I've never used automator, so forgive my ignorance on its abilities, but shouldn't something like "move to parent" (grandparent...as far back as you want) be a trivial exercise for any user to construct?
I've never used automator, so forgive my ignorance on its abilities, but shouldn't something like "move to parent" (grandparent...as far back as you want) be a trivial exercise for any user to construct?
I don't know why people don't just use the column view, in which the parent folder is right there on the left, staring you in the face, but...
if one wanted to script this, all you have to do is put this script in the Toolbar -- then whenever you want to move files to the Parent folder, just select them and click this script.
Code:
tell application "Finder"
set theFiles to selection
repeat with theFile in theFiles
try
set theParent to container of container of theFile
set x to move theFile to theParent without replacing
on error
beep
end try
end repeat
end tell
It will beep if there is no parent or if the move results in an overwrite situation.
Also, this could be changed to a droplet by altering a few lines, so that files dropped on it would be moved to the parent folder.
How so? You have easy keyboard shortcuts for commonly used commands and keyboard access with the arrowkeys to the entire menubar. What more do you want?
That is cool as hell. Dang, one more thing I have learned about my Mac today...
Thanks AppleInsider and akheron01!!
Hehe, haven't you ever had a look in the Keyboard Shortcuts tab in the Keyboard & Mouse control panel? Control+F2 can navigate the menubar with the keyboard, and when you're arrowing around the dock you get full keyboard access to any folders in it!
I don't know why people don't just use the column view, in which the parent folder is right there on the left, staring you in the face, but...
if one wanted to script this, all you have to do is put this script in the Toolbar -- then whenever you want to move files to the Parent folder, just select them and click this script.
Code:
tell application "Finder"
set theFiles to selection
repeat with theFile in theFiles
try
set theParent to container of container of theFile
set x to move theFile to theParent without replacing
on error
beep
end try
end repeat
end tell
It will beep if there is no parent or if the move results in an overwrite situation.
Also, this could be changed to a droplet by altering a few lines, so that files dropped on it would be moved to the parent folder.
The problem with column view is that if you are in the folder you want, turning it to column view makes that folder the left-most option. You have to go up a level and then turn on column view and go back to the directory you want. Besides, some of us just haven't gotten used to column view even yet.
As for the script, I realize the intention of AppleScript is to make a more human friendly scripting language, but a shell script seems far more concise to me. You spend more time looking at what your doing instead of just words.
Personally, though, I don't see why just having both windows open and dragging the files is all that hard. I do miss the little icon in the title bar of a finder window worked as a folder you could drop things on, though. Anyone know if there's a hack to restore that functionality?
As for the script, I realize the intention of AppleScript is to make a more human friendly scripting language, but a shell script seems far more concise to me. You spend more time looking at what you{'re} doing instead of just words.
I wrote it in AppleScript for several reasons:
- I don't know how to get the Finder Selection in a shell script without calling "osascript 'tell app 'Finder' to get the selection''".
- You can't click a shell script file and execute it on the Toolbar. It will try to open Terminal. Unless you wrap it in an Applescript wrapper.
- it can be converted easily to a droplet, and then put in the SideBar for those who wish to drag their files to the Parent instead of selecting and running a script. You could just name it "Parent" and anything you dragged onto it would be moved to the parent of where is was when you dragged it. I don't know how to do this with a shell script.
My biggest problem with the Finder is a speed issue, in particular ctrl clicking/right clicking is painfully slow, so slow in fact it is utterly unresponsive. P|ss poor in my opinion. Leopard better be more responsive, else I'll cry!
My biggest problem with the Finder is a speed issue, in particular ctrl clicking/right clicking is painfully slow, so slow in fact it is utterly unresponsive. P|ss poor in my opinion. Leopard better be more responsive, else I'll cry!
hmmm... right-click is instantaneous for me (1.83 MacBook, 1 GB RAM, 10.4.7, SideTrack trackpad driver).
Naturally I didn't mean to question why you personally wrote that particular script in AppleScript. I do wish Apple would provide a more conventional scripting language that interacted well with their applications.
What? Do you mean the dock? Control+F3 then you can access it all with your arrow keys.
Didn't know you could do this. Pretty neat. However, its still more work than using taskmenubar. With taskmenubar, you could switch and swith-hideallapps with one hand using 1 or 2 clicks of the mouse. And, when an app was open, it was easier to see the opened icon in the menubar than it is to see that tiny triangle in the dock.
hmmm... right-click is instantaneous for me (1.83 MacBook, 1 GB RAM, 10.4.7, SideTrack trackpad driver).
he probably means when you select multiple files and right-click. for me selecting multiple jpgs and then right clicking before setting up a slideshow sometimes takes minutes about i'm on a 1.5ghz g4 powerbook
he probably means when you select multiple files and right-click. for me selecting multiple jpgs and then right clicking before setting up a slideshow sometimes takes minutes about i'm on a 1.5ghz g4 powerbook
I just opened a new find window in the Finder and searched for all items containing .jpg in their name, which gave me 2046 files. Selected all (took a couple of seconds), then right-click: instantaneous appearance of contextual menu.
Comments
Originally posted by rasnet
I've never used automator, so forgive my ignorance on its abilities, but shouldn't something like "move to parent" (grandparent...as far back as you want) be a trivial exercise for any user to construct?
