Hook 3.2 released with new commands, Instapaper and GoodLinks bookmarking, direct iCloud syncing, Merlin Project, Fantastical and more!

Releases
1

Hook 3.2 (4463; integration v. 174) is now available. (Beta is closed).

Executive Summary

  • New commands: Copy Selection and Link (⌃Q) (Hook Pro) and Open All Hooked Items (⌃⇧O); ⌃H to invoke Hook, and a preference to choose your own Hook folder.
  • iCloud syncing, for compatibility with Hook’s upcoming companion app for iPhone and iPad.
  • Automatically add web bookmarks to Instapaper and GoodLinks (v. 1.3.1) for Hook Pro users.
  • New integrations: Merlin Project, GoodLinks, Notion and Zoom.
  • Improved integrations: Fantastical & Apple Books.

Please note

  • We’ve moved the Gear button back down to the status bar.
  • The first time you launch this version of Hook, Hook’s initialization period might be longer than usual due to Hook updating its internal database. Please don’t force quit Hook while it is doing that.
  • You might find that ⌃H works but is not initially set in preferences. Toggling the preference will make it reflect the correct status.

More information

Full release notes are available online.

Gratitude

Thank you to

  • everyone who tried out Hook 3.2 public beta, and any feedback shared about Hook from first public beta in early 2019.
  • Frank Blome and team at ProjectWizards for multiple communications towards integration between Merlin Project and Hook, and adding an AppleScript API for linking.
  • Ngoc Luu developer of GoodLinks app for multiple discussions towards integration between GoodLinks and Hook, adding and updating its APIs for bookmarking and linking.
  • Michael Simmons and team at Flexibits for multiple communications towards integration between Fantastical and Hook, and for adding an AppleScript to Fantastical API for linking.
4 Likes
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I’m successfully using the new bookmarking feature to Goodlinks (v 1.3.1). However, what I would also like to see is that the Goodlinks entry get a “From: hook” tag - in a similar way to the Pinboard entry gets the “From: Hook” tag. Is this possible?

3

'Gear" icon is not appearing in the bottom right of Hook window in MacOS Monterrey (pb4). I have to control click on the Hook menu bar item to get to preferences.

4

Thanks, @Chris. Try “show status” bar ( ⌘/) . Same shortcut as Finder.

5

That will figure in Hook 3.3. We closed off Hook 3.2 to get Hook 3.2 out the door. I don’t like making predictions, but we do expect a Sept release of Hook 3.3.

6

We’ve updated the release notes to mention that we’ve optimized Hook’s AppleScript automation. So if you are controlling Hook with LaunchBar, Alfred and other software, you’ll find that is zippier.

1 Like
7

This doesn’t seem to be working properly, or I’m not doing it right. On a webpage I use hook to copy the link to the page. The next time I launch the iOS Instapaper app I get a prompt to add the bookmark. When I copy a new Hook link on a different page and then another one I don’t immediately get a prompt on iOS but at an indeterminate amount of time later I get another prompt but only for one of the two links. Then I copy another link and never get promoted on iOS.

Am I doing something wrong?

8

This doesn’t seem to be working properly, or I’m not doing it right.
On a webpage I use hook to copy the link to the page.
The next time I launch the iOS Instapaper app I get a prompt to add the bookmark.

Me: On the Mac Instapaper app, the bookmark just shows up, or I use ⌘R for it to refresh. Same for Instapaper

Have you tried ⌘R on Instapaper side?

When I copy a new Hook link on a different page and then another one I don’t immediately get a prompt on iOS

I don’t know why you would get a prompt. The addition of bookmarks should happen on the server side, not through the client.

but at an indeterminate amount of time later I get another prompt but only for one of the two links. Then I copy another link and never get promoted on iOS.

So you’ve turned on, authenticated, and enabled Hook > Preferences > Sync > Instapaper?

If it shows up in any Instapaper interface (its web interface, Mac app, or iOS app), then it’s up to Instapaper to make sure it is available everywhere. The API we use adds the bookmark to Instapaper, Instapaper is supposed to handle the rest…

To put it differently, if a bookmark shows up at , all ever, due to Hook adding to Instapaper, but the timing is not right, then there’s something going on with the Instapaper API/ servicing. I know there are quite a few apps using it too. However, that doesn’t mean there’s no issue.

