for shortcuts and simplification. For example, every time you’re asked to supply a username and password, a credit card number, or a mailing address, your Mac can do that for you—no typing (or memorizing) required.

Here’s another example: you keep checking a certain webpage—or maybe a specific portion of a page—for changes. Maybe you’re waiting for an announcement, a sale, or a product ...