In the last two posts on Dynamic placeholders, we covered how to insert the date and time, and how to use a variety of other useful sources of content such as your clipboard, query, or a random string.
In this third guide to Dynamic Placeholders, we're integrating placeholders into workflows.
Your snippet can be created on the fly by popping up a prompt in a workflow:
For this snippet, I'd like to add two bits of dynamic content; First, I want to type the name of a new club member, and second, choose a type of membership from a pre-defined list. Finally, I want this snippet to paste to the frontmost app.
1. Trigger the Workflow via a Snippet
The Snippet Trigger is set to the keyword hello with the prefix \\. Typing \\hello in any email or document will trigger the snippet.
2. Pop up a Text Input
The Keyword Input's keyword field is left blank and set to "Argument required". This is when I can type the name of my new club member.
3. Save the Member Name for later
The Argument & Variables Utility saves the club member's name to a variable for later use.
4. Choose a membership type from a list
In the List Filter Input, I've pre-defined
5. Paste the snippet to the frontmost app
The final object is a Copy to Clipboard Output.
Now that I've entered a choice for both placeholders, pressing Return will paste the full snippet to the frontmost app, replacing the dynamic placeholders.
Our workflow in summary
Typing \\hello in the app where I want the final snippet to appear pops up our first prompt where I can type a name:
Next, we choose the Membership Type from the list:
Pressing Return pastes the output to the frontmost app:
Hello Ellie,
Welcome to the club! Your Trial Membership (7 days) has now been set up. :)
Cheers,
Vero
What snippets could you create with dynamic placeholders that will take care of repetitive tasks for you?
In an earlier post, we experimented with Dynamic Placeholders for date and time, which can be used in snippets and workflows.
In this second guide, let's take a look at other convenient Dynamic Placeholders available in Alfred.
Clipboard
Use the {clipboard} placeholder to insert the current clipboard content into a snippet or {clipboard:3} for an older clipboard item.
Snippets
Do you already use Alfred's Snippets feature? If so, you can add snippets inside your snippets!
{snippet:snippetkeyword} will insert another snippet within your snippet.
Random
Need to spice up your snippet by adding a bit of randomness? You can write a handful of friendly introductions, then let luck decide which one will be inserted when your snippet expands.
To insert a random name from a pre-defined list, use {random:Andrew, Vero, Jack, Rose}.
For a random number, you can use {random:1..100} for a number between 1-100, or {random:UUID} to create a random unique identifier string.
Cursor
Adding {cursor} to your snippet will re-position your cursor from the end of the snippet to the specified position after pasting the snippet.
Workflow Query
In the context of a workflow, you can also use the {query} placeholder to insert the argument passed by the previous object of your workflow.
Hot Tip: Use the Formatting Examples
Use the curly quotes button at the bottom of the Snippets text box for some built-in handy formatting examples, or take a look at the Dynamic Placeholders page for more detailed information on using every type of placeholder.
What's next?
You now know how to integrate date and time placeholders in your snippets and workflows, as well as all of the variables above.
In the last post in this series, we'll look at three ways to use placeholders in workflows; To add free text on the fly, choose content from a pre-defined list and perform a non-text action.
Who knew Dynamic Placeholders were quietly such a powerhouse?
In anticipation of the release of macOS 27 Golden Gate, announced for Monday 14th September, we've released Alfred 5.8 today.
This update includes minor optimisations and tweaks to support the new macOS version, as well as preparation for a seamless transition to Alfred 6.
You can update to Alfred 5.8 from the Update tab in the preferences, or download it from alfredapp.com.
We've been using Golden Gate throughout Apple's beta rollout, and have validated Alfred 5, so you can expect a smooth experience when you upgrade macOS.
Are you backing up your Mac?
A new macOS release is a good time to start or refresh your backups, whether you use Time Machine or another backup method of your choice.
If you want to only back up your Alfred preferences, you can use our Preferences Backup workflow to make sure you never lose your carefully crafted preferences.
When installing macOS from scratch on a new Mac, remember that your Mac will need a moment to build the file index on which Alfred relies on, so allow an hour or two after installation for macOS to sort itself out.
Alfred 6 Is Coming This Autumn
Want to be the first to know? Sign up to find out as soon as Alfred 6 is released.
Your reliable and steadfast productivity companion is getting a stunning upgrade this Autumn!
As we get closer to the release date, you can expect to see sneak peeks of the new features. We're currently in beta testing with a small group of users, so that everything is just perfect when we get to the general release.
Upgrading to Alfred 6
We're offering a generous grace period for those who purchased this year; If you purchased in 2026 or are a Mega Supporter / Legendary Supporter, you'll receive a free upgrade to Alfred 6.
New to Alfred? If you don't yet have a Powerpack license, purchasing any Powerpack license today gives you an Alfred 5 license right away, and a free upgrade to Alfred 6 when it launches.
Migrating your preferences from Alfred 5 to Alfred 6 will be seamless, so jump in and join the Alfred community.
Alfred's Dynamic Placeholders can save you time and effort in so many ways.
Haven't heard of placeholders before? They're stand-ins for text that is dynamically inserted into your snippet. This could be a date, your current or past clipboard content, a random string from a list, or even another snippet! 🤯
In the next three posts, we'll take a look at a few ways to use these clever placeholders in your snippets and workflows, beginning with simple placeholders like dates and date arithmetics.
Creating our Date Placeholder
For a placeholder containing today's date:
{date:dd/MM/yy}
When pasted, this date will follow the format of 23/09/26, which is date / month / year, each one in two-digits format and in my preferred order of date before month.
If I add +1d, the snippet will calculate tomorrow's date:
{date +1d:dd/MM/yy}
As we've added a calculation of +1 day, we'll see 24/09/26 - the 24th of September, a day later than our date above.
Need the time two days and six hours ago? Sure!
{datetime -2d-6h}
The format of the date can be changed to your preference, from a full text date and time to the number of the week of the year.
To do this, you can use Alfred's full, long, medium, and short shortcuts:
{datetime:full}
The resulting snippet output will be Wednesday, 23 September 2026 at 13:14:27 British Summer Time.
Alternatively, you can use the Unicode Date Format Patterns to create any date and time format that suits your needs.
Formatting and capitalisation matters
It's worth noting that MM and mm are not the same; Always check your capitalisation, or you may add minutes instead of the month to your placeholder!
Using the Dynamic Placeholder in a Snippet
To embed your date or time dynamic placeholder in a snippet, create your usual snippet and include the formatted dynamic placeholder in curly brackets.
Note that you can browse a selection of dynamic placeholder examples by clicking on the button with the curly brackets in the bottom left of your snippet text field.
In the next post, we'll take a look at using the clipboard's content, random items and other snippets as dynamic placeholders.
In the meantime, I hope that creating a few convenient snippets with placeholders will save you many "What day of the week is it, again!?" moments. Alfred always has the answer for you.
