Batch Convert pages to Word Document in multiple folders

For this particular exercise, I chose an Automator application solution over a more complicated (read time consuming to debug) Shortcut solution. The code works on Ventura 13.0.1, and should also work on earlier versions of macOS.

It will prompt your for the parent folder that contains your subfolders and Pages document hierarchy. It works on an list of your Pages documents, determines for a given document location if a "Word" folder exists and makes one if missing. It then requests that Pages export that Pages document to .docx with that respective Word folder as the export target. When done, a completion dialog will appear showing how many Pages documents were processed and a count of Word documents exported.

Because of your volume (6000) of Pages documents, I chose to use the Zsh shell instead of AppleScript. With this volume of files, it will still run for a long while as the Pages export process will take its toll on the clock.

Steps:

1. Launch Automator from your /Applications folder.
   1. From the initial Automator dialog select Application and then click Choose
   2. In order left to right, you will have a list of libraries, actions in those libraries, and the much larger (and currently) empty Workflow window.
2. Configure Workflow actions
   1. Files & Folders library
      1. Drag and drop Ask for Finder Items action onto the Workflow window
      2. Start at: Desktop
      3. Type: Folder
      4. Do not select Multiple Selection
   2. Utilities library
      1. Drag and drop Run Shell Script action onto the Workflow window
      2. Shell: /bin/zsh
      3. Pass Input: as arguments
      4. remove all content in this action as it will be replaced by Code shown below.
   3. Save the Automator application (e.g. name it Pages2Docx) and you do not need to give it an extension
   4. Quit Automator
   5. Try the new application

Copy and paste the following code into the now blank Run Shell Script window.

Code:

#!/bin/zsh

: <<"COMMENT"
Do a recursive descent on a folder hierarchy gathering Pages document. Export these
documents from Pages as Word .docx documents into a Word folder at the file location.
If the Word folder does not exist at the particular folder location, then create it.
Tested: Ventura 13.0.1
VikingOSX, 2022-12-06, Apple Support Communities, No implicit warranty or support.
COMMENT

typeset -gi pagesCnt=0 docxCnt=0

STARTDIR="${@}"

function pages_export () {

    /usr/bin/osascript <<-AS
    use scripting additions

    tell application "Pages"
        activate
        try
            set infile to POSIX file "${1}"
            set outfile to POSIX file "${2}"

            set thisDoc to open infile as alias

            with timeout of 1200 seconds
                export thisDoc to file outfile as Microsoft Word
            end timeout
            close thisDoc saving no
        on error errmsg number errNo
            display dialog "[ " & errNo & " ]: " & errmsg
        end try
    end tell
    -- unhide the exported filename extensions
    tell application "Finder"
        if exists (item outfile as alias) then
            set extension hidden of (item outfile as alias) to false
        end if
    end tell
    return
AS
}

function completion () {
    /usr/bin/osascript <<-AS
    use scripting additions

    set DialogIcon to "/System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources/MultipleItemsIcon.icns"

    display dialog "Pages documents found: " & "${1}" & return & ¬
        "Pages documents exported to Word docx: " & "${2}" with title "Processing Complete" with icon POSIX file DialogIcon
    return
AS
}

# ask user for the starting folder from a choose folder dialog
parent_folder="$(folder_prompt)"

# do a case-insensitive recursion finding Pages documents and sorting by name
setopt nocaseglob
for f in ${STARTDIR}/**/*.pages(.Non);
do
    (( ++pagesCnt ))
    # if there is no Word folder at this file location, then make one
    [[ -d "${f:a:h:r}/Word" ]] || mkdir -p "${f:a:h:r}/Word"

    # construct the full path to the word docx document to be exported
    wordfile="${f:a:h:r}/Word/${f:r:t}.docx"

    pages_export "${f}" "${wordfile}"

    # do we have an exported docx that is non-zero in size?
    [[ -s $wordfile ]] && (( ++docxCnt ))
done

# give the user statistics
completion $pagesCnt $docxCnt

The 2021 solution can be revised to get all Pages documents in that main folder hierarchy. Are you asking to create a new "Word" folder at each folder level where Pages documents are found and to receive the exported Word documents? Tree diagram after conversion looks like this where WIP is the arbitrary parent folder name?

Since Pages is not a Word clone, there is no guarantee that the exporting to Word will appear the same in Word as it does in Pages. Features unique to Pages and not available in Word will get dropped.

A more accurate solution might be to export the Pages document to PDF, and as needed, open that PDF in Word v16.31 or later and it will be converted to Word .docx. I would expect the accuracy of this conversion done by Word to be better than what one could expect from a Pages translation.

Probably a ten minute fix to the existing script to switch to PDF and not .docx.

