Help needed with creating a script

Question

This is what I try to achieve:
Creating sequentially numbered files (any files) by dragging the original to a folder.
It should work like this:
drag a file ( i.e. myphoto.jpg) to a folder and the script attached to that folder would duplicate the file and number it (myphoto001.jpg)
I can't get it to work... does anyone know of a ready-made script or is willing to advise on how-to?
Thanks for feedback.

Answer 1

Hello
Here's some script you may try.
(Copy code from this web page, not from subscribed email text, for I escaped some characters for posting.)
Broadly speaking, it will do what you wish. But not exactly as you described.
A few things to note.
• It will rename file 'image1.jpg' to 'image1.001.jpg', e.g., (note period between 'image1' and '001') in order to make script simple.
(If the file name is 'image1' without extension, it will be renamed to, e.g., 'image1.001._' by adding dummy extension '_' in order to make script simple and consistent)
• It will move the file that is drag-n-dropped to the Folder Actioned folder A to an inner sub-folder B and rename the file in B. This is because renaming file in A will trigger the Folder Action, which detects renamed file as newly added file (under OSX), that is problematic.
• If the following script is used as Folder Action, you'll have to drag-n-drop the file with option key down to copy it to the Folder Actioned folder. Without option key held down, the original file will be moved to the folder.
(If the source and destination volumes are different, drag-n-drop will copy the file and there will be no need to use option key. E.g. If Folder Actioned folder resides in an external volume and original files are in an internal volume, simple drag-n-drop will copy the files.)
Please see comments in script for more details.
Hope this may help.
H
--SCRIPT
  Assumptions and behaviours:
    1) The destination folder B where renamed items are stored is in a root folder A.
      • A is determined as the folder where this Folder Action is attached or this droplet resides; and
      • B's name is given as property destinationFolderName in main().
    2) Target file F is moved to B and renamed such that -
      if original name of F is "P.R" (P = name stem, R = extension) and
      the max seq. number in name of the file(s) in B which has the same name stem and extension as F is M,
      F is renamed as "P.Q.R", where Q = M + 1.
      • Number format is given as property numberFormat in main().
      e.g. File named "name1.jpg" will be renamed to "name1.003.jpg",
        if file named "name1.002.jpg" in destination has the max seq. number with the same name stem and extension.
  Usage:
    1) As Folder Action,
      • save this as compiled script and attached it to folder A; and
      • drag-n-drop target files into A and it will move them in folder B and rename them as intended.
      (Use option-drag-n-drop (i.e. copy, not move) to keep the original file or it will be moved and renamed.)
    2) As droplet,
      • save this as application (or application bundle) in folder A; and
      • drag-n-drop target files onto the droplet and it will duplicate them to folder B and rename them as intended.
      (Exception. If target files are in A, they will be moved, not copied, to folder B.)
on adding folder items to da after receiving aa
main(da, aa)
end adding folder items to
on open aa
tell application "Finder" to set da to container of (path to me) as alias
main(da, aa)
end open
on main(ra, aa)
  alias ra : root folder
  list aa : items to be processed
script o
property destinationFolderName : "Renamed items"
property numberFormat : "000" -- seq. number will be 001, 002, etc (if n > 999, use n as is)
property nlen : count numberFormat
property nmax : (10 ^ nlen - 1) as integer
property xx : {}
property astid : a reference to AppleScript's text item delimiters
property astid0 : astid's contents
property NL : return
property errs1 : NL & NL & "This item will be left as is in: " & NL & NL
property errs2 : NL & NL & "This item will be left as: " & NL & NL
property btt1 : {"OK"}
on decomp(s)
  string s : name string to decompose
  return list : {name stem, sequential number string, name extension}
  e.g. Given s : result
    "name1.001.jpg" : {"name1", "001", "jpg"}
    "name1.jpg" : {"name1", {}, "jpg"} -- [*]
    "name1" : {"name1", {}, {}}
    "name1..jpg" : {"name1", "", "jpg"} -- [*]
    "name1.name2.001.jpg" : {"name1.name2", "001", "jpg"}
    "name1.name2.jpg" : {"name1.name2", {}, "jpg"}
  [*] Note different meanings of {} and "" in result list
local n, p, q, r
try
if s = "" then return {{}, {}, {}}
set astid's contents to {"."}
set s to s's text items
tell s to set {n, r} to {reverse's rest's reverse, item -1}
if n = {} then set {n, r} to {s, {}}
tell n to set {p, q} to {reverse's rest's reverse, item -1}
if p = {} then set {p, q} to {n, {}}
try
q as number
set p to "" & p
on error
set {p, q} to {"" & (p & q), {}}
end try
set astid's contents to astid0
on error errs number errn
set astid's contents to astid0
error "decomp():" & errs number errn
end try
return {p, q, r}
end decomp
on nextname(n)
  string n : source name
  property xx : names in pool
  property numberFormat, nlen, nmax: number format string, its length, max value respectively
  return string : new name with next sequential number
  e.g.
    Provided that n = "name1.jpg" and the name that has max seq. number
     with the same stem and extension as n in destination folder is "name1.005.jpg",
     resurt = "name1.006.jpg"
local p, q, r, a, b, c, b1
set {p, q, r} to decomp(n)
if r = {} then set r to "_" -- give dummy extension if none (to handle it correctly)
set b1 to 0
repeat with x in my xx
set x to x's contents
if x starts with p then
set {a, b, c} to decomp(x)
if {a, c} = {p, r} then
set b to 0 + b
if b > b1 then set b1 to b
end if
end if
end repeat
set b1 to b1 + 1
if b1 > nmax then
return p & "." & b1 & "." & r
else
return p & "." & (numberFormat & b1)'s text -nlen thru -1 & "." & r
end if
end nextname
try
set da to (ra as Unicode text) & destinationFolderName & ":" as alias
on error -- da not present
tell application "Finder" to ¬
set da to (make new folder at ra with properties {name:destinationFolderName}) as alias
end try
--set my xx to list folder da without invisibles -- this is faster but 'list folder' is deprecated in AS2.0.
tell application "Finder" to set my xx to name of items of da as vector -- [1]
  [1] Finder (at least under OS9) returns [] (empty linked list) when returning empty list.
  This will cause error -10006 in 'set end of my xx to ...' statement, for linked list does not support it.
  The explicit 'as vector' will handle this case.
repeat with a in aa
set a to a's contents
--set n to (info for a)'s name -- this is faster but 'info for' is deprecated under OSX10.5
tell application "Finder" to set n to a's name
if n = destinationFolderName then -- ignore it
else
set {n1, _step} to {nextname(n), 0}
tell application "Finder"
set sa to a's container as alias
-- move or duplicate
try
if sa = ra then
(* when run as Folder Action (or as droplet with items in ra) *)
set a1 to (move a to da) as alias
else
(* when run as droplet with items outside ra *)
set a1 to (duplicate a to da) as alias
end if
set _step to 1
on error errs number errn
(* name conflict, etc *)
display dialog errs & " " & errn & errs1 & sa buttons btt1 ¬
default button 1 with icon 2 giving up after 15
end try
-- rename
try
if _step = 1 then set {a1's name, _step} to {n1, 2}
on error errs number errn
(* name conflict, invalid name, etc; not probable but possible *)
display dialog errs & " " & errn & errs2 & a1 buttons btt1 ¬
default button 1 with icon 2 giving up after 15
end try
end tell
if _step = 2 then set end of my xx to n1
end if
end repeat
end script
tell o to run
end main
--END OF SCRIPT
Message was edited by: Hiroto (fixed typo)