Need help with folder action

You'll need to attach your script so we can see what you are doing to comment on it.

The folder action should only be sending the files that have been added. The basic template for folder actions is:

on adding folder items tothis_folderafter receivingthese_items

-- insert actions here

end adding folder items to

this_folder will have the name of the folder the action is attached to and these_items will have the new files added to the folder.

But again seeing what you are doing will help figure out what the problem is.

Your Folder Action doesn't work because it completely ignores the folder in question and uses the 'Find Finder Items' action to locate specific files - all the 'Folder Action' element is doing is firing off your action when the folder is changed (e.g. a new file is dropped in it), but it's not reacting to the changes itself.

Instead, you should set your Folder Action to respond to the folder, along with a filter to identify the movies:

As Camalot wrote what you have there isnt a folder action. When you start Automator you're give the choice of what template to use to write you Auomator script. You need to choose the Folder Action

Once you've selected that you can set the folder you want the action to act on

Then you can add the actions to just act on the files added to the folder.

good luck post back if you have anymore questions.

BTW mentioning that you were using Automator in your first post would have been helpful as I assumed you were doing this in Applescript. And it is always a good idea to include your code so we can see what it is you are doing.

regards

That is exactly what I did.

What is this referring to? Are you saying you selected Folder Action as the template in Automator? If you did then something want very because in the screen shot of your Automator workflow the folder selection bit isn't there.

Try it again and make sure you have the folder selection pulldown at the top of the workflow.

Here is an example of a workflow that is attached to my Desktop and puts a green label on files added to the desktop by screen capture.

Try something simple (like this) to start with just to get a feel for how this works.

Message was edited by: Frank Caggiano

Are you saving the folder action from Automator? Is the action attached to the folder you think it is? (right click the folder and select Folder Actions Setups to se the actions and the folders attached)

Have you tried to create the action I showed (or something similarly simple)? Does that work?

But nothing happens unless I use find finder items first. I don't get it I thought making the selection your talking about basically already does the find finder items right

By using Find Finder Items you're basically defeating the purpose of the folder action. You're right by specifying the folder in the header the files added to that folder should be passed to the first action as the workflow I showed does.

Again try creating what I showed and see it you can get that working.

good luck.

Message was edited by: Frank Caggiano -Link to workflow https://www.dropbox.com/s/g5oc3sbjqyuo5p2/LabelScreenShots.zip

The Filter Finder Items action uses Spotlight, so if the items are not in the database you won't get any results.

so let's be clear. You take the movies out of the folder, attach the folder action, and then move the movies back in and nothing happens? Folder actions won't act on items that are already sitting in the folder.