By the way, I omited something from the Automator configuration post. When you first run the application, you will get at least one dialog that you should click OK:

I have revised the Run Shell Script content to produce this output with the added PDF export included:

The default folders in macOS are blue, so not sure what you meant by that, and at any rate, I cannot change folder colors with a script.

Replace the entire contents of your Run Shell Script action with the following code:

#!/bin/zsh

: <<"COMMENT"
Do a recursive descent on a folder hierarchy gathering Pages document. Export these
documents from Pages as Word .docx documents (and PDF) into a Word folder at the file location.
If the Word folder does not exist at the particular folder location, then create it.
Tested: Ventura 13.0.1
VikingOSX, 2022-12-06, Apple Support Communities, No implicit warranty or support.
COMMENT

typeset -gi pagesCnt=0 docxCnt=0 pdfCnt=0

STARTDIR="${@}"

function pages_export () {

    /usr/bin/osascript <<-AS
    use scripting additions

    tell application "Pages"
        activate
        try
            set infile to POSIX file "${1}"
            set wordOutFile to POSIX file "${2}"
            set pdfOutFile to POSIX file "${3}"

            set thisDoc to open infile as alias

            with timeout of 1200 seconds
                export thisDoc to file wordOutFile as Microsoft Word
                export thisDoc to file pdfOutFile as PDF with properties {image quality:Best}
            end timeout
            close thisDoc saving no
        on error errmsg number errNo
            display dialog "[ " & errNo & " ]: " & errmsg
        end try
    end tell
    -- unhide the exported filename extensions
    tell application "Finder"
        if exists (item wordOutFile as alias) then
            set extension hidden of (item wordOutFile as alias) to false
        end if
        if exists (item pdfOutFile as alias) then
            set extension hidden of (item pdfOutFile as alias) to false
        end if
    end tell
    return
AS
}

function completion () {
    /usr/bin/osascript <<-AS
    use scripting additions

    set DialogIcon to "/System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources/MultipleItemsIcon.icns"

    tell application "Pages" to if it is running then quit

    display dialog "Pages documents found:  ${1}" & return & ¬
        "Exported to Word docx:  ${2}" & return & ¬
        "Exported to PDF files:  ${3}" with title "Processing Complete" with icon POSIX file DialogIcon
    return
AS
}

# do a case-insensitive recursion finding Pages documents and sorting by name
setopt nocaseglob
for f in ${STARTDIR}/**/*.pages(.Non);
do
    (( ++pagesCnt ))
    # if there is no Word folder at this file location, then make one
    [[ -d "${f:a:h:r}/Word" ]] || mkdir -p "${f:a:h:r}/Word"

    # construct the full path to the word docx document and PDF to be exported
    wordfile="${f:a:h:r}/Word/${f:r:t}.docx"
    pdffile="${f:a:h:r}/Word/${f:r:t}.pdf"

    pages_export "${f}" "${wordfile}" "${pdffile}"

    # do we have an exported docx and PDF that is non-zero in size?
    [[ -s $wordfile ]] && (( ++docxCnt ))
    [[ -s $pdffile ]] && (( ++pdfCnt ))
done

# give the user statistics
completion $pagesCnt $docxCnt $pdfCnt

I have deleted, and rebuilt Automator applications containing the following code. These Automator applications worked without error and produced the correct output on macOS High Sierra 10.13.6, macOS Monterey 12.6.1, and macOS Ventura 13.0.1. I recommend that you start over and copy/paste the following code into separate Automator application Run Shell Script actions, save those applications, and run again. On Monterey and Ventura, you may receive up to three separate prompts to authorize Finder or Pages to do some action and you need to click OK on those. If you don't the application may fail.

Start with this:

Clear out all default content in that Run Shell Script action, and paste this code into it:

: <<"COMMENT"
Do a recursive descent on a folder hierarchy gathering Pages document. Export these
documents from Pages as Word .docx documents (and PDF) into a Word folder at the file location.
If the Word folder does not exist at the particular folder location, then create it.
Tested: Ventura 13.0.1
VikingOSX, 2022-12-06, Apple Support Communities, No implicit warranty or support.
COMMENT

typeset -gi pagesCnt=0 docxCnt=0 pdfCnt=0

STARTDIR="${@:a:s/\~\//}"

trap 'error_report $LINENO' ERR

function error_report () {
	echo "Error on line $1"
	exit 1
}

function pages_export () {

    /usr/bin/osascript <<-AS
    use scripting additions

    set infile to POSIX file "${1}" as alias
    set wordOutFile to POSIX file "${2}" as text
    set pdfOutFile to POSIX file "${3}" as text

