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Automator Clicking

I am trying to get Automator to click every 3 minutes and repeat for 3 hours unless you think this is detrimental to the Mac


I was trying to set this up with the following example (pictured below), just to see if it would work over 1 minute.

Would like to know how to set this up to click every 3 minutes for 9 minutes and also click every3 minutes for 180 minutes.


The reason for the shorter time frame is I don't know how to stop the repetition without force shutting the mac down as the pointer is engaged with Automator.


Is there a way to stop Automator once the clicking program is engaged?


I realize my pic is not what I want, just was testing and can't see how to get the pointer to click every 20 sec for a minute. It shuts off in a minute, but the clicking is not every 20 seconds.


Hope this is not too confusing :(


As always, many thanks


iMac (2017 – 2020)

Posted on Apr 30, 2023 4:46 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 1, 2023 9:41 AM

Short answer: you're doing it wrong.


The Timeout parameter is NOT how long this action will take, it's how long Automator will allow the action to take before giving up - normally the 'watch me' actions would be more than a single click, and it's a way to prevent the script from getting stuck in complex actions.


Instead, what you want is a SHORT timeout on the Watch Me action, then insert a Pause action for 20 seconds, then the loop.



You will have complete control over the system during the pause phase, so you're clear to quit the workflow if you're done

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 1, 2023 9:41 AM in response to mrokloricred37

Short answer: you're doing it wrong.


The Timeout parameter is NOT how long this action will take, it's how long Automator will allow the action to take before giving up - normally the 'watch me' actions would be more than a single click, and it's a way to prevent the script from getting stuck in complex actions.


Instead, what you want is a SHORT timeout on the Watch Me action, then insert a Pause action for 20 seconds, then the loop.



You will have complete control over the system during the pause phase, so you're clear to quit the workflow if you're done

Automator Clicking

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