I don't know why people don't just use the column view, in which the parent folder is right there on the left, staring you in the face, but...
if one wanted to script this, all you have to do is put this script in the Toolbar -- then whenever you want to move files to the Parent folder, just select them and click this script.
tell application "Finder"
set theFiles to selection
repeat with theFile in theFiles
try
set theParent to container of container of theFile
set x to move theFile to theParent without replacing
on error
beep
end try
end repeat
end tell
It will beep if there is no parent or if the move results in an overwrite situation.
Also, this could be changed to a droplet by altering a few lines, so that files dropped on it would be moved to the parent folder.
Originally posted by akheron01
How so? You have easy keyboard shortcuts for commonly used commands and keyboard access with the arrowkeys to the entire menubar. What more do you want?
TASKMENUBAR.
Originally posted by sc_markt
TASKMENUBAR.
What? Do you mean the dock? Control+F3 then you can access it all with your arrow keys.
Originally posted by akheron01
What? Do you mean the dock? Control+F3 then you can access it all with your arrow keys.
That is cool as hell. Dang, one more thing I have learned about my Mac today...
Thanks AppleInsider and akheron01!!
Originally posted by Mike Eggleston
That is cool as hell. Dang, one more thing I have learned about my Mac today...
Thanks AppleInsider and akheron01!!
Hehe, haven't you ever had a look in the Keyboard Shortcuts tab in the Keyboard & Mouse control panel? Control+F2 can navigate the menubar with the keyboard, and when you're arrowing around the dock you get full keyboard access to any folders in it!
Originally posted by lundy
I don't know why people don't just use the column view, in which the parent folder is right there on the left, staring you in the face, but...
if one wanted to script this, all you have to do is put this script in the Toolbar -- then whenever you want to move files to the Parent folder, just select them and click this script.
Code:
tell application "Finder"
set theFiles to selection
repeat with theFile in theFiles
try
set theParent to container of container of theFile
set x to move theFile to theParent without replacing
on error
beep
end try
end repeat
end tell
It will beep if there is no parent or if the move results in an overwrite situation.
Also, this could be changed to a droplet by altering a few lines, so that files dropped on it would be moved to the parent folder.
The problem with column view is that if you are in the folder you want, turning it to column view makes that folder the left-most option. You have to go up a level and then turn on column view and go back to the directory you want. Besides, some of us just haven't gotten used to column view even yet.
As for the script, I realize the intention of AppleScript is to make a more human friendly scripting language, but a shell script seems far more concise to me. You spend more time looking at what your doing instead of just words.
Personally, though, I don't see why just having both windows open and dragging the files is all that hard. I do miss the little icon in the title bar of a finder window worked as a folder you could drop things on, though. Anyone know if there's a hack to restore that functionality?
Originally posted by rasnet
As for the script, I realize the intention of AppleScript is to make a more human friendly scripting language, but a shell script seems far more concise to me. You spend more time looking at what you{'re} doing instead of just words.
I wrote it in AppleScript for several reasons:
- I don't know how to get the Finder Selection in a shell script without calling "osascript 'tell app 'Finder' to get the selection''".
- You can't click a shell script file and execute it on the Toolbar. It will try to open Terminal. Unless you wrap it in an Applescript wrapper.
- it can be converted easily to a droplet, and then put in the SideBar for those who wish to drag their files to the Parent instead of selecting and running a script. You could just name it "Parent" and anything you dragged onto it would be moved to the parent of where is was when you dragged it. I don't know how to do this with a shell script.
Originally posted by akheron01
Hehe, haven't you ever had a look in the Keyboard Shortcuts tab in the Keyboard & Mouse control panel?
Whoops! Freudian slip. I meant to say System Preference Panel
Originally posted by Crustibooga
My biggest problem with the Finder is a speed issue, in particular ctrl clicking/right clicking is painfully slow, so slow in fact it is utterly unresponsive. P|ss poor in my opinion. Leopard better be more responsive, else I'll cry!
hmmm... right-click is instantaneous for me (1.83 MacBook, 1 GB RAM, 10.4.7, SideTrack trackpad driver).
Originally posted by lundy
I wrote it in AppleScript for several reasons:
Naturally I didn't mean to question why you personally wrote that particular script in AppleScript. I do wish Apple would provide a more conventional scripting language that interacted well with their applications.
Originally posted by akheron01
What? Do you mean the dock? Control+F3 then you can access it all with your arrow keys.
Didn't know you could do this. Pretty neat. However, its still more work than using taskmenubar. With taskmenubar, you could switch and swith-hideallapps with one hand using 1 or 2 clicks of the mouse. And, when an app was open, it was easier to see the opened icon in the menubar than it is to see that tiny triangle in the dock.
Thanks for the suggestion.
- Mark
Originally posted by Mr. H
hmmm... right-click is instantaneous for me (1.83 MacBook, 1 GB RAM, 10.4.7, SideTrack trackpad driver).
he probably means when you select multiple files and right-click. for me selecting multiple jpgs and then right clicking before setting up a slideshow sometimes takes minutes about i'm on a 1.5ghz g4 powerbook
Originally posted by jonnyboy
he probably means when you select multiple files and right-click. for me selecting multiple jpgs and then right clicking before setting up a slideshow sometimes takes minutes about i'm on a 1.5ghz g4 powerbook
I just opened a new find window in the Finder and searched for all items containing .jpg in their name, which gave me 2046 files. Selected all (took a couple of seconds), then right-click: instantaneous appearance of contextual menu.
Do you have any extras or haxies installed?