I would recommend getting in touch with them, and if you include our email address on the ticket, they can contact us. Due to privacy reasons, I don’t think they would follow up on an initial ticket from us if we cannot reproduce it.

We’ll flesh out a help page on using Hook with Instapaper.

But if the bookmark does not ever show up on Instapaper side, then in principle it could be an issue on our side.

Any other ideas? Did I miss something?

To be clear, Hook does not work in the Instapaper app itself. It just adds bookmarks (if enabled/configured) to it.

9

To refresh instapaper on iOS, one pulls down the screen.

10

I’ve worked out what’s going on.

  1. I copy the URL with Hook
  2. My clipboard syncs between my Mac and iPhone
  3. When I launch the iOS Instapaper app it sees the URL on the clipboard and prompts “Would you like to add this URL to Instapaper?”

So, not knowing what to expect I assumed this was part of the Hook process of adding as it mentions nothing about the clipboard.

Which leads to the question of why my Hook bookmarks aren’t added at all automatically (checked web version, so not a sync issue). Am I understanding correctly that copying any web link with Hook (URL only or Markdown link) is the trigger to add to Instapaper?

1 Like
11

If enabled any item one directly (⌘D) or indirectly (Copy Link, Hook to Copied Link, hooking together via menu bar icon) adds a web bookmark to Hook, Hook will also add one to Instapaper if it is enabled and configured in Hook > Preferences > Services > Instapaper.

you have to add the account in Hook first. It’s the same principle as Using Hook with the Pinboard Bookmarking Service – Hook, except:

  1. There’s no Reveal Page in Instapaper yet
  2. there’s no tagging of Instapaper webpages
12

I’ve created this forum topic: How to configure Hook to automatically add bookmarks to Pinboard - Discussion & Help - Hook Productivity Forum, as this would be a faq.

1 Like
13

It sounds like everything should be working then but it’s not. I’ll test on my work machine to see if that works.

14

I’ve found the issue.

1 Like
15

Oh that’s embarrassing. I logged this internally with respect to Pinboard [it would affect the other services too] but didn’t set the issue’s target milestone correctly so I forgot about it and we overlooked it in 3.2. Sorry this caused trouble. It will be fixed in 3.3. Thank you for letting us know.

Update 2021-08-06 11:14: this is same as Cannot automatically send link to Pinboard with keyboard shortcut - #9 by LucB. As noted, I had set the milestone wrong for it.

1 Like
16

I have ^H unchecked in Hook’s settings — Version 3.2 (4463; Integration v. 174) — but it’s still opening when I invoke ^H (which I’ve used for years with BetterSnapTool).

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please try toggling it a couple of times.

1 Like
18

Thanks, Luc; that did the trick! :sunglasses::+1:

19

I tested linking with Merlin Project Express from Setapp by updating the app name of the built-in scripts for Merlin Project. However, it did not work for me. Is it possible to make Hook work with Merlin Project Express from Setapp, or I missed something from the scripts?

Here is the updated script:

tell application "Merlin Project Express"
	set myselection to selection of first document
	if myselection is not {} then
		set _item to item 1 of myselection
		if class of _item is child activity then
			set _title to title of _item
		else if class of _item is assignment then
			set _title to title of resource of _item
			
		end if
	end if
	
end tell
		set the clipboard to ""
		tell application "System Events" to tell process "Merlin Project Express"
			click menu item "Copy URL" of menu 1 of menu bar item "Edit" of menu bar 1
			delay 0.1
			repeat 50 times -- poll clipboard for ~2.5 seconds
				try
					if (the clipboard) is not equal to "" then
						exit repeat
					end if
				end try
				delay 0.05
			end repeat
			
		end tell
		set _url to the clipboard
return "[" & _title & "](" & _url & ")"
20

Are you using Merlin in a language other than English? The current solution is UI -scripted so you would need to replace the menu name “Edit” to the equivalent in your language.

The next release of Merlin will have AppleScript. We have already coordinated with the developer with that version (testing their AppleScript) and have an AppleScript ready, we will release an update around the time they release their new version.
2021-08-28 13:25 clarification: see my comment below, that Merlin Project is linkable, not Merlin Project Express.