OS X Right Click Menu Additions

I'm sure this is documented somewhere, but I didn't find it while looking. If you use the Automator to create a service that receives files or folders in any application, it will get added to the right click menu. Now I can right click documents and choose to edit them with Vim.

I noticed this while trying to add a hotkey to the service. The hotkey didn't work, but then I noticed my edit option in the menu, so that's almost as good.

So here's how I created a right-click option for Edit with Vim under Snow Leopard:

• Launch Automator


• Choose The Service Template


• Change "Service receives selected" pulldown option from "text" to "files or folders."


• Drag "Run Shell Script" from the library into the current workflow


• Change the "Pass input" pulldown from "to stdin" to "as arguments"


• Delete the text from the edit box and enter the following:



• Save it as something concise, but descriptive, like: Edit with single Vim

This time I embedded everything for the command in the shell script of the service because I'll only ever need to call this from the gui.

Edit: Update: OS X Lion treats Applications like services. If you create an Application with the Automator, it will likewise show up in your services menu.