Manuel T. Gomes

I'm Manuel, and I live in sunny Portugal 🇵🇹

I write about Microsoft technology, Python, automation, and whatever else I'm currently taking apart. You can find my articles at manueltgomes.com.

I'm also the founder of Skillful Sardine, which I started in 2019 when I went independent.

Three things: project management, custom development, and automation. Teams of any size, from a single freelancer to a whole company.

For companies

• Project management
• Custom development
• Automation workflows

Individuals and freelancers

• Get your work organised
• Automate repetitive work
• Fix what you are stuck on

Tell me what you need or schedule a call

One message, no commitment. I reply in 24 to 48 business hours. You will be talking to me, Manuel. Not a sales team, not an AI bot.

I publish something new most weekdays, so there's always fresh content to explore.

The week is a mix of tutorials, reference entries, and shorter pieces. Some days that's a Power Automate walkthrough, some days a reference entry going into obscene detail on a single function, some days a Python or Apple Shortcuts piece, and some days a Quick Take that's just me thinking out loud.

Saturday and Sunday, we both rest and enjoy life 😀.

These are the areas I cover.

• Power Platform
  • Power Automate
  • Power Apps
• Microsoft
  • SharePoint
  • Excel
  • Outlook
  • Teams
  • Planner
  • Forms
  • Lists
  • OneDrive for Business
  • OneNote
  • To Do
  • Shifts
  • PowerShell
• Python
• Apple
  • Shortcuts
  • Xcode

I also provide a reference where I go into obscene details on how to use things like:

• Power Automate
  • Power Automate Actions
  • Power Automate Triggers
  • Power Automate Functions
• Power Apps
  • Power Apps Functions
• SharePoint
  • SharePoint List Functions
• Other
  • Excel Functions
  • N8N Triggers
  • OData Reference

I provide templates in a section I call the "Cookbook" for Power Automate that you can import and read about how to use.

I also provide an Expressions Cookbook where I compile helpful pieces of code.

And there are the Tools: small utilities that each do one job, running entirely in your browser. No sign-up, no uploads, private by default.

One email a month with the best of what I'm learning, building, and reading. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. Subscribe here.

Python is where I'm most at home: FastAPI, SQLAlchemy, and Pydantic over PostgreSQL, with Celery and Redis for the background work, shipped in Docker and running on Kubernetes. Swift when the problem belongs on a Mac or an iPhone. Power Automate, n8n, SharePoint, and Apple Shortcuts on the automation side. That's a sample, not the whole list. Two decades in, the honest answer is that I pick up whatever the problem needs.

I like clean architecture, small sharp tools, and shipping things end to end.

Some ask if my name shouldn't be Gomez. The short answer is: that's the Hispanic way of spelling it, and I'm Portuguese. The long answer is on Wikipedia (where all "right" answers live). There you can find that:

It derived from the given name Gomes, which derived from the Visigothic word guma, meaning "man"

… as well as that I'm not (yet) in the Notable people list 😀.

You can find me on Mastodon, Bluesky, LinkedIn, X, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, and Reddit.

Say hi and interact. I'm always happy to meet new people.