Automator: Apply Color Label and Copy to Folder

Question

I'm trying my hand at Automator, and I need help with one of my workflows (⇪). Basically, it's a service (accessible via right-click) that will apply a color label on an image file, and then copy that image file to a corresponding folder with the same color label. My current version works fine, except for the fact that I had to create seven versions to accommodate all seven colors.
Is there any way to turn the color into a variable? I want the workflow to prompt me for a color, and then use that choice to run a search for the appropriate folder. I'd rather not hard code the color choice into separate services that all do the same thing.
Also, the service currently assumes that it will run fast enough before I can deselect the target file. I'm sure it's possible that the folder search could lag out while I select another file, and the service will ultimately copy the newly selected item, rather than the initial target. Is there a way to ensure the service acts on whatever was selected when it was first triggered?
I don't know AppleScript beyond copying-and-pasting other people's codes, so that limits my automation quite a bit. I don't know how to prompt for a label index choice and then feed the result into a find function. I also don't know how to record the file path of the selected item, and then feed that into the copy function at the end to ensure it doesn't copy the wrong file.

Answer 1

Typically a list of items is passed to a workflow, so you will usually (depending on what you are doing with the items) need to step through the items in that list. If there is only one destination folder with the target label, you can just search for it, otherwise you will need to specify the destination in some other way.
The following Service workflow example assumes that there is only one destination folder that has a given label color. It gets the label index of one of the input items and finds a folder with the same index at a specified base location (to limit the search range).
1) Input items are automatically passed to an application or service, otherwise another action to get FInder Items can be used
2) *Label Finder Items* (show the action when the workflow runs)
3) *Run AppleScript* (paste the following script)
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title="this text can be pasted into an Automator 'Run AppleScript' action">
on run {input, parameters} -- copy to a labelled folder
This action is designed to follow a "Label Finder Items" action.  It will get the
first folder of the base folder that has the same label and copy the input items
to that folder.
input: a list of Finder items received from a "Label Finder Items" action
output: a list of Finder items to be passed on to a following action
set output to {}
set skippedItems to {} -- this will be a list of skipped items (errors)
set baseFolder to (((path to pictures folder) as text) & "Shelley:Mary:") as alias -- a place to start looking for the destination folder
tell application "Finder"
set theLabel to label index of (the first item of the input) -- just pick one, they should all be the same
get folders of (entire contents of baseFolder) whose label index is theLabel -- include subfolders
-- get folders of  baseFolder whose label index is theLabel -- no subfolders
if the result is not {} then
set theDestination to the first item of the result
else -- no folder
error number -128 -- cancel
end if
end tell
repeat with anItem in the input -- step through each item in the input
try
tell application "Finder" to duplicate anItem to theDestination
set the end of the output to (the result as alias)
on error number errorNumber -- name already exists, etc
set errorNumber to "  (" & (errorNumber as text) & ")"
-- any additional error handling code here
set the end of skippedItems to (anItem as text) & errorNumber
end try
end repeat
showSkippedAlert for skippedItems
return the output -- pass the result(s) to the next action
end run
to showSkippedAlert for skippedItems
show an alert dialog for any items skipped, with the option to cancel the rest of the workflow
parameters - skippedItems [list]: the items skipped
returns nothing
if skippedItems is not {} then
set {alertText, theCount} to {"Error with AppleScript action", count skippedItems}
if theCount is greater than 1 then
set theMessage to (theCount as text) & space & " items were skipped:"
else
set theMessage to "1 item was skipped:"
end if
set {tempTID, AppleScript's text item delimiters} to {AppleScript's text item delimiters, return}
set {skippedItems, AppleScript's text item delimiters} to {skippedItems as text, tempTID}
if button returned of (display alert alertText message (theMessage & return & skippedItems) alternate button "Cancel" default button "OK") is "Cancel" then error number -128
end if
return
end showSkippedAlert
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