{"id":35527,"date":"2016-03-18T14:36:58","date_gmt":"2016-03-18T19:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=35527"},"modified":"2016-03-21T13:07:54","modified_gmt":"2016-03-21T18:07:54","slug":"friday-five-exploring-automation-with-ifttt-if-this-then-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/35527-friday-five-exploring-automation-with-ifttt-if-this-then-that\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday Five: Exploring automation with IFTTT (If This Then That)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"unnamed\"It\u2019s the end of the week, but that doesn\u2019t mean an end to learning more about your favorite Apple devices. Each week, the Friday Five<\/a> takes a quick look at a Mac OS X or iOS\u00a0app to point out five things you may have overlooked before.
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

This week we\u2019re going to take a look at a powerful tool that can integrate apps and services that you use in ways you never imagined possible. The glue that holds all of these things together is called IFTTT<\/a>, short for IF This Then That.<\/p>\n

Back in the late 1960s when I was first learning how to code in BASIC, we used the \u201cIf\u2026then\u201d statement a lot. Basically, IFTTT works the same. If<\/strong> a certain trigger occurs, then<\/strong> do something. In BASIC, we were usually comparing a variable to a value (\u201cif x=25\u201d, for example), then either exiting the program or going to (GOTO) another piece of code.<\/p>\n

IFTTT currently encompasses almost 300 different services, everything from Amazon Alexa to Yo. What the service does is look for a certain condition in one app or service (someone presses your Ring Wireless Doorbell, for example), and when it occurs, it performs a specified task in another service or app (like put a message on your Comcast TV screen). Think that scenario I described sounds like fantasy? I\u2019ve done it! These little \u201cprograms\u201d are called recipes in IFTTT-speak, and there are thousands you can choose from or you can create your own.<\/p>\n

Another great thing about IFTTT is that it is free. If you haven\u2019t yet signed up for an IFTTT account, just click the big blue Sign Up button in the top right corner of the IFTTT web page<\/a>\u00a0(see image below), and get an account.<\/p>\n

\"Sign<\/a><\/p>\n

Today our Friday Five consists of five fun recipes that most Apple fans should be able to play with. The true power of IFTTT comes when you start mixing up your own ingredients in ways that are unexpected.<\/p>\n

1) IF the Rocket Yard\u00a0is updated, THEN send me a text message<\/strong><\/p>\n

This one is easy, useful, and shows how IFTTT works. Once you\u2019re logged into IFTTT, click the My Recipes link at the top of the page, and then click the Create A Recipe button. You\u2019re greeted with this:<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The simple logic behind IFTTT<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Click on the blue \u201cthis\u201d link and a long list of \u201ctrigger channels\u201d appears. You can either scroll through the list or type in part of a channel name in the Search Channels field. To quickly find the RSS Feed trigger (which is what we\u2019ll use to determine when The Rocket Yard launches a new post), type \u201cfeed\u201d into the search field. That narrows the trigger channels down to BuzzFeed, Feed, and Feedly \u2014 click on the Feed icon.<\/p>\n

\"Selecting<\/a><\/p>\n

Now we want to choose what triggers IFTTT to do something. All we care about here is that something new has appeared on The Rocket Yard, so click the \u201cNew feed item\u201d link.<\/p>\n

\"Adding<\/a><\/p>\n

In the Feed URL field that appears, type or paste in \u201chttp:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/owc<\/a>\u201d and then click that Create Trigger button. Here\u2019s what happens:<\/p>\n

\"Next<\/a><\/p>\n

Next, it\u2019s time to tell IFTTT to send us a text message when the trigger event \u2014 a new post on The Rocket Yard \u2014 happens. Click the word \u201cthat\u201d and it\u2019s time to select the Action Channel to describe what action happens when the trigger occurs.<\/p>\n

We want to make this as generic as possible, so type \u201csms\u201d into the Search Channels field, and then click the SMS button that appears.<\/p>\n

Note that you\u2019ll have to connect the channel to your phone first. The first time you do this, you\u2019ll be asked for the phone number of your iPhone. You\u2019ll also get an IFTTT phone number, which means that you can send text messages to that number to trigger actions.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s only one action that comes up, \u201cSend me an SMS\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Adding<\/a><\/p>\n

