Error in Workflow to move multiple files

[nonickfx]

Hi everyone,

 

I am trying to set up a very simple workflow: 

 

1. Select one to n items in Finder
2. Fire up the Alfred dialogue with file actions
3. Automatically select the "move to" file action
4. Type in the folder I want to move files to
5. Files are moved

 

What I have so far: 

 

 

This works perfectly, but only for ONE file. i.e. if I select multiple files, only one shows up in Alfred.

 

 

 

And this works for multiple files (I defined ^+SHIFT + < as File Action trigger), but it doesn't register cmd+8 for some reason. I.e. I get to the file actions dialogue but would have to hit cmd+8 myself. 

 

Can anyone help? 

 

Thanks!

[deanishe]

Alfred has a built-in Hotkey to open its File Action list with the files currently selected in Finder.

[nonickfx]

Yes, I'm aware of that. However, this hotkey requires you to first activate it and THEN press "cmd+6" to get to the "move to" dialogue. I'd like to be able to do BOTH with one hotkey. Thanks

[deanishe]

1 minute ago, nonickfx said:

However, this hotkey requires you to first activate it and THEN press "cmd+6" to get to the "move to" dialogue

 

That isn't going to work. Your workflow has ⌘8. Now you're pressing ⌘6. You can't hardcode a Hotkey that keeps changing.

 

You'd be better off using Alfred's AppleScript API to action the files, type "move to" in the query box, then simulate ↩.

[nonickfx]

The problem is not that the hotkey is changing, I can hardcode ⌘8 and it would be enough for me. The problem is that I can't find a way to select multiple files and then trigger the File Action list AND the Move-to action. Is there any way to do this?

 

Regarding your solution: I didn't quite understand how I'd do it. Can you please elaborate a bit? 

 

Thanks!

[deanishe]

tell application "Finder" to set selList to selection as alias list

 

if selList is not equal to {} then

    tell application "Alfred 3" to action selList

    tell application "System Events"

        keystroke "Move to"

        key code 36 -- Return

    end tell

end if

[nonickfx]

Wow, works exactly as I wanted, thanks a lot!!!

 

Just to make sure: I am connecting the hotkey to "Run Script" and set it to "usr/bin/osascript" and "with input as argv" , correct? (sorry, I'm a total Alfred newbie).

 

p.s. enjoy your beer, just sent you one ? ?

[deanishe]

Yup, that's right. The input doesn't matter, though, as the script gets the files directly from Finder.

 

Thanks very much for the beer money! I'll get a couple of bottles to enjoy while France destroys Germany tonight  

[nonickfx]

Ok, got it!

 

Haha let's see ?

Edited October 16, 2018 by nonickfx

[deanishe]

Kopf hoch! Ständiges Versagen ist auch eine Form der Zuverlässigkeit  

Edited October 16, 2018 by deanishe

[nonickfx]

Hi everyone,

 

so after an update to Catalina the following script doesn't work anymore: 

 

tell application "Finder" to set selList to selection as alias list

 

if selList is not equal to {} then

    tell application "Alfred 3" to action selList

    tell application "System Events"

        keystroke "Move to"

        key code 36 -- Return

    end tell

end if

 

Can anyone help? I can't figure out what's wrong

 

Thanks!!

[Mike Outram]

Hi @nonickfx - will this take any file and move it wherever you tell alfred to put it? Sorry I can't help with the code. I was just searching for a way to have Alfred move files around.

[Mike Outram]

Ah, got it. 

[nonickfx]

Yes, that's exactly what I'm looking for. Anyone any idea? Still couldnt figure it out. @deanishe : Hast du eine Idee? :) 

[nonickfx]

tell application "Finder" to set selList to selection as alias list
     tell application "System Events"
        key code 16 using {command down, shift down}
	    delay 0.2
	    keystroke "Move to"
	    key code 36
    end tell

here's my current workaround. Assumes that you have the combination "shift + cmd + z" to trigger alfred action on a set of files. any ideas how to avoid using the "delay" function (does not seem good coding style to me). 

[deanishe]

54 minutes ago, nonickfx said:

the combination "shift + cmd + z"

 

key code 16 maps to the physical key, so it's Z on your QWERTZ keyboard, but Y on a QWERTY. keystroke "z" using {command down, shift down} is more portable.

 

39 minutes ago, nonickfx said:

any ideas how to avoid using the "delay" function (does not seem good coding style to me).

 

It's not really possible, AFAIK.

 

It's not good coding style, but you don't have much choice when you're just blindly firing key presses an at application. That's why it's a last resort for automating apps.

 

With "regular" applications, you can wait until that application is frontmost, but that doesn't work with Alfred because it is never the frontmost app.