Prototyping with OmniGraffle

8 May 2012 - 9:59am
23 weeks ago
4 replies
2070 reads
Julie Blitzer
2009

Hi all,

I realize there isn't much talk on this list about how to prototype with OmniGraffle, so for those of you who use it to make your wireframes and deliverables, you may find this post I wrote useful: 

http://techblog.appnexus.com/2012/how-to-create-html-pdf-prototypes-using-omnigraffle-pro/

Feel free to comment (on the post is probably best) with any follow up questions.

Comments

27 Jun 2012 - 12:36pm
marcuzzer
2007

great article (http://techblog.appnexus.com/2012/how-to-create-html-pdf-prototypes-using-omnigraffle-pro/) Julie! 

I have a question for you. I've read everywhere that it's impossible for the user to actually fill in a form, do you think it's worth spending some time to explore the "runs a script" option to find a solution to this problem, or might it be a total waste of time? 

Thanks for your reply

 

 

27 Jun 2012 - 2:36pm
Julie Blitzer
2009

Hi Marco,

I don't have any experience with the AppleScript function in OmniGraffle, but am now really curious. I did some digging and found the following in OmniGraffle's in-app help documentation:

AppleScript support

OmniGraffle has extensive AppleScript support; open the OmniGraffle dictionary in Script Editor for details about OmniGraffle's object model and commands.

You can store AppleScripts in OmniGraffle's scripts folder, for easy access from the Scripts menu. You can also attach scripts to individual objects on a canvas, using the Action inspector. When you activate the Browse tool, then click an object with a script attached, the script runs.

If you select some objects and then choose Copy As AppleScript from the Edit menu, you get the exact lines of AppleScript necessary to create those objects. This is a great way to learn how OmniGraffle's AppleScript support works, or to add specific objects to your own scripts.

I then took a look at the OmniGraffle dictionary in the AppleScript Editor and there are a bunch of interesting actions, but I don't know if any of them will let the test participant enter text and then save it and have it appear elsewhere in the interface. If you do figure this out, please reply to this thread and share it!

Thanks!

Julie

1 Jan 2013 - 8:06pm
celgin
2012

I'm trying to find a way to use graffle as a prototype tool with some robust features.

Primarily, I'm interested in collaboration. I would like to post a graffle somewhere online where users can annotate while at the same time experience the interactions created in Graffles Action's. Currently, I'm having a hard time taking a graffle doc that works fine for me and exporting it into something that someone else without graffle can interact with.

Secondly, I'm having a hard time finding more than a few applescripts that have nothing to do with what I want. Is there a large library of scripts out there that I can't find?

7 Jan 2013 - 11:35am
ambroselittle
2008

Not to hijack the thread, but since it is relevant... I thought I'd suggest that you could try Indigo Studio instead. V1 is free, and it is designed specifically for rapid, user-centered prototyping: http://www.infragistics.com/products/indigo-studio 

If you have a team, everyone can download Indigo and contribute to the design sharing the project on, e.g., DropBox, but you can also share your prototypes on the Web with a click w/o requiring Indigo Studio. 

Hope this helps.

-ambrose

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