Automator

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Level 1

4 points

Automator

I am wanting to figure out a way to create an automator app where i drop a folder full of image files onto it, it creates a new folder, selects certain files, by items in the file name and runs a photoshop droplet, then selects different files within the same folder by a different file name parameter and runs a different photoshop droplet. I have been able to get the first half of that to work. i have attached a screenshot of the workflow, but when i add anything after this, it doesn't do anything. As it is, the app creates the folder, moves all of the files in the source folder to the newly created one, then runs the droplet only on the files specified in the filter my name step, Perfect. But what do i do next to get it to run the next droplet on the other files? i figured if i just copied the steps but changed the filet to the opposite, and then had the other droplet selected it would do it but nothing. and yes i have verified that the Photoshop droplet on it's own does work correctly. BTW, i am VERY ignorant of anything much beyond this for using automator so there's that.

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Jun 25, 2021 11:43 AM

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Answer 1

Camelot

Level 9

59,133 points

Jun 27, 2021 2:06 PM in response to motim5150

> But what do i do next to get it to run the next droplet on the other files?

Short version: you don't :(

I mean, it may be possible, but the single biggest weakness in Automator is its lack of looping and logic flow - it's very linear and does not have easy controls for the kind of thing you're asking here ("Do A on these files, Do B on these other files, and Do C on the rest). It's kind of like all-or-none.

If you want to pursue this path you may need to first break the files into separate groups, storing them in separate variables, then run the sub-routines on the variables containing the sub-lists, rather than on the entire list, but this is seriously cumbersome in Automator's interface.

A better solution would be to step back into something that has actual logic control. You can embed AppleScripts within the Automator workflow, and use AppleScript to work out which files to pass through which filter. This needs a basic understanding of AppleScript, though. I'm happy to throw something together if you want to take this approach.

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