Change Filename of Selection to "Import.xls" in Applescript

Question

Change Filename of Selection to "Import.xls" in Applescript

Hi, I'm way back in Tiger, but I am trying to change the name of a file in a folder (which may be whatever name it is) to a known name. Ultimately, I'm just trying to import a known file to filemaker and need the name to be a known name. This is what i Have thus far, but I'm just not having success. This goes to the folder window 2 and selects the first file...no problem, but from there I can't seem to get it to change the name to "import.xls". Only excel files will be present in this folder, so I'm not worried about that.

The other thing I would like to accomplish is if there is no file in that folder than skip over everything and do nothing.

Thanks for your help!!!

tell application "Finder"

activate

set target of Finder window 2 to folder "Orders_to_Enter" of folder "Documents" of folder "MINIJOHN"of folder "Users" of startup disk

select first file of Finder window 2

try

set the name of the selection to "IMPORT.xls"

end try

end tell

tell

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.6.8), Applescript

Posted on Oct 4, 2016 11:51 PM

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Answer 1

Hiroto

Level 5

7,467 points

Oct 5, 2016 1:41 AM in response to johnfromcoronado

Hello

No need to manipulate selection. You may simply write something like this:

set d to (path to documents folder as string) & "Orders_to_Enter:" as alias tell application "Finder" --open item d -- optional tell (item d's file 1 whose name extension = "xls") try set name to "IMPORT.xls" end try end tell end tell

Tested under OS X 10.6.8.

Good luck,

H

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Answer 2

Oct 5, 2016 8:30 AM in response to Hiroto

This isn't just an elegant solution, it's absolute poetry! Of course I tried it and it worked, but I used the same methodology to delete files in specific folders, move files from one folder to another, and it all worked perfectly. The only thing I couldn't figure out yet is when it selects the file 1 of 'd', I tried to make sure that that folder was sorted in order of modification date. It seems to always grab the file sorted by name. Thank you so much!

tell application "Finder"

set theItems to name ofevery file of folder d

sort theItems by modification date

endtell

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Answer 3

Hiroto

Level 5

7,467 points

Oct 5, 2016 7:49 PM in response to johnfromcoronado

Hello

To get the last modified item, you can use "sort" command in Finder as follows.

Two things to remember.

1) Finder's sort command can only be applied to list of Finder items and it returns sorted list without modifying the source list.

2) Finder's sort by (modification / creation) date behaviour has been changed under 10.9. Until 10.9, it returns the newest first list. Under 10.9 or later, it returns the oldest first list.

set d to (path to documents folder as string) & "Orders_to_Enter:" as alias tell application "Finder" -- sort by modification date tell (item d's files whose name extension = "xls") set ff to sort it by modification date end tell -- the last modified (* tell ff's item 1 -- OS X 10.8.x or earlier try set name to "IMPORT.xls" end try end tell tell ff's item -1 -- OS X 10.9 or later try set name to "IMPORT.xls" end try end tell *) tell ff's item (my newest_index_in_sorted_by_Finder()) -- auto-switch try set name to "IMPORT.xls" end try end tell end tell on newest_index_in_sorted_by_Finder() (* return integer : index of the newest item in the sorted by (modification/creation) date by Finder * Finder's sort command's behaviour is suddenly changed under 10.9. It's been the newest first in its entire history until 10.9 but now it's been changed to the oldest first (without any notice) *) considering numeric strings if (system info)'s system version < "10.9" then return 1 else return -1 end if end considering end newest_index_in_sorted_by_Finder

Good luck,

H

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