Shortcuts for Enjoying
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Shortcuts for Enjoying let you automate keeping up with TV shows, books, games, and more. In the Shortcuts app you’ll find them under Enjoying. These actions cover TV episodes, Enjoying modes, sessions, and starting and finishing items.
In Sofa 5.5 these actions were renamed to match the rest of the app. Shortcuts you’ve already built keep working:
| Old Name | New Name |
|---|---|
| Start TV Show Tracking | Start Enjoying a TV Show |
| Start Tracking | Start Enjoying |
| Finish Tracking | Finish Enjoying |
| Stop Tracking | Stop Enjoying |
| Resume Tracking | Resume Enjoying |
| Get Tracked Items | Get Enjoying Items |
| Get Checkpoints | Get Sessions |
Without Super Sofa you can have up to 2 items in Enjoying at a time. Start Enjoying, Start Enjoying a TV Show, and Resume Enjoying stop with a message once you reach that limit.
TV Show Actions
Start Enjoying a TV Show
Adds a TV show in your library to Enjoying so you can keep up with watched episodes.
Mark Next Episode Watched
Marks the next unwatched aired episode as watched. Great for a quick “I just watched the latest episode” automation.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| TV Show | The TV show to mark the next episode for |
| Date | Optional. The date you watched the episode. Defaults to now |
Mark Episode Watched
Marks a specific episode as watched. Choose the episode and the date you watched it.
Mark Season Complete
Marks all aired episodes in a season as watched at once.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| TV Show | The TV show |
| Season Number | The season to mark as complete |
| Date | The date you finished the season |
Get TV Show Episodes
Returns episodes for a TV show.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| TV Show | The TV show to get episodes for |
| Season Number | Optional. Only return episodes from this season |
| Status | Optional. Unwatched, Watched, or Skipped |
| Limit | The most episodes to return. Defaults to 100 |
| Offset | How many episodes to skip, for paging through long shows. Defaults to 0 |
Get Next Episode
Returns the next unwatched aired episode for a TV show. Useful for chaining with other actions to build “what’s next” workflows.
Universal Enjoying Actions
These work with any item type (books, games, audiobooks, etc.).
Start Enjoying
Adds an item to Enjoying. You choose the Enjoying mode:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Just Enjoying | No counters or logs, just marks the item as in progress |
| Simple Counter | Count toward a total (e.g., pages read) |
| Quick Log | Each run records a timestamped entry |
| Keep a Journal | Create rich entries with notes and photos |
| Check Things Off | Create checkpoints to check off |
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Item | The item to start enjoying |
| Enjoying Mode | One of the modes above |
| Total | Optional. For Simple Counter: the goal to count toward (e.g., 300 chapters) |
| Current Value | Optional. For Simple Counter: the progress so far |
| Checkpoint Type | Optional. For Simple Counter: the unit to count, such as chapters, pages, or levels |
Total, Current Value, and Checkpoint Type are ignored for the other modes.
Update Counter
Sets, increments, or decrements the counter for items using Simple Counter mode.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Item | The Simple Counter item to update |
| Mode | Set Value, Increment, Decrement, or Set Total |
| Value | For Set Value: the new current progress |
| Amount | For Increment and Decrement: how much to adjust by. Defaults to 1 |
| Total | For Set Total: the new total to count toward |
| Checkpoint Type | Optional. Changes the unit being counted, such as chapters, pages, or levels |
Value and Total accept decimals, so you can set a counter to 7.5 hours or 3.5 chapters.
Log Progress
Records a progress entry for items using Quick Log mode.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Item | The Quick Log item to log progress for |
| Duration | Optional. The time spent in this session |
| Amount | Optional. The progress made in this session, in the item’s session unit (for example, pages) |
Each run adds one entry, so the item’s count goes up by one no matter what Duration and Amount are set to.
Add Journal Entry
Adds a new journal entry to items using Keep a Journal mode.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Item | The Keep a Journal item to add an entry to |
| Title | The title for the entry |
| Date | The date for the entry |
| Description | Optional. What happened in this entry |
| Note | Optional. A sticky note for the entry |
| Photos | Optional. Photos to attach to the entry |
| Duration | Optional. The time spent in this session |
| Amount | Optional. The progress made in this session, in the item’s session unit (for example, pages) |
Amount is always recorded in the item’s own session unit. You don’t choose a unit in the action.
Returns the new entry as a Session.
Session Timer Actions
Session timer actions run a timer on an item in Enjoying and save the time as a session when you stop it. Only one timer runs at a time. These actions don’t open Sofa, and on iPhone the timer also shows on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island as a Live Activity.
