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Backup USB items

Use Keyboard Maestro to auto backup USB drive

This week's is a followup to the "Keyboard Maestro Copy File" blog post. In this week's post, I'll show you how to use Keyboard Maestro's actions to perform the same BASH function.

This is a great example of understanding the power that Keyboard Maestro has. While the BASH code is shorter in code, I feel the Keyboard Maestro version is more flexible in doing other actions.

Simple Task

Create a Macro that will copy all the documents in a particular folder and place a copy of them in a new location based on their created date.

Actions used

  • Get File Name to Variable
  • Get File Type to Variable
  • If All Conditions Met Execute Actions
  • Get Date Created to Variable
  • Set Variable to Text
  • Create New Folder
  • Copy File

Keyboard Maestro Macro

Sony Action Steps

These are the steps in the screenshot:

  • Pause for 1.5 Seconds - Wait for the USB drive to fully mount.
  • For Each Item in a Collection - For all the files in a particular directory on the Sony Recorder execute the following actions.
  • Get File Name to Variable - Save the file name to a variable to be used later.
  • Get File Type to Variable = Identify the type of file in this loop cycle.
  • If All Conditions Met Execute Actions - Now lets take actions only on files and not folders
  • Get Date Created to Variable - Get the file created date and assign it to a variable
  • Set variable to Text - Assign the date format to a human readable format. (Example YYYY-MM-dd)
  • If All Conditions Meet Actions - Check to see if the directory exists.
  • Create New Folder - Create a new folder if it doesn't exists.
  • If All Conditions Meet Actions - Check to see if the file already got moved over.
  • Copy File = Move the selected file to the directory

 

About

These posts showcase some excellent examples of why Keyboard Maestro is a must-have for every Mac OS user. As a powerful automation tool, Keyboard Maestro helps boost productivity, save time, and streamline repetitive tasks. With its vast array of customizable features and functions, it's the perfect choice for Mac OS users seeking to optimize their workflow.

Schedule

WednesdayAffinity
ThursdayBBEdit
FridayMacintosh
SaturdayInternet Tools
SundayOpen Topic
MondayMedia Monday
TuesdayQA