automator: duplicate folder names but not the content - photography

This is trivial to do with 'pure' AppleScript, but tricky with Automator.

The following AppleScript will prompt you for two directories - the top level of the source directories to copy, followed by the location you want to replicate the directories to.

It then iterates through the source directories creating a matching tree in the destination directory (ewithout files)

set startDir to choose folder with prompt "Select the Original directory to replicate"

set destDir to choose folder with prompt "Select where to create the new folders"

tell application "Finder"

set sourceDirs to every folder of startDir

end tell

repeat with eachDir in sourceDirs

my replicateDir(eachDir, destDir)

end repeat

on replicateDir(sourceDir, destDir)

set dirName to name of sourceDir

tell application "Finder"

set thisDir to makenewfolderatdestDirwith properties {name:dirName}

set subDirs to every folder of sourceDir

repeat with eachDir in subDirs

my replicateDir(eachDir, thisDir)

end repeat

end tell

end replicateDir

Either use AppleScript Editor to create and run the script, or add it to a 'Run AppleScript' Automator action.

So is this the only action I put into Automator?

The script is (conceptually) complete and does not need any additional workflow actions.

And then I can Save As an application and use it to drop onto?

As written, this is not a drop-aware application - that is, dropping items on the script/application icon will have no effect (other than launching the app and having it do its thing). There is no mechanism (currently) to respond to items dropped on the icon. How would you envision this working?

Will it prompt me to direct it to the first folder and then to the destination?

As written, it will always ask for two directories - the source directory that you want to replicate the structure (but not contents) of, and the location where you want to replicate it.

Note that it replicates the *content* of the source directory, not the directory itself. That's a trivial change if you want it to do that.