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I don't know why but this simple code is eluding me. I'm just trying to count the number of folders within a folder. See attachment. It says the folder is empty and it is obviously not.
I'm guessing there could be a problem with my path?
MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)
here is how I did it
tell application "Finder"
set x to count of folder "Macintosh HD:Folder:Folder:"
end tell
te
here is how I did it
tell application "Finder"
set x to count of folder "Macintosh HD:Folder:Folder:"
end tell
te
That link doesn't seem to be working for me. I tried clicking it but nothing happened.
its my dropbox, it will show up soon.
Okay, it works now. I just tried it and it counted everything. I want to get 2 as the result but it's showing 4 which is 2 folders + 2 files.
It doesn't work because you're asking for how many folders are in a string:
...count folders in "/Users/sheaonstott/Test/"
As far as AppleScript is concerned, "/Users/sheaonstott/Test/" is just a list of characters. There can be no folders.
Sure, to you and I those characters look like a path to a directory, but AppleScript doesn't know that, and won't make that leap of faith.
The solution is to be explicit - tell AppleScript that your list of characters should be coerced to a folder reference by adding the 'folder' keyword:
tell application "System Events"
set i to count folders of folder "/Users/sheaonstott/Test"
end tell
Ok I got it to work with a little tweaking.
tell application "Finder"
set x to count of folders in folder "Macintosh HD:users:sheaonstott:Test:"
end tell
Thanks both of you.
And then there is this approach:
set fpath to POSIX path of ((path to home folder) as text) & "atest"
tell application "Finder"
set fcount to (do shell script "mdfind -onlyin " & fpath & " kMDItemKind == \"Folder\" -count")
if fcount > 0 then
display dialog "Folder has " & fcount & " items" with icon note
else
display dialog "Empty!" with iconnote
end if
end tell
Viking:
Your mdfind will find all folders in the given hierarchy, not just the top level (it isn't clear what the OP's intent/hope was)
Also, there's no need to run the 'do shell script' within the 'tell application "Finder" block. In fact, nothing here needs the tell block at all.
Originally, I had started the script with AppleScript syntax that did require the Finder tell block, and then ditched that AS code in favor of the mdfind — without dismantling the tell block. Long day here. Careless of me. As for the mdfind, took the “folders within a folder” literally. 😉
Script to count folders
