AppAddict
December 10th, 2024

iCollections - A Desktop Centric Workflow Manager Similar to the Classic Dragthing

Mac Apps
iCollections
iCollections


The late, great Mac app, Dragthing reached end of life in 2019. It was a point and click workflow manager for those who preferred that type of workflow over apps like Alfred and Launchbar. The developer of Dragthing was an Apple employee to worked on the original implementation of the dock in Mac OS X. He created Dragthing as an alternate version of what the dock could have been. It was an immensely popular app among power users and won many awards in its 24 years on the market (1995-2019).

iCollections by developer Grzegorz Staszczyk provides an experience much like Dragthing once did. It provides a a variety of desktop interfaces for various ways to view content and control your Mac. The interface is based on what the app calls collections. These are windows or drawers containing any one of the following elements:

  • Disks (including external storage and mounted disk images)
  • Access to dock items from the menu bar
  • Folders (e.g., Downloads, Documents) - use tabs to see multiple folders in one window
  • Drop shelf for temporary file storage
  • Photo frame (with slide shows)
  • Web view using iOS user agent for any website
  • Open processes
  • Open Windows
  • Trash
  • Calendar

Every element has multiple customization options including color, size, position and opacity. You can use custom icons, even for native Mac applications, something you cannot do in Finder. You can combine keyboard shortcuts with point and click functions to summon collections when you need them. To use a folder as a launcher, just add application aliases to it.

iCollections can be downloaded from the developer's website to take advantage of a free trial. It can also be downloaded from the Mac App Store. The cost is:

  • Monthly Subscription$2.99
  • Annual Subscription$12.99
  • Lifetime License$39.99