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Mac OS X  |  System / Utilities  |  Shutdown / Launch Utilities  |  Butler

Butler

Butler - 4.0b3

launcher, bookmark manager...

All Time: (4.7)
Version 4.0b3: (4.0)
Selected Version: 4.0b3
Release Date: 2004-03-01
License: Beta
Downloads (version 4.0b3): 578
Downloads (all versions): 5,319
Price: null

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Product Description:

What is Butler?

A file launcher.
You can access applications and any other kind of document by browsing fully customizable system-wide spring-loaded menus, pressing hot keys, clicking hot corners, or entering abbreviations. Butler will learn from your habits and remember what you want a certain abbreviation to do (e.g., enter "abo" to launch "Address Book").

A bookmark manager.
Butler offers you a way to manage your bookmarks without depending on a certain browser. In contrary to a browser's bookmark collection, Butler's bookmarks are always accessible through its system-wide menus, hot keys, etc. And you'll certainly become addicted to accessing bookmarks by entering abbreviations. Butler also lets you access the bookmarks of every single browser there is for Mac OS X.
Adding files or URLs from your browser to Butler's configuration is stunningly easy: Just drag them to the active screen corner (default: top left), see Butler's main window open, and drop your items somewhere whithin your configuration.

A web search utility.
Butler's predecessor "Another Launcher" was the first application that let you search the web from the menu bar. But if your menu bar is too crowded for an input field, you can also use hot keys to pop up dedicated web search windows. Butler supports a large number of search engines by default, but you are not restricted to those ? you can easily add your own search engines.

A pasteboard extension.
Butler lets you access items you have previously stored in your pasteboard, effectively turning your pasteboard into a stack. You can also take a snapshot of your current pasteboard and keep it for good. This feature is particularly useful for text snippets you need to enter on a regular basis.

And so much more...
You can use Butler to move and copy files, control iTunes, access the system preferences, change the current user, and so on. But Butler really shines when it comes to customizing its behavior. Is your menu bar too crowded? Use Butler's docket! Do you want a menu for each mounted volume? Do you want a menu to pop up when you press a certain hot key? Do you want all running applications in your menu bar? Or do you prefer doing things with your keyboard only? Whatever kind of interface you prefer, Butler is at your service.

What's new in this version:

  • New Smart Item: "Keystrokes" lets you simulate any sequence of keystrokes, including the F keys, arrow keys, backspace, ... — You can even use this to control Exposé from your menu bar/from a pop-up menu by imitating the hot key that triggers a certain Exposé action. (Make sure the Exposé hot key in question is not available while you set up the "Keystrokes" Smart Item!)
  • New Smart Item: "Clear recent pasteboards" zaps your recent pasteboards stack.
  • New Smart Items: "Paste recent pasteboard (n)" let you paste a pasteboard from your pasteboards stack without viewing your recent pasteboards first. In most cases, the "Recent pasteboards" Smart Item will be more convenient.
  • New Smart Items: "Paste current/recent pasteboard (n) as plain text" let you paste a pasteboard from your pasteboards stack as plain text. You could, for example, use an [Option]-[Command]-[V] hot key to paste the current pasteboard as plain text.
  • You can now paste from your "Recent pasteboards" Smart Item by pressing the numbers that are displayed in the bottom right corner of each pasteboard menu item.
  • Pasting from pasteboard-related Smart Items by pressing hot keys should work more reliably now.
  • Fixed a bug where the "Recent pasteboards" Smart Item stopped working under certain conditions.
  • Fixed a bug where selecting search engines did not work properly in Mac OS X 10.2 "Jaguar".
  • You can now resize the windows you use for entering abbreviations and searching the web.
  • You can now choose your own icons for certain Smart Items.
  • You can now drag bookmarks from Butler to your browser.
  • Disabled launching items by releasing the mouse button while the mouse hovers over a menu's icon in the menu bar/docklet. If you need this feature, contact me, and it might return as an option.
  • Available language: English. Please do not localize this beta version. The resources are very likely to change before the final release of Butler 4.0.

Operating System Requirements:

This product is designed to run on the following operating systems:

  • Mac OS X 10.3
  • Mac OS X 10.2

Additional Requirements:

  • Mac OS X 10.2 or higher

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Feedback Summary:

Version 4.0b3:
Overall Rating: (4.0) Features: (4.0) Support: (3.0)
Ease of Use: (3.0) Quality / Stability: (4.0) Price: (5.0)
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Butler ReviewSeems to work OK with Snow Leopard... - Version: 4.1.6, 10/20/2009 04:46PM PST

dsorel
As fart as I can tell, Butler works fine with the new OS.
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Butler ReviewExcellent little tool - Version: 4.1.6, 7/19/2008 01:50AM PST

pkiula
Does what it says, very handily.
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Butler ReviewIndispensable - Version: 4.1.5 Transient, 3/24/2008 03:34PM PST

(4 of 4 users found this comment useful)

jonathanmitchell_dotmac
Wonderful range of features- excellent clipboard, Google in the menubar, better Spotlight searcher, all the features of FruitMenu or the old OS9 Apple menu, immediate access to email addresses, etc. Very easy to customize- all changes show up immediately.
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