Monitor Downloads Folder

Thanks.
Based on your outline, I was able to create a macro to reveal single/multiple items added to the Downloads folder.

Keyboard Maestro “Monitor Downloads folder” Macro

Monitor Downloads folder.kmmacros (9.4 KB)

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What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of doing this with a “folder adds an item” action vs. an ordinary Finder Folder Action attached to the folder?

Hey Mitchell,

Keyboard Maestro is easier to set up than Folder Actions.

-Chris

I have discovered a need for conditional execution in a Folder Action, which isn’t an available action. The hits I found when searching about this problem basically all say to have the Folder Action switch to AppleScript. KM provides a macro trigger for when an item is added to a folder. oSo, as usual, there is no point in either Automator or a Folder Action for something ike this.

(Just so other people thinking about this, here are some details about what I was trying to do. What I really needed was a way to order Folder Actions, which led to the thought that I would use a conditional. I had Folder Actions attached to the Downloads folder for what happen to be mutually exclusive conditions, but Folder Actions I attached to the Desktop eventually grew to have conflicting conditions and I was getting action A and action B executed in random order (i.e., one would execute and the other not, in this case) when the newly added file met both their conditions.)

See How do I monitor a folder for new and updated files? and Macro to watch Downloads folder for new files for further discussion, examples, and usable macros.