Just used the LIST FOLDER command for the first time on my new MacBook Air M1 (so using Big Sur). The order the names are presented in appears random now, when previously they were presented in name order. Why has this been changed? Or have I done something wrong?
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.0
When you assign the output of list folder, the folder names are taken in random order. If you want the names in alphabetical order, then the the following you perform that arrangement:
set theFolder to ((path to desktop as text) & "TestX:") as alias
tell application "Finder"
set aList to (name of every item of folder theFolder whose name does not start with ".")
end tell
And I used a whose clause to exclude any "dot" files such as .DS_Store.
See the AppleScript Language Guide.
Hi
Sorry I'm not very good with AppleScript and you reply has confused me!
This is my code that used to present to files in alphabetical order, but now gives them in a random order:
set cards_folder to "/Users/..../Documents/..../"
set file_names to list folder (cards_folder) without invisibles
set num_files to count of file_names
repeat with file_no from 1 to num_files
set card_file_name to item file_no of file_names
Your list folder syntax does not retrieve files in sorted order, and AppleScript by itself, does not have a sort command. Thus, we must tell the Finder to retrieve the files, and it will do so with them inherently sorted ascending. Finder also has a sort command, but it is unnecessary here. Without Finder, you would have to write your own sort routine.
use scripting additions
set cards_folder to POSIX file "/Users/.../Docments/.../" as alias
tell application "Finder"
-- tell finder to exclude invisibles which are UNIX files that begin with a dot
-- because Finder AppleScript dictionary does not have a boolean property to
-- test for document invisibles
set file_names to (name of every item of folder cards_folder whose name does not start with ".")
end tell
set num_files to count of file_names
repeat with file_no from 1 to num_files
set card_file_name to item file_no of file_names
end repeat
return
Thanks for your help.
It was the “set theFolder” part that I wasn’t getting. I forgot about POSIX file which now allows the script to compile. However, when I run it, it just doesn’t seem to end. Perhaps I am not being patient enough, but it if I’m not, then it is taking a very long time to complete.
If the script is running correctly, and you are working on a folder that has an immense number of files in it, then AppleScript will be horribly slow at processing your very large list. Insert the following code just prior to your repeat leap:
display dialog num_files
What is that number of files?
No, only 57 files.
Then there is a logic issue in your code, as 57 files would take no time at all to process in a repeat loop.
AppleScript - list folder command