Click on the \u201cSend me an SMS\u201d link:<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

We can change the text of the message that\u2019s sent to us, but in this example we\u2019ll just use the default that sends a message that says something like \u201cNew post on Other World Computing Blog: Friday Five: Apple Pay is Easy to Use, Very Secure and Surprisingly Fun https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/35461-friday-five-apple-pay-is-easy-to-use-very-secure-and-surprisingly-fun<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Click the big blue Create Action button, and we\u2019re ready to go. Check that the recipe is designed to send an SMS text message to your phone number whenever a new feed item appears, and then click Create Recipe.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s all it takes. Note that due to the way that some RSS feeds are updated, you might\u00a0get all of the notifications at once.\u00a0In the remaining four recipes, I won\u2019t show you all of the IFTTT screens, but will just point out what to enter where.<\/p>\n

2) IF the pollen count is high, THEN call me<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here we\u2019re going to create a warning phone call for allergy sufferers. IFTTT has a Phone Call Channel that you\u2019ll need to connect to, entering your phone number so that you can receive a call. Do that first by clicking Channels, then searching for Phone Call. Once the Phone Call Channel is connected, you also need to do a one-time setup of the Weather Channel.<\/p>\n

Once again, click Channels, then search for Weather. To connect to Weather, enter your zip code (US only) and you\u2019ll see the nearest weather station. When the Weather Channel is connected, move on to the next step.<\/p>\n

Now, go back to the My Recipes page, then click the Create A Recipe button. Click the \u201cthis\u201d link, then search for Weather as your trigger channel. Click on the Weather Channel button.<\/p>\n

Next, you have a choice of 14 different weather-related triggers, which means you can have a lot of fun with this channel in IFTTT. The trigger you want to choose is \u201cCurrent pollen count rises above\u201d. Click on it.<\/p>\n

OK, you have a choice of pollen count between 1 and 12. You can select any one of these; if you\u2019re highly allergic to pollen, choose a lower number to start with. You can always adjust the trigger later. Once you\u2019ve picked a number, click the Create Trigger button.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to set up our action, which is to get a phone call from IFTTT. Select the Phone Call action channel. There\u2019s only one action, which is \u201cCall my phone\u201d. Click on it. I\u2019d suggest using the default message, which would be something like \u201cThe pollen count is currently 4 in Littleton, CO\u201d. Click the Create Action button. You should see something like the following image, then click Create Recipe.<\/p>\n

\"Recipe<\/a><\/p>\n

These automatic phone calls are actually pretty amazing, and a fun feature of IFTTT. There are many other recipes that can call you to let you know what\u2019s going on in your world.<\/p>\n

3) IF Apple\u2019s share price goes above the all-time high of 132.54, THEN send your iPhone a notification<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shares in Apple have been creeping up in value lately, but we don\u2019t know if they\u2019ll ever get to the all time high of $132.54 reached on May 22, 2015. When that happens, it will be cause for celebration by Apple fans and investors alike.<\/p>\n

For this recipe, we\u2019re going to use a different method of notification, the free IF app<\/a>. IF works on both iPhone and iPad, and it not only makes it easy to create IFTTT recipes on the run, but it also provides a way to notify you without using text messages or phone calls. Install the app, enter your IFTTT credentials, and let\u2019s get to work.<\/p>\n

In the app, tap on the \u201cmortar and pestle\u201d button in the top right corner to display your recipes (you can also swipe left on your screen). Tap the plus sign (+) to add a new recipe, then tap the Create a Recipe button at the bottom of your screen.<\/p>\n

Just like on the IFTTT website, creating a recipe goes through a very simple process. Tap on the blue plus sign to select a trigger, which in this case is the Stocks channel. Note that you will have to activate the channel the first time you use it.<\/p>\n

\"Stocks<\/a><\/p>\n

Now select a trigger. Here we want the trigger to be \u201cPrice rises above\u201d, so tap on that button. In the fields that appear, type AAPL into the ticker symbol field and $132.54 into the price field (see image below). Tap Next.<\/p>\n

