Automate All The Things!

# Automate All The Things!

### 17 Weird Tricks Programmers Should Know

---

## Benjie Gillam
Github: [benjie](http://github.com/benjie)
Twitter: [@benjie](https://twitter.com/benjie)

## Jof Arnold
Github: [jofarnold](http://github.com/jofarnold)
Twitter: [@jofarnold](https://twitter.com/jofarnold)

---

## Goals

1/ To show what kinds of things can be done.

2/ To inspire you to do more automation.

3/ To help you to be happier and more productive.

---

## Warning! This Might be Fast

Just remember this URL: [jofarnold.github.io/automation-talk](https://jofarnold.github.io/automation-talk).

Don't worry about taking notes: you probably won't have time.

---

We'll start with some simpler tricks - things you might already know - and work our way up to a few more sophisticated examples.

---

# Command Line Automation

.aside[
NOTE: We've added new lines to many of these commands for readability so you won't be able to directly paste them into your terminal. Convert them to single line commands to use.
]

---

## Renaming Files

Renaming them one by one in your file explorer is time consuming. And without automation, the command line takes even longer...

```bash
mv img137.jpg stock-photo-137.jpg
mv img138.jpg stock-photo-138.jpg
mv img139.jpg stock-photo-139.jpg
```

---

## Bulk Renaming Files

```bash
# mv img137.jpg stock-photo-137.jpg
# mv img138.jpg stock-photo-138.jpg
# mv img139.jpg stock-photo-139.jpg

for I in img*.jpg; do
  mv $I ${I/#img/stock-photo-};
done;
```

[www.tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/parameter-substitution.html](http://www.tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/parameter-substitution.html)

---

## Make Thumbnails Using ImageMagick

Runs the ImageMagick `convert` command on matching pngs in that directory

```bash
for I in my-big-photo*.png; do
  convert -resize 20% $I ${I/%.png/.thumb.jpg};
done;
```

[www.imagemagick.org/script/convert.php](http://www.imagemagick.org/script/convert.php)

---

## Run Scheduled Tasks With Cron

```bash
min hour day_of_month month day_of_week task_to_run
```

---

## Example:

Pull, rebase and build every hour at 15mins past the hour.

```cron
15 * * * * cd /dev/project
             && git pull --rebase
             && npm install
             && npm run build
```

---

## Example:

Every day at 5pm send your achievements to Slack `#checkins`.

```cron
0 17 * * * cd /dev/project
             && git standup
             |  slackcli -h "#checkins" -c
```

[github.com/kamranahmedse/git-standup](https://github.com/kamranahmedse/git-standup)

[github.com/candrholdings/slack-cli](https://github.com/candrholdings/slack-cli)

---

# Automate Your Editor

---

## Multiple Cursors

Here's an example for Vim, but many other editors such as Sublime, Atom support this too.

---

### Plugin:

```viml
Plug 'terryma/vim-multiple-cursors'
let g:multi_cursor_exit_from_visual_mode = 0
let g:multi_cursor_exit_from_insert_mode = 0
```

[github.com/terryma/vim-multiple-cursors](https://github.com/terryma/vim-multiple-cursors)

---

## Change a Constant Across Every File

```viml
:silent! argdo %s/Foo/Bar/ge
```

Across all files in the `arg` list this `silent`ly `s`ubstitutes the text `Foo` with `Bar` `g`lobally skipping any `e`rrors

[vimcasts.org/episodes/using-argdo-to-change-multiple-files/](http://vimcasts.org/episodes/using-argdo-to-change-multiple-files/)

---

## Lint for Code Issues

![eslint](images/lint.png)

Here I'm attempting to reassign foo which is giving me a poop emoji and a error message telling me I'm doing something we don't allow.

---

Plugins (Note for Vim users you'll need NeoVim or Vim8 to get the async goodness)

[github.com/benekastah/neomake](https://github.com/benekastah/neomake)

[github.com/benjie/neomake-local-eslint.vim](https://github.com/benjie/neomake-local-eslint.vim)

[github.com/w0rp/ale](https://github.com/w0rp/ale)

---

## Other Editor Automation Techniques

There's a lot of other ways of saving typing too. Investigate at your own leisure:

Snippets: e.g. vim-snipmate

File templates: e.g. vim-template

Autocomplete: e.g. YouCompleteMe

---

# Automate Your Browser

---

## JavaScript Bookmarklets

You can create bookmarks containing not URLs but JavaScript for quick actions. You simply prefix the command with `javascript:` and put it in the URL field of the bookmark.

---

## Pre-Fill Forms for Testing

![form filler](images/form-filler.gif)

---

Example code:

[jofarnold.github.io/automation-talk/examples/random-form-filler.js](examples/random-form-filler.js)

[jofarnold.github.io/automation-talk/examples/random-form-filler.ugly.js](examples/random-form-filler.ugly.js)

---

## Clear Local Storage

If you're working with local storage, sometimes cleaning it out is helpful. It's much quicker via a bookmarklet than using the browser dev tools.

```javascript
javascript:localStorage.clear();window.location.reload();
```

---

## Expand Github Panels

GitHub's panels are of limited width; sometimes this isn't suitable. Horizontal scrolling is a pain - let's fix it:

Make wide:

`javascript:Array.prototype.slice.call( document.querySelectorAll(".file")).forEach( el => {el.style.width = window.innerWidth - 40 + "px";el.style.marginLeft = (980 - (window.innerWidth - 40))/2 + "px"})`

---

Make normal again:

`javascript:Array.prototype.slice.call( document.querySelectorAll(".file")).forEach( el => {el.style.width = '';el.style.marginLeft = ''})`

---

## Browsersync, Adobe Edge...

Automagically update all your browsers on save.

