Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
A clever utility called
Hazel
does the same thing, except for files in the Finder rather than for
email messages. You can save 20 percent on Hazel with the
coupon
at the end of this topic.
In the Hazel pane of System Preferences, you select a folder and then set up one or more
rules for it (
Figure 16
). Rules can look for conditions such as how recently a file was created
or modified, its name, its size, tags, and other attributes. When it finds a match, Hazel can
perform one or more actions such as applying a tag, moving or copying the file into another
folder, deleting the file, compressing or decompressing it, importing it into iTunes or iPhoto
(for music and photos, respectively), displaying a notification, or running an AppleScript or
shell script.
Figure 16:
Rules in Hazel look and act much like rules in Mail—except
they target files rather than email messages.
Hazel rules have a similar effect as AppleScript folder actions. (If you're not familiar with
them, flip ahead to
Use AppleScript Folder Actions
.) Hazel rules require no coding, so they're
far simpler to use.
Hazel can also keep your Trash from overflowing with old and/or large files, help you
completely remove all traces of apps you delete, and remove duplicate files.
I'll admit, however, that the first time I heard about Hazel, I thought all its automation
features were appalling rather than exciting. I was afraid that it would move things around
without my knowledge, with the result being that I'd lose (or at least lose track of) things
