Tag folder contents

Change your finder window view to list view (next to icon view). Find and open the folder whose contents you want tagged. Hold the shift key down while you click on the bottom folder item and the folder icon itself. This selects everything in the folder and the folder itself. Now right-click to reveal your tag colors and select one. The folder and its contents will now all have the same tag color.

More help with tags.

Use Automator.

The following Application workflow allows you to drag and drop a folder (of files and subfolders) on to it. The first prompt for label color sets the outer folder tag color. The application then builds a list of contained files and subfolders, then prompts you for the tag color that you want to place on these subordinates.

This example does the tagging in place with the original folder. As a quick test, I built a folder with several files and one subfolder with different files. I chose the red tag color twice. The outer folder and subordinates were all tagged red. When I omit the first Label Finder Items, it does not tag the parent folder.

If you want to remove all tag colors from the parent folder and children, drag the parent folder back onto this application, and choose 'x' for each prompt for tag color. Works like a charm.

Launch Automator from /Applications/Automator.

1. New document
2. Choose Application
3. You now have a library of individual actions organized by category on the left, and a larger drop window on the right to drag them to, or rearrange to form a functional workflow as I have shown.
4. Select Files & Folders within the Library
   1. Locate Label Finder Items. Click on it and drag/drop it to the larger window.

      Click the options tab associated with this action to show the action when it runs.

   2. Locate Get Folder Contents. Drag/Drop it below the previous action in the workflow window.

      Leave the options tab alone

   3. Locate Label Finder Items. Repeat as above, including enabling to show action when workflow runs.
5. Save As... give it a meaningful name. In my example, I called it FolderLabel. Using the Save As... window sidebar, save it to your Desktop or home directory.
6. Exit Automator

If you need to edit this Automator application, launch Automator again, ignore the prompt for New document, and from the File menu, choose Recent.

Now, all you need to do is drag and drop a folder and its contents on this Automator application to have it prompt you to tag the parent folder, and then tag all children files and folders. In this version, it updates the contents of the folder in place.

It will embolden you. 😉

The Automator app is a stand-alone application that can be run by either double-clicking it, or dragging and dropping content on it. The Automator app contains the workflow of actions as you saw for setting the folder label color.

Although based on OS X 10.6.n (Snow Leopard), the following video introduces Automator reasonably well if you can tolerate a computer generated voiceover. On the right side of the page on this Automator link, click on the Intro to Automator video.

Is there a way to use this but only label the folders and not the files etc. I like to have my folders labeled and not the files etc. I use an app to add images to my folders which makes the look like the image below and it is sometimes confusing to know what is a folder and just an image. The reason I add images to the folder is to have a sneak peak of what is inside.

I appreciate the help.

Luke Eischen

lukeeischen@me.com

Its Free!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/add-folder-icons/id420629463?mt=12

Actually it didn't work. I left the "Label Finder Items" and it doesn't label the sub-folders. I also tried by leaving that and the "Get Folder Contents" but then it labeled all the files as well. I am just trying to label the folders and sub-folders.

Thanks.

Here is a pic.