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Author Topic: DONE: folder monitor with customizable action  (Read 13061 times)

cracksloth

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DONE: folder monitor with customizable action
« on: December 07, 2006, 02:06 AM »
i have been looking for a program like this forever but i just haven't found anything.

a program that automatically monitors user selected folders for changes:
- a new file
- a modified file
- a renamed file
- a change in file attributes

the user specifies an action to perform on any new/updated files.  the most basic action would be a commandline such as:
prog.exe -x -y -z "%path%\%file%"

with the diversity of commandline progs and scripts, there is no real limit to what a user could do to the detected files.  a user might:
- selectively backup files as they are created/modified
- run security software on new file arrivals
- automatically rename all files that enter a folder to have x prefix
- popup a notification window with sound when changes are made
- upload altered files to an ftp server
- automatically launch new files
- automatically import new files into a database
- etc.

it would be most helpful if network paths were supported.

such a program, would allow the user to create "rules".  each rule would specify:
- what folder(s) to watch
- what changes to look for (new, modified, renamed, re-attributed)
- what action to take (commandline)

this general idea could be expanded in the future to have commonly used "actions" built in (such as "popup with sound" or "display log") without requiring a separate commandline/script.  one "action" i would find useful is to put all updated files into an explorer results window (just like how files are added to search results).  that way, it not only serves as a sort of log of what has changed, but i can also manage the files (delete, rename, move, edit, etc.).

in addition, rules could also include filters to selectively apply these actions only to certain types of files.  this filter could be as simple as an extension filter or as complex as a regular expression.  but, obviously, none of this is needed for a basic version.

to me, this concept is really useful and really expandable for a multitude of applications.  i sure would get a lot of use out of it anyway.  :)
« Last Edit: December 07, 2006, 03:29 PM by cracksloth »

Ruffnekk

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Re: IDEA: folder monitor with customizable action
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2006, 03:48 AM »
This sounds like a feasible idea to me, so I’m going to try and put together some basic framework for this.
Regards,
RuffNekk

Programming is an art form that fights back.

rjbull

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Ruffnekk

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Re: IDEA: folder monitor with customizable action
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2006, 04:35 AM »
I was working on an app like this a couple of weeks ago. I attached a screenshot of that one to give you an idea of how it looked. I’m gonna finish this any way, so if you think this will suit your needs I will post it here and take your ideas about it in consideration :D
Regards,
RuffNekk

Programming is an art form that fights back.

patteo

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Re: IDEA: folder monitor with customizable action
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2006, 06:05 AM »
Check out DC posts on Log Monitor:

https://www.donation...dex.php?topic=6109.0
https://www.donation...dex.php?topic=1599.0
and maybe
https://www.donation...dex.php?topic=2471.0



I second Log Monitor

It is stable, very configurable, very capable and best of all it's free and available now.

cracksloth

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Re: IDEA: folder monitor with customizable action
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2006, 09:59 AM »
wow!  i had no idea "log monitor" existed (obviously).  maybe i had missed it in my searching due to the name.  as first impressions go, it looks great and just what i needed.  thanks guys, i am definately grateful.  this is not to discourage ruff from working on a similar project because, as others have mentioned, this project has been abandoned by the author and i think it would be great if someone revived the concept.

that being said, has anyone made or know of a script that will add commandline filenames into an explorer-like results window (where files can be dragged out, moved, copied, renamed, deleted, etc.)?  i was thinking something like:
filebox.exe "music" "x:\folder\file.ext"

where "music" is the name of the filebox and the path is the file to be added.  if a filebox named "music" already existed, then the file would be added to it or if none existed, a new one would be created.  this way, multiple fileboxes could exist for various filetypes.  not only would this be useful for this application but also as a sendto item.  most file managers do not have "virtual folders" that allow you to create holding pens for files you want to group together (but not physically move).

i'll post this as a new topic ("collect files in a virtual folder") so that this thread can be marked as complete.
« Last Edit: December 07, 2006, 12:26 PM by cracksloth »

cracksloth

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Re: DONE: folder monitor with customizable action
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2006, 03:43 PM »
i know this is a horrible forum to ask this question but at least you guys have some experience with this prog.

when performing a move operation with "log monitor" is it possible to maintain path information?  for example, with:

source folder:  x:\parent\
files to move:  *.ext
a new *folder* was added called "child" that has some *.ext files in it

so the full path of the files of interest are "x:\parent\child\*.ext"

in "log monitor" i can create a configuration to move just the files to a destination.  this would create:
y:\destination\file.ext

what i want to do is move the files with the folder structure intact so that it resembles:
y:\destination\child\file.ext

can anyone provide any help with this?


patteo

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Re: DONE: folder monitor with customizable action
« Reply #7 on: December 07, 2006, 09:14 PM »
i know this is a horrible forum to ask this question but at least you guys have some experience with this prog.


