How to watch folders and perform certain actions automatically?

[Tuxman]

Hmm, I hope someone here has a clue:
I usually download archive files into a certain directory. Now it is quite much work to unpack them manually and delete the archive files. What would be the easiest way to automate this?

[cmpm]

Here's 5, not sure about the delete archive.

http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2009/03/17/5-free-tools-to-automatically-extract-multiple-rarzip-archives/

If you did it at one time, how?
And why does it not work now, just curious.

[Tuxman]

I never did it, but I would like to know if there exists such an application. 
I see that I was not precise enough: I look for something that actually watches folders (checks them in certain intervals) and extracts any new archives.

[cmpm]

#4 has a watch folder option

it may work like you want it to....

[Tuxman]

Ah, looks more like what I was looking for. (Although the weird looking GUI is rather... weird.)
Does it support .7z?

[superboyac]

Tuxman, in that list of 5 programs, it looks to me like #1 (Unpacker) will do what you are asking.  What doesn't it do?

Another one that I know of is called PAR Buddy.  However, it focuses more on PAR funcionality than archives.  Meaning, it does watch folders and extract the archives, and deletes the archive files.  However, if the archive doesn't have PAR files, i don't think it extracts.  I also don't think it works with zip files.

[superboyac]

I'm also interested in this, now that you mention it.  PAR Buddy is good for me, but I'd like one that does the same thing but also works with other archive formats (other than RAR) and without PAR files.

[Tuxman]

Tuxman, in that list of 5 programs, it looks to me like #1 (Unpacker) will do what you are asking.

The ability to watch folders was not clear from the list, excusez moi.  
Gotta play a bit with the listed applications.

(The Unpacker even seems to be able to automatically delete files, hmm... but it lacks .7z support. )

[vixay]

http://www.freeware-guide.com/download/index2.html

Log Monitor
I've used it in the past to watch directories. seems to work well enough.

[Shades]

What about LifeHacker's Belvedere?

It will look in multiple folders for different files and can execute several actions (copy,move,delete, compress etc) all based on rule sets  that you yourself can set up. It does this on configurable time-intervals and can even keep a log of all the actions that are performed.

Although this may not be what you want, it certainly looks interesting to me.

[Tuxman]

Hmm, Belvedere does not have an "execute command" action (yet?), so there is no uncompression. 

I can't download Log Monitor for unknown reasons. 

[cmpm]

I like that one Shades.
There is a lot of tasks that can be done with it.
Looks like it anyway.
Thanks.

[PhilB66]

Hmm, I hope someone here has a clue:
I usually download archive files into a certain directory. Now it is quite much work to unpack them manually and delete the archive files. What would be the easiest way to automate this?

File mover might be it.

File mover is useful little utility that will move files from one folder to another. An added bonus with this utility is that it’ll (optionally) run a program each time a file is moved;

[Tuxman]

Ahh, looks like it. (Hmm, VBScript.) 

[limelect]

I was asked by a client a year ago to make a SERVICE that watch
a directory for zip files and opens them
Dose that help ?
If it is interesting to any one i mite do a product out of that.
(I have a variant of the program that is not a SERVICE)

[superboyac]

I was asked by a client a year ago to make a SERVICE that watch
a directory for zip files and opens them
Dose that help ?
If it is interesting to any one i mite do a product out of that.
(I have a variant of the program that is not a SERVICE)

Well, this sounds interesting!  If you are willing to add features and stuff to it, I think it could do everything we're asking for here.  Watch directories, automatically extract files (zip, rar, multiple formats), options to tell the program what to do with the files once extracted, etc.

[ganrad]

Great!
I would love to have an option that asks me - upon a file download/creation - as to where (a different folder) to move the file to.
I am one of those gs - who do not move files to relevant folders soon after creation/download resulting in the "documents folder" piling up 100s of files slowing down things.
Presence of File search softwares like Locate32 and X1 does not help in getting disciplined

[Tuxman]

If you are willing to add features and stuff to it, I think it could do everything we're asking for here.

Yep! 

[4wd]

Perhaps FileNotify ?

As I mentioned in this thread.

It installs a service and you set up the actions using an interface to it, IIRC.