Start Session
Starts a session timer on an item in Enjoying.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Item | The item to time |
| Checkpoint | Optional. For Check Things Off items only: the to-do to time. Defaults to the next unchecked one |
A few things to know:
- Start Session never adds an item to Enjoying. The item must already be in Enjoying and not finished.
- It works with items using Quick Log, Keep a Journal, Check Things Off, or a Simple Counter that has a Total. It isn’t available for TV shows, podcasts, or items set to Just Enjoying.
- If the item’s timer is paused, Start Session resumes it.
- If a timer is already on a different item, Shortcuts asks whether to stop it first. Choosing Stop & Start saves that timer as a session and starts the new one.
Stop Session
Stops the timer and saves the time as a session.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Item | Optional. Since only one timer runs at a time, you can leave this empty. If you pick an item and the timer is on another, the action fails |
| Amount | Optional. The progress made in this session, in the item’s session unit (for example, pages) |
| Mark as Done | For Check Things Off items only: also checks off the to-do that was timed. Off by default |
Returns a Stopped Session with the time and amount that were saved. A timer that ran for under a minute saves nothing.
What gets saved depends on the item’s Enjoying mode:
- Quick Log and Keep a Journal: A new entry with the session’s time. If you start again within 30 minutes of your last stop on the same day, the time is added to that entry instead of creating a new one.
- Simple Counter in hours or minutes: The counter moves forward by the time on the timer. Amount is ignored.
- Other Simple Counters: The time is saved, and the counter moves only by Amount.
- Check Things Off: The time is added to the to-do that was timed. It is only checked off if Mark as Done is on.
Pause Session
Pauses the running timer. The time stops counting until you resume, and a paused timer never expires.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Item | Optional. If you pick an item and the timer is on another, the action fails |
Resume Session
Resumes a paused timer. The time it was paused for isn’t counted.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Item | Optional. If you pick an item and the timer is on another, the action fails |
Session and Checkpoint Actions
Every entry in an item’s history is a Session: a journal entry, a Quick Log entry, a Simple Counter session, or a to-do in Check Things Off.
Get Sessions
Returns the sessions for an item in Enjoying.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Item | The item to get sessions for. The picker only shows items that can have sessions, so TV shows and items set to Just Enjoying aren’t listed |
| Status | Optional. Incomplete, Complete, or Skipped |
| Limit | The most sessions to return. Defaults to 100 |
| Offset | How many sessions to skip, for paging. Defaults to 0 |
Simple Counter sessions come back named the way they are in the item’s History (“Session 1”, “Session 2”, and so on, or “Correction”).
Update Session
Changes a session’s title, description, or note. Any field you leave empty stays as it is.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Session | The session to update |
| Title | Optional. A new title |
| Description | Optional. A new description, the text of a journal entry |
| Note | Optional. A new sticky note |
Get Session Photos
Returns the photos attached to one or more sessions as a single list, oldest first. Hand it the results of Get Sessions to collect every photo from a journal, ready for apps like Journal or Day One.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Sessions | The sessions to get photos from |
Sessions without photos are skipped. To check first, use a session’s Photo Count.
Create Checkpoints
Creates one or more checkpoints for an item using Check Things Off mode.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Item | The Check Things Off item to add checkpoints to |
| Count | How many checkpoints to create |
| Checkpoint Type | The type of checkpoint, such as Chapter or Episode. Defaults to Checkpoint |
| Title | Optional. With a count of 1 it’s used as-is. With more, each checkpoint is numbered after it |
| Description | Optional. A description for each new checkpoint |
Toggle Checkpoint
Marks a checkpoint as complete, incomplete, or skipped.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Checkpoint | The checkpoint to update |
| Status | Incomplete, Complete, or Skipped |
| Date | Optional. The completion date to record. Defaults to now |
Simple Counter sessions can’t be toggled. Use Update Counter to change that item’s progress.
Starting and Finishing
Finish Enjoying
Finishes an item and adds it to the Logbook. Works for TV shows and other items in Enjoying.
Stop Enjoying
Stops enjoying an item without finishing it. The item can be resumed later.
Resume Enjoying
Brings back an item you stopped enjoying.
Get Enjoying Items
Returns the items you’re currently enjoying.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Search Text | Optional. Only return items whose title matches |
| Category | Optional. Only return items in this category, like TV Show, Movie, or Book |
| Sort By | Date Added, Date Edited, Title, or Release Date. Defaults to Date Edited |
| Sort Order | Ascending or Descending. Defaults to Descending |
| Limit | The most items to return. Defaults to 50 |
| Offset | How many items to skip, for paging. Defaults to 0 |