OS X Folder Action to Trigger Transmit When File's Modification Time Changes?
January 4, 2012 7:04 AM   Subscribe

In OS X, I used Automator to create a Folder Action to synch, with Transmit, a local folder and a remote folder. It's activated when I drop a file in the local folder. I want it to be activated when I edit and save a file that is already in the local folder. That is, I want the Folder Action to watch for changes in the modification date/time of files and trigger the synch when a file's modification date or time changes. Doable?
posted by justcorbly to Computers & Internet (2 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
There seem to be at least a few howtos if you search for folder actions with rsync.
posted by rhizome at 12:29 PM on January 4, 2012


The issue you have is what triggers is. Folder actions only happen when something is added. This is discussed - and possible solutions - in this question at the Apple Stack Exchange site.

Someone there recommends Folder Watch at the app store. At $12 if it Just Works then I'd say that might be your best bet.

If you can find some way to trigger Automator, or just run a service every, say, 5 minutes, then you can probably just do it there.

In Automator's actions under files & folders. If you drop "filter finder items" into the flow you'll see the dropbox that defaults to "any content" will let you pick "date last opened," "date last modified," or "date created." There's a touch implantation for Automator here so you could create a hidden file that you use as your marker for when something last happened.

Just make sure you filter it out and deal with concurrency; I don't know whether an Automator script can be run multiple times simultaneously but I'd assume so. Perhaps you can read & delete that time-saving hidden file at the beginning and simply exit if it doesn't exist.
posted by phearlez at 1:23 PM on January 4, 2012


« Older How can we turn our video cameras into wireless...   |   "I'd listen to them read the phone book" Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.