Prompt for User Input variable returns null - Write File fails

Questions & Suggestions
1

Claude is helping a non-coder with KM.

Body:

I'm trying to create a macro that:

  1. Prompts for a folder path (paste from Finder)

  2. Prompts for filename

  3. Saves clipboard to that folder as a file

Problem: The CurrentFolder variable shows the correct path in debug, but the Write File action gets null instead.

Debug shows:

/Users/ellenmadono/_Documents_local/NoteBookLM Collections/test file insertion

Engine.log error:

Write File action failed because destination is not a full path (null)

Note: There's sometimes a trailing ' character when pasting from Finder's "Copy as Pathname"

The variable is set to type "Text" and the prompt action looks correctly configured. What am I missing?

Save file to specific folder.kmmacros (4.9 KB)

2

If there a reason you are not using the Prompt for File action?

This:

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does not make sense, %TrimAll% is not a token, so that might be a variable reference, which is bad form if it is.

You need to look at what the FilePath variable is after running the macro.

Basically, the error is telling you that the token processing of the Write File action is resulting in an invalid path.

3

Peter, this trimming was done because there was a single apostrophe. ‘ at the end of the file.

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I am using the above dropdown menu to copy the folder path.

When I went to the bottom of the Mac page, it was automatically included. I tried manually removing the ‘ sign. The macro still did not produce a file in the folder that produced that path. Claude tried this trimming action to get rid of the ‘ That also did not produce a file in the designated folder.
I removed the trimming action. (the second action) I tried taking the ‘ and running the macro doing nothing to the path. Neither worked when I ran the macro. So, the problem is not there.

4

That will put the ' at beginning and end if the path contains spaces so you'll need to check if they are there before, or as part of, removal.

Claude has invented the %TrimAll% token, probably because lots of other languages have similar functionality.

Why are you Copying the path and then (presumably) manually Pasting it into the dialog? You'll find it easier to use Prompt for File, the %FinderSelection% token (if you select the folder then run the macro), or the %FinderInsertionLocation% token if you already "looking inside" the target folder. It all depends on what workflow you want.

Assuming you do want to do it your way -- and there are many reasons why that might be the right way -- then you'll need to

  1. "Clean" the path if necessary
  2. Combine the path with the new file name remembering to add the / between them because your copied path will not have a trading slash

As previously mentioned you can combine all your "questions" into one prompt.

You finish by writing the System Clipboard to file. But the System Clipboard contains the most recent thing you Copied, which is the file path! I'm going to assume you want the thing you Copied before that, and also assume that you are using KM's Clipboard History. (Note that using the other "location" methods above will avoid this problem entirely).

Putting all that together and using multiple simple actions so you can see what's happening:

Save file to specific folder v2.kmmacros (6.1 KB)

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Save file to specific folder v2.kmmacros
Save file to specific folder v2.kmmacros1068×3018 185 KB

Try that using md and txt formats so you can see how it works.

Then consider how you'll handle RTF files. Simply setting the extension to .rtf may not be enough, depending on your data. How could you handle that?

1 Like
5

This looks like what I want and probably many other people do this kind of repetative filing. I want to test your macro, but run does not work. I tried shutting down KM and also my whole Mac, but no change. What else could I do? Only this macro does not allow me to run it.

6

Maybe you didn't enable the group after you installed that macro.

This is normal. You always have to enable the group after you download any macro. That's for security reasons, I imagine, so that macros can't start on their own after you've installed them.

1 Like
7

What trimming? Adding %TrimAll% will not trim anything. It will do one of two things:

  • Add the contents of the variable “TrimAll”
  • Add the plain text “TrimAll”

What Mac page?

Claude appears to be hallucinating.

Good because it does nothing except set the variable named “VarName” to something weird.

Hopefully @Airy is getting you closer to a solution.