Create a shortcut using MacOS Shortcuts to resize and delete original image

I found it, at last! Goddamit, that took a while!!! OK, now I know how it works!

You have to right-click to the right of the "Delete" function and in this context menu you can then choose e.g. the variable or directly the "Shortcut Input" as shown below. This will in turn separate this step from the rest of the script (no connection to previous steps) and allows to delete the original file.

Hint: The variable is not needed as you can directly choose the input file.

Thanks! This case is solved!

Thanks for your help!

I like your thinking!

I did exactly as you suggested. Spoiler alert, it did NOT work. See the screenshot:

I think the problem is the consecutive order that is indicated with the lines (see red circles). No matter what I call the variable, it will always delete the previous item which happens to be the file that was just created. It does not go back to the original file (the shortcut input) but rather looks back to the last step (in this case the Convert function).

It seems for simple things shortcuts is ok, but for more complex things it does not work. If there would be an option to fork the "program" and one part converts and the other waits a period of time and then deletes the file that might work. But I cannot find any solution how to fork the "script" in two separate parts.

I might need to look into writing an apple script that will do this job...

Thanks much!

Thank you so much for your help! Highly appreciated!!!

I did exactly what you suggested. Have you tried this on your own? My workflow is to AirDrop a photo taken on my iPhone (HEIC-file, raw-photo) and on the received file in my MacBookAir (Monterey) I right click and execute the Shortcut (as indicated above).

If I do that, with exactly your suggestion, the new file (the actual file I want to use) will be deleted. Not the original HEIC-file but the newly created JPG-file that was just created will be thrown away again... Not very helpful. I use applescript and know a bit about programming, but shortcuts seem to operate differently than other programming methods. It seems the variable Shortcut Input does not exist or is assigned to the new file?

That is why it is so complicated to delete the original file and keep the actual created file. Somehow I run in circles...

See my shortcut screenshot here:

Thank you!

Dear Tony,

on your MacBook did you right click the HEIC file to run the script, and it created a JPG file as output and deleted the originating HEIC file afterwards with the script you have published above?

I've noted that your script does not have the connection on the last step. How did you do that exactly?

Thanks for clarifying!

Yours truly, Uwe

No AirDrop does not make any difference. The original HEIC file is stored in my downloads folder and that is the file I am trying to convert. I just showcased my workflow.