![BrowserSync](images/reload.gif)

.source[
  Source: [Addy Osmani, HTML5Rocks]( https://www.html5rocks.com/en/tutorials/tooling/synchronized-cross-device-testing/)
]

---

# Time to Get Fancy
# 💃

---

## Automate Version Control

Dealing with git's confusing upstream settings and creating pull requests on GitHub/Bitbucket can waste valuable seconds. Add to your bash/zsh profile:

---

```bash
# Pushes the current branch and sets the upstream
alias gpu='git push -u origin $(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)'

# Gets the GitHub URL of the current repo
alias ghurl='git ghurl'

# As gpu, then opens GitHub create PR for this branch
alias gpupr='git push -u origin $(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD) &&
  open $(ghurl)/compare/$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)?expand=1'

# As gpupr, but against `production` branch 
# and prepares releasenotes for you!
alias gpuppr='git releasenotes | pbcopy; 
  git push -u origin $(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD) &&
  open $(ghurl)/compare/production...$(
    git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD
  )?expand=1'
```

---

~/.gitconfig:

```ini
[alias]
# Figures out the GitHub URL for this repo
ghurl =! bash -c 'git config --get remote.origin.url |
sed -E "s/.+:\$.+\$$/https:\\\\/\\\\/github\\\\.com\\\\/\\\\1/g" |
sed "s/\\.git$//"'

# Takes the merge commits (assuming they're GitHub PRs)
# and tidies them up into release notes
releasenotes = "!git fetch -p >&2 &&
git log --format=\"%s%x09%b\" --merges origin/production...HEAD |
grep -v \"Merge branch 'production'\" |
sed -Ee s'/Merge pull request (#[0-9]+) from [^ '$'\\t'']+/\\1/' |
column -s $'\\t' -t"
```

---

## Automatically Deploy When Build Passes

circle.yml:

```yaml
[...]
deployment:
  production:
    branch: production
    commands:
      - git push git@heroku.com:YOURAPP.git $CIRCLE_SHA1:master
      - heroku maintenance:on --app YOURAPP
      - heroku run --exit-code 'rake db:migrate' --app YOURAPP
      - heroku maintenance:off --app YOURAPP
```

---

## Slack (and GitHub) Commands for (Non-Technical) Team Members

Saves developers getting interrupted.

Saves team waiting for developers.

https://hubot.github.com/

https://github.com/botdylan/botdylan

---

## Examples:

### Enable feature flags on a Heroku review app:

Slack: `teambot enable awesome_new_feature on myapp-pr-73`

GitHub PR: `/enable awesome_new_feature`

---

## Examples:

### Trigger a deploy to the testing environment

Slack: `teambot deploy my-wip-branch to myapp-testing`

GitHub PR: `/deploy myapp-testing`

---

## Examples:

### Reset the testing database:

`teambot reset myapp-testing from myapp-staging please`

### Extend a customers trial
`teambot extend trial awesome@customer.email 14 days`

### Grant a customer credit
`teambot credit awesome@customer.email $30`

---

## Show Stripe Payments In Slack

![make it rain](images/make-it-rain.gif)

https://github.com/fitztrev/make-it-rain

---

## Automate Your Children

Make your children go to bed

![sleeping kid](images/sleeping-kid.jpg)

---

# But With Great Power...

---

## Know When Not to Automate

But be careful. It's addictive and not always a good idea. You need to be alert and realistic

![974 - The General Problem](images/the-general-problem.png)

---

## If Your Task is Generic

### [ifttt.com](https://ifttt.com)

More consumer-focussed such as "When I upload to  Twitter also update Facebook and Instagram".

### [zapier.com](https://zapier.com)

More business-focussed such as  "When I get a Stripe payment, create an entry in Salesforce".

---

## But if You Need Something Custom, Be Careful...

---

## Custom Solutions Bring Overheads

---

Servers can be a maintenance headache and ongoing cost. We recommend [heroku.com](https://www.heroku.com/).

Keeping modules up to date can be a pain. If you've good test coverage, try [greenkeeper.io](https://greenkeeper.io/).

As for keeping up with third party API changes; subscribe to their changelogs?

---

## Our Challenge to You

For one week, start to list the tasks you're repeating a bit too much...

... and then see if there's solutions out there.

---

## ...Or Just Ask Us

### Tell us your web services automation challenges and we'll show you a faster, better way 😎

### Thanks!

.little[
Benjie Gillam: twitter [@benjie](https://twitter.com/benjie), email [automate@jemjie.com](mailto:automate@jemjie.com)

Jof Arnold: twitter [@jofarnold](https://twitter.com/jofarnold), email [automate@jofarnold.com](mailto:automate@jofarnold.com)
]