AppleScript - move files to specific folders based on list of files and folders?, AppleScript - move files to specific folders based on list of files and folders?

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AppleScript - move files to specific folders based on list of files and folders?, AppleScript - move files to specific folders based on list of files and folders?

I need to write an apple script/automator program that will help me sort files into folders based on lists.

So I have a list of around 60 folders and the names of over 1200 corresponding files that need to go into those 60 folders. I'm not sure the best way to approach this and don't care if it is the best I just need it to work. The file names have no distiquishing names so I must use the lists that I have to match the files with the correct folders.

I know this is basic programming but I cannot figure out how to get the corresponding items out of my lists to set varriables with them. What is the best format to start with? CSV? Text File?

Right now I have a CSV file where Column 1 is File Name and Column 2 is Folder Name

Here is what I have so far:

Automator - Get Contents of Text Edit Document - (CSV file) "Names"

AppleScript -

on run {input, parameters}

set X to X + 1

set tempTID to AppleScript's text item delimiters
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ("," & return)

set variable1 to text item X (where variable1 is file name and X is variable)

set X to X + 1

Set PathV2 to text item X (where PathV2 is subfolder name)

set AppleScript's text item delimiters to tempTID
return input

Automator - Find Finder Items "variable1"

Automator - Move Finder Items "PathV2"

Automator - Loop

Can anyone help my code? or write this better?

Automator-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Dec 5, 2012 10:29 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Camelot

Level 9

54,333 points

Dec 5, 2012 11:30 AM in response to emanMOTU

This doesn't sound like a big problem. It can all be done in straight AppleScript. Try something like:

set base_folder to "path:to:base" -- this is the top of your directory tree

set textFileContents to (read file (choose file with prompt "Select the list file"))

set fileList to paragraphs of textFileContents

set oldDelims to my text item delimiters

set my text item delimiters to ","

repeat with eachFile in fileList-- process each line

set filename to text item 1 of eachFile

set dirName to text item 2 of eachFile

tell application "Finder"

move (filefilename of (folderbase_folder)) to (folderdirName of folderbase_folder)

end tell

end repeat

The concept here is that the script first asks for the data file that lists the filename/folder combinations in CSV format. It then breaks that file data into paragraphs, and divides each paragraph into two variables based on the comma.

For each paragraph it extracts the filename and directory name parameters, then tells the Finder to move the corresponding file to the corresponding subdirectory name.

There's no error checking here, so missing fields in the CSV file, or missing files or subdirectories will throw an error, but those are addressable issues if you encounter them.

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