Automator: trimming file path (POSIX text)

You can use a Run AppleScript action to remove the desired part of the file path:

onrun {input, parameters} -- strip file path prefix

setprefixtoPOSIX pathof(((path todesktop) astext) & "test:")-- the path prefix to strip

set output to {}

sethereto (countprefix)

repeatwithanItemintheinput

try

setendofoutputtotextherethru-1ofanItem

onerror

setendofoutputtoanItem

endtry

endrepeat

returnoutput

endrun

I just noticed that. If the names are just one chunk of text, the script might need to separate the paragraphs, or use text item delimiters, since the items aren't in a list.

Yes - I didn't notice that the names were combines into a single piece of text. The following uses text item delimiters to remove all occurances of the file path prefix in the text (this also works with the various separators):

onrun {input, parameters} -- strip file path prefix

setprefixtoPOSIX pathof (((path todesktop) astext) & "test:") -- the path prefix to strip

set output to {}

settempTIDtoAppleScript's text item delimiters

repeatwithanItemintheinput

setAppleScript's text item delimiterstoprefix-- separate at prefix item

settrimmedItemstotext itemsofanItem

setAppleScript's text item delimitersto""-- recombine without prefix item

setendofoutputtotrimmedItemsastext

endrepeat

setAppleScript's text item delimiterstotempTID

returnoutput

endrun

This is why I don't use Automator that much anymore - it is a good idea, but in practice it just acts goofy and unpredicable.

It looks like there is some kind of conversion problem when the text is passed to the New Mail Message action. One workaround I found is to save the text to a variable and immediately get the variable back. Note that if you forget to ignore the input, it doesn't get doubled up like it should (again, goofy and unpredictable).