How to let user specify name of new screenshot using Automator

automator

I'm trying to understand how to use 'Folder Actions' and/or Automator so that when I take a screenshot, it allows me to type in a name for the file as it stores it in the screenshot folder (which I've changed from the Desktop to a folder named 'screenshots' on the Desktop). When I Ctrl-click the Folder and choose Folder Action Setup, it gives me a list of scripts, none of which do what I want, so I assume I have to write this script in Automator?

Using Automator, I start with the "Files and Folders" –> Get Selected Finder Items as my first step. Then I tried "Files and Folders" –> Rename Finder Items, but this seems to be only about adding a date to the existing name.

I see I can use Automator -> "Ask for Text' to display a dialog to the user, but then how do I use that input to rename the file?

Best Answer

After much hunting, I found Get Selected Finder Items and then Rename Finder Items: Name Single Item. One nuance is that renaming the file ends up recursively calling the script, because the file with the different name is perceived as a new file. I got around this by having a 'staging' folder, then the ultimate destination folder, and used Mover Finder Items as the last step in my Automator sequence.

Related Solutions

MacOS – Getting Automator file selection from multiple windows

This is possible by selecting the second window to get the selection.

Insert the "Run AppleScript" action at the first position in the workflow, clear all text in the action, and put this script in the action:

on run {input, parameters}
    tell application "Finder"
        activate -- doesn't work without the activate
        open target of Finder window 2 ---  select the second Finder window
        set end of input to (item 1 of (get selection)) as alias -- append the selection (in the second window) to the input list
        open target of Finder window 2
    end tell
    return input
end run

Tested on Mavericks

Mac Automator App: How to Set Folder

Try searching for and adding a Get Specified Finder Items action before your Get Folder Contents actions. This allows you to select the folder of which you would like to get and sort the contents.

Hope this helps!

Best Answer

Related Solutions

MacOS – Getting Automator file selection from multiple windows

Mac Automator App: How to Set Folder

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