Searching a "Filesystem based event trigger tool"

[crono]

Hi,
I'm searching a tool, which acts like a "email-filter-rules" but on the filesystem level. I think a few example help to understand what I mean:

• I download a new credit card bill from my banks website. I review it and put it than in the folder "D:\docs\bills\mastercard\". The tool would recognize the new pdf in the folder and would run a batchfile to gpg-encrypt it and the wipe the pdf.
• I store my ripped CDs as FLAC (lossless), but my Mp3 Player dont support it. I want to copy the FLACs to a folder and automatically run a FLAC2MP3 conversion, copy it to the player, delete the MP3 from the filesystem
  
• I load photos from my camera to "I:\Fotos\Inbox\" - the tool runs and makes me Thumbnails and stores them in a folder, archives the original Fotos in a Folder, starts uploading the Pics to Smugmug and sends a mail to people a list
  

Ok, this sound very complex, but I think the tool wouldn't be to hard to code.
It has to monitor the Folders (like FileSystemWatcher Class in DotNet), when a new File is preset check if the preconditions are ok (for example filetype = pdf) and then run a couple of Batchfiles or scripts one after another. The tool only have to call the Scripts...

Before I start writing it myself: Do you know a tool which can do this? OpenSource prefered

[nudone]

LogMonitor will get you half way there. http://www.freeware-...om/month/072002.html (can't get the original home page to load).

then maybe if you run the right batch process or exe associated to a particular folder and task you'll get what you want.

[Darwin]

PaperPort from Nuance will do this... but it's shareware...

[sri]

You can also look at macro programs like http://www.macros.com/

[f0dder]

Hm, interesting idea actually - coding a utility for this should be pretty simple, even in something as lowlevel as C++ & win32 api.

It could be pretty useful if it had some rule-based watching, in a configurable format... like, in your example...

Code: Text [Select]

1. <watch folder="c:\downloads\music">
2.   <filter mask="*.flac" action="flac2mp3.exe %FILEPATH% c:\new-mp3" />
3.   <filter mask="*.ape" action="ape2mp3.exe %FILEPATH% c:\new-mp3" />
4. </watch>
5. <watch folder="c:\downloads\receipts">
6.   <filter mask="*.pdf" action="MyFancyPrint.exe %FILEPATH%" />
7. </watch>

[rssapphire]

I'm searching a tool, which acts like a "email-filter-rules" but on the filesystem level.

-crono (August 31, 2007, 09:35 AM)

Googling for "folder watcher" turned up this commercial Program ($24.95). I know nothing about it other than what little info I saw on the web site, but it looks like it might do what you need:

http://www.datamysti...com/filewatcher.html

[crono]

@all: Thanks a lot for the hints

@nudone: This is great - it does what I want - very nice - thanks very much

@Darwin: I think PaperPorts intent is not the same as mine - its really more the Docs2PDF solution as far as I can tell

@sri: As far as the webpage goes it is something like AutoHotKey - this would be fine for the secondepart of my idea - the triggered skripts - but I dont see how I could start the macros based on filesystem events

@f0dder: This is exactly my Idea - and it hasn't be done lowlevel Win32API-Style - the dotnet Framework provides the filesystemwatcher class which is very nice for this task. I think I add this tool on my "to code"-List, just for the fun writing it

@rssapphire: Yes - this looks really nice, but LogMonitor is free, and does the job

[Darwin]

@Darwin: I think PaperPorts intent is not the same as mine  - its really more the Docs2PDF solution as far as I can tell

OK - reread your wishlist and you're right! It'll do a part of each of your tasks but I don't know about doing it all. Part of its feature set is Docs2PDF, but it really does an awful lot more than that - data/document redirection is one of them.

rssaphire - interesting link to the datamystic solution. I've been using their ExcelPipe and PowerpointPipe apps for years and visit their website often to find updates but was completely unaware of "Filewatcher".