An Applescript to Move Screenshots From the Desktop

This Applescript is a folder action I wrote that moves screenshots taken with Mac OS X from my Desktop to a designated screenshots folder.  Setting it up requires that you enable folder actions and then assign this script as a folder action to the Desktop folder.

I’m sure variations of this script have been written a million times over, but it was a minor success for me as I practice and learn Applescript.

Here’s the code:

on adding folder items to this_folder after receiving these_items

    -- Check to see if Growl is running
    tell application "System Events" to set growl_running to exists application process "GrowlHelperApp"

    -- Set the location of the new "screenshots folder"
    set screenshot_folder to "Ken's Macbook:Users:kenclark:Pictures:Screenshots:"

    -- Register these notifications with Growl
    if (growl_running) then
        tell application "GrowlHelperApp"
            set the all_notifications_list to {"File Move Complete", "Error"}
            set the enabled_notifications_list to {"File Move Complete", "Error"}
            register as application "Ken's Applescripts" all notifications all_notifications_list default notifications enabled_notifications_list icon of application "Script Editor"
        end tell
    end if

    tell application "Finder"
        repeat with x from 1 to the count of these_items
            set this_item to item x of these_items
            set item_name to name of this_item
            tell application "System Events" to set type_id to type identifier of this_item
            try
                if (type_id is "public.png") and (item_name starts with "Screen shot") then
                    move this_item to screenshot_folder
                    if (growl_running) then
                        tell application "GrowlHelperApp"
                            notify with name "File Move Complete" title "File Move Complete" description item_name & " was successfully moved." application name "Ken's Applescripts"
                        end tell
                    end if
                end if
            on error error_message number error_number
                tell application "GrowlHelperApp"
                    notify with name "Error" title "File move failed" description error_message & "
" & error_number application name "Growl Applescript Test"
                end tell
            end try
        end repeat
    end tell
end adding folder items to

Tagged as: applescript, folder actions, growl, UTI