    tell application "Pages"
        activate
        set thisDoc to open infile
        try
            with timeout of 1200 seconds
                export thisDoc to file wordOutFile as Microsoft Word
                export thisDoc to file pdfOutFile as PDF with properties {image quality:Best}
            end timeout
            close thisDoc saving no
        on error errmsg number errNo
            display dialog "[ " & errNo & " ]: " & errmsg
            close thisDoc saving no
            return
        end try
    end tell
    -- unhide the exported filename extensions
    tell application "Finder"
        if exists (item wordOutFile as alias) then
            set extension hidden of (item wordOutFile as alias) to false
        end if
        if exists (item pdfOutFile as alias) then
            set extension hidden of (item pdfOutFile as alias) to false
        end if
    end tell
    return
AS
}

function completion () {
    /usr/bin/osascript <<-AS
    use scripting additions

    set DialogIcon to "/System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources/MultipleItemsIcon.icns"

    tell application "Pages" to if it is running then quit

    display dialog "Pages documents found:  ${1}" & return & ¬
        "Exported to Word docx:  ${2}" & return & ¬
        "Exported to PDF files:  ${3}" with title "Processing Complete" with icon POSIX file DialogIcon
    return
AS
}

# do a case-insensitive recursion finding Pages documents and sorting by name
setopt nocaseglob
for f in ${STARTDIR}/**/*.pages(.Non);
do
    (( ++pagesCnt ))
    # if there is no Word folder at this file location, then make one
    [[ -d "${f:a:h:r}/Word" ]] || mkdir -p "${f:a:h:r}/Word"

    # construct the full path to the word docx document and PDF to be exported
    wordfile="${f:a:h:r}/Word/${f:r:t}.docx"
    pdffile="${f:a:h:r}/Word/${f:r:t}.pdf"

    pages_export "${f}" "${wordfile}" "${pdffile}"

    # do we have an exported docx and PDF that is non-zero in size?
    [[ -s $wordfile ]] && (( ++docxCnt ))
    [[ -s $pdffile ]] && (( ++pdfCnt ))
done

# give the user statistics
completion $pagesCnt $docxCnt $pdfCnt

I have too many demands on my time to rewrite this entire solution in AppleScript. Not all Pages documents from years past can open correctly in Pages v8.1 or newer, and any issue with opening, or issues encountered when exporting can cause the workflow to fail.

I had a working AppleScript by 9:30 am and no end of trouble adapting it to work in Shortcuts. Since you have that many Pages documents, I will need to get the Pages documents in that hierarchy using another approach to Finder as it would take forever. I may provide this as an Automator application if I cannot get it to work in Shortcuts.

As I mentioned at the outset, this is a solution tested on Ventura 13.0.1. AppleScript on Ventura behaves differently than AppleScript on High Sierra, and I had to make some slight changes to the code on High Sierra to make it work correctly.

Replace the pages_export function in the script with this code. It will run correctly on High Sierra, Monterey, and Ventura where I have now tested it. Assumption: Pages v8.1 on High Sierra, and v12.2.1 on others.

function pages_export () {

    /usr/bin/osascript <<-AS
    use scripting additions

    set infile to POSIX file "${1}" as alias
    set wordOutFile to POSIX file "${2}" as text
    set pdfOutFile to POSIX file "${3}" as text

    tell application "Pages"
        activate
        set thisDoc to open infile
        try
            with timeout of 1200 seconds
                export thisDoc to file wordOutFile as Microsoft Word
                export thisDoc to file pdfOutFile as PDF with properties {image quality:Best}
            end timeout
            close thisDoc saving no
        on error errmsg number errNo
            display dialog "[ " & errNo & " ]: " & errmsg
            close thisDoc saving no
            return
        end try
    end tell
    -- unhide the exported filename extensions
    tell application "Finder"
        if exists (item wordOutFile as alias) then
            set extension hidden of (item wordOutFile as alias) to false
        end if
        if exists (item pdfOutFile as alias) then
            set extension hidden of (item pdfOutFile as alias) to false
        end if
    end tell
    return
AS
}

Because the error occurs within the pages_export function and not the actual Zsh shell, the latter just continues to feed documents to that function because of the shell loop.

Let's see if this will stop the script entirely when an error condition appears. Make these changes:

From:

typeset -gi pagesCnt=0 docxCnt=0 pdfCnt=0

To:

typeset -gi pagesCnt=0 docxCnt=0 pdfCnt=0

trap 'error_report $LINENO' ERR

function error_report () {
	echo "Error on line $1"
	exit 1
}

You shouldn't encounter that Pages error condition again as that was fixed in the most recent changes I posted for you this (2022-12-07) morning.

The word and pdf document counters are only incremented after the script confirms that the files are non-zero and exist in the destination folder where they were exported. You cannot compare Spotlight results counts to what the script counted.