I guess there's nothing wrong with asking this question here.

As for me, the last time I tried Log Monitor, it was like maybe 3 or 4 years ago and I did not delve too deeply into the scripting portion so I cannot help you with the syntax of commands to do what you want.

But from what I can see and experienced, it is a very capable and flexible program, but it does require perseverance to learn with trial and error.

Perhaps one of the more recent users here can help you.

I suggest you browse through the archived Forum (see links below) for some tips. Log Monitor also has a reasonably good help file. I hope this helps.

Log Monitor:
"Questions: List of Topics
List of Forums | New Topic | Mark All Read | Search"
http://web.archive.o...forum/list.asp?id=35

cracksloth

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Re: DONE: folder monitor with customizable action
« Reply #8 on: December 07, 2006, 10:14 PM »
well, i think i have it (in case someone is interested).  i had tried the forum and help (which i found very abbreviated and program options were only described using tooltips without description in the help file).  without real examples it was hard for me to initially grasp.  i assumed that such a common issue would have a quick answer but the huge number of options that had to do with folders and paths were all red herrings for what i was after.  after disecting nearly every option i could find and much trial and error, i finally figured it out.  it turns out that what you need to do is make sure the destination has the following syntax:
x:\foldername%File="S:n\\N.E"

bits of wisdom (don't read this unless you actually care):
make sure there is no "\" after the destination path because it is assumed in the gobbelty gook at the end.  also, replace "n" with a number corresponding to the folder depth of the source folder.  for example, if your source is "c:\path1\path2\path3" then n=4.  n represents the path depth that you are trimming off.  this way, files with a greater depth than the source folder will carry that last path information with them when they are copied.  it is a convoluted solution but it works.  the only caveat is that this process will only move files not folders so you will have a skeleton of empty folders left in your source path.  you can remedy this (i presume) by adding another commandline "action" to the stack that will indiscriminately delete all empty folders (i don't think skrommel's delempty is commandline driven but maybe i can find something somewhere).  also, make sure that the action is set to "file by file".  for whatever reason, even logmonitor's own move function does not allow stacking multiple filenames in the command.  go fig.  anyway, i agree that "log monitor" is frighteningly close to what i wanted but i am also encouraged by ruff because there is certainly room for improvement.
« Last Edit: December 07, 2006, 10:20 PM by cracksloth »

patteo

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Re: DONE: folder monitor with customizable action
« Reply #9 on: December 07, 2006, 11:09 PM »
"log monitor" is frighteningly close to what i wanted

I'm glad to hear you have figured it out. But what is even more important is that you have shared your solution. Which leads me to think that perhaps there could be "child" forums on Donationcoder dedicated to niche programs like Log Monitor which I believe is in a class of its own.

Just occurred to me that someday the archive of the Log Monitor forum may just disappear off the website when you most need it.

It may be an idea to have a copy off line. I think programs like http://www.httrack.com/ or Teleport http://tenmax.com/teleport/pro/home.htm

Anyone like to suggest a better tool to do this.
« Last Edit: December 07, 2006, 11:11 PM by patteo »

kyrathaba

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Re: DONE: folder monitor with customizable action
« Reply #10 on: July 10, 2011, 08:39 AM »
I know this thread is old, but I found something that looks like it fills snugly in this category of application:
PsychoFolder link

psychoFolder.png

  • know if files are added, deleted or changed in the folder
  • monitor folder to copy specific files that you sometimes download to another directory
  • if used to monitor your Downloads folder, configure rules to unpack downloads automatically
  • execute files when they are dropped into the folder

ewemoa

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Re: DONE: folder monitor with customizable action
« Reply #11 on: July 10, 2011, 09:11 AM »
Looks interesting!

Thanks for sharing :)

kyrathaba

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Re: DONE: folder monitor with customizable action
« Reply #12 on: July 11, 2011, 06:23 PM »
Looks interesting!

Thanks for sharing

My pleasure :D