Using .hook files to maintain a list of current projects

I struggle to keep track of the many smallish projects I have to run during my week, and many of them end up very late because i simply forgot about them.

I figured it would be great if I could keep a running list of these which I could then manipulate using Alfred (I’m sure something similar exists in LaunchBar …)

I’ve cobbled something up which I hope will evolve in the days to come. I’ve simply repurposed a wonderful workflow in Alfred, which can be found here ( and yes, this only works if you have Alfred and the powerpack)

  • This is made to give you a list of the latest files inside your Download folder. But you can change the target folder. When you install the workflow, simply change the target folder to your Hook Files folder.
  • For added flair, I’ve used the hook icon instead of Vitor’s own icon, and I’ve changed the keywords to hn, ho, ha, hz (most recently modified, least recently modified, most recently added, least recently added)

Now all i need to do, when I’m working on a new project, is to create a holding folder (to which I’ll then hook everything I need), and “Make Hook File” on this folder.

Whenever I want to switch to that project, invoke alfred, key in ha, and a few words / letters in the project name … voila !

The major selling point for me is that this leverages Alfred’s UI in navigating a list of files (autocompletion, navigation …)

Now I have to create scripts to create/archive a project from alfred and I should be set!

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I have uploaded to github the three Alfred workflows that I use :

  • “project” creation
  • “project” retrieval
  • “project” archiving

I use this all the time to manage the “micro projects” that pop up every day at work.

Caveat: installation is still very much tied to my folder structure, so the workflows need to be tweaked. But if there is some interest, I may try to figure out how to make it easier.

PS: the workflows themselves are lifted from a very nice workflow (references included) that lists recent downloads.

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