\"Get<\/a><\/p>\n

To enter the action, tap on the red plus sign. For the action channel, select IF Notifications. Once again, since this is probably the first time you\u2019ve used this channel, you will have to activate it. Once activated, there\u2019s only one action to select \u2014 \u201cSend a notification\u201d. Select that by tapping the button, and then accept the default message. You can<\/em> change the message to something like \u201cHooray, Apple is at an all-time high!\u201d if you wish\u2026 Tap Next, and then on the next screen tap Finish.<\/p>\n

Our next action is going to take advantage of another free IFTTT app – DO Button<\/a>. Think of the DO Button as being a button that does your bidding on those hundreds of IFTTT channels when you push it. Guess what? That DO Button can be on your Apple Watch for extra superpowers!<\/p>\n

There are two more IFTTT apps that we won\u2019t cover here in detail; DO Note<\/a> and DO Camera<\/a>. Let it suffice to know that these apps also produce an action from the trigger of creating a note or taking a photo.<\/p>\n

4) Turn on my Philips Hue lights when I press the DO button<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the earliest \u201cinternet of things\u201d companies that had its own IFTTT channel was Philips, for the Hue line of connected smart lightbulbs. I have a lamp with Hue bulbs in it on my work desk that is out of reach, and I always use this little recipe to turn the light on when it gets dark.<\/p>\n

The first thing to do once the DO Button app has been installed and connects to the IFTTT account is to tap the gear button on the My Recipes screen to make sure that the Philips Hue channel has been activated. Once it has been, the name of your Philips Hue hub appears in the channel.<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s have some fun. On the My Recipes screen, tap the Plus sign to add a new recipe. The DO Button app lists the channels by collections, but I find it easier to just tap the search button (a magnifying glass) and search for Philips (see image below).<\/p>\n

\"Searching<\/a><\/p>\n

Sure enough, the top hit in the pre\u2014created recipes is \u201cToggle Hue lights On\/Off\u201d. With a tap, a description of the recipe is displayed, and there\u2019s a pop-up for selecting which Hue Lamps to control if you have more than one. I selected \u201cAll lights\u201d since my two Hue bulbs are both in the same lamp, then tapped the Add button (see image below).<\/p>\n

\"Do<\/a><\/p>\n

With a tap on the DO Button app on the Apple Watch, it\u2019s possible to scroll through any DO Button recipes. The Philips Hue recipe is at the top of my list, so it\u2019s the one I see by default and with a tap on my wrist, the lamp goes on or off (see image below). Yes, as a matter of fact I do<\/em> live in the future!<\/p>\n

\"Apple<\/a><\/p>\n

5) Send me an email with a map showing my location when I press the DO Button.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The DO Button is so much fun \u2014 even when you\u2019re using it from the Today Screen on your iPhone instead of from an Apple Watch \u2014 that it\u2019s worth doing one more recipe. I don\u2019t know about you, but sometimes when I have parked in an unfamiliar city, I have no idea where I left the car. Wouldn\u2019t it be great if we could push a button and have a map showing our present location sent to us for future reference (like when we\u2019re trying to find the car)?<\/p>\n

The great thing about this recipe is that you don\u2019t even have to write it \u2014 it\u2019s already set up. In the DO Button app My Recipes screen, tap the Plus sign to add a recipe. Next, tap on the search button (the magnifying glass) and start typing \u201cemail\u201d. Almost immediately, a list of recipes appears (see image below) \u2014 scroll through it, and you\u2019ll find one called \u201cEmail a map of where I parked\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"DO<\/a><\/p>\n

Tap on that recipe button, then tap the Add button to add it to your list of recipes. You can test this recipe immediately as it appears on your iPhone screen. Just tap the big button, wait for a few moments, and an email with a map of where you parked the car shows up (see image below). Now, let\u2019s just hope you can find the email when you\u2019re trying to find your car\u2026<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

If you end up trying IFTTT \u2014 and I hope you do \u2014 please share some of your favorite recipes with the rest of us in the comment section below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s the end of the week, but that doesn\u2019t mean an end to learning more about your favorite Apple devices. Each week, the Friday Five takes a quick look at a Mac OS X or iOS\u00a0app to point out five things you may have overlooked before. This week we\u2019re going to take a look at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":35548,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"class_list":["post-35527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-tips"],"yoast_head":"\nFriday Five: Exploring automation with IFTTT (If This Then That)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s the end of the week, but that doesn\u2019t mean an end to learning more about your favorite Apple devices. 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