Too slow, too fast...

Question

Hi All,
Recently I have been processing large numbers of images and I am trying to use Automator to speed things up a little.
I need to resize etc. up to 2000 images at a time and this is what I did:
I created a workflow which does what I want, and attached it to a folder as a Folder Action. Basically,on a new file, automator scales the images and does some Preview fancy footwork.
The problem is this.
The Action kicks in as each image is copied into the folder, however on 2000 files the copying finishes before the Automator can do it's job on incoming files. The moment the copying finishes, the action stops - and only some of the files are processed.
This could be a bit murky, so I'll try to explain it again.
The action only seems to work when a new image hits the folder. If a file is copied while the action is running, this new file will not be processed.
If i drag, say 20 files - they all get proceassed, if I drag 2000, only about 150, 200 get processed and then the workflow stops...
Is there a way to add something, like "don't copy while an action is running?"
I don't care if the whole process takes a few hours to complete, I just want to drag/drop/forget.
I know that the simplest workaround is to copy the files first and then apply the workflow as a plugin, but a folder action would be perfect.
Can it be done?
TIA
i.3d

Answer 1

What folder action are you using? The "on adding folder items to" handler is passed a list of the items added to the folder, so any Automator actions should just step through the list. I don't think there is a "wait until I am through before doing this folder action again" kind of thing. Perhaps an AppleScript droplet might work better, depending on exactly what you are doing.