Please feel free to distribute this package far and wide but please keep it in tact and also do not modify it in any way. The entire package should be referred to as the Folder Watcher Package. Please do not distribute registered copies.
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR FOLDER WATCHER 1.0 USERS: Delete your Folder Watcher Preferences folder before running Folder Watcher 2.0! This is located within the Preferences folder in your System folder. You can leave the Folder Watcher Log File and the Aliases you are currently watching however.
OVERVIEW
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Folder Watcher is a faceless background application that keeps an eye on an unlimited number of folders on your Macintosh, or a remote Macintosh or server. If the contents of any of these folders ever change, Folder Watcher will respond by showing an alert, playing a system beep or a custom sound, writing to a log file, executing an AppleScript script, or any combination of these.
Unlike other similar utilities, Folder Watcher:
• Does not patch any traps so it is more compatible with your other programs.
• Allows you to keep an eye on an infinite number of folders.
• Does not require a reboot after adding new folders and will work between reboots.
• Does not require that the target folder is empty (ie: some other utilities alert you whenever an item is placed in an empty folder but then never again as long as a single item is in the folder! yech!)
• Uses very little RAM (about 200K, due to the use of AppleScript which likes lots of memory.)
Folder Watcher requires System 7. Although it does not require a network, it is most useful when used on one. Folder Watcher is 32 bit clean and is 68040 compatible.
HOW IT WORKS
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In its current incarnation, Folder Watcher is an “appe” (application extension). You should drag it into your Extensions folder (or System 7 will put it there for you) and it will launch at startup. You can also use the Folder Watcher Controls control panel to launch and quit the extension assuming it resides in the Extensions folder.
When launched, the Folder Watcher Extension looks for a folder called ‘Folder Watcher Aliases’ inside your Preferences folder. If it does not find it, it will be created (and left empty) for you. Any aliases to anything (including folders, AppleShare volumes, etc.) that are inside this folder will be watched. You should fill this folder with aliases to the targets you wish to watch by using the Make Alias command in the Finder’s File menu. NOTE: You can open this folder easily (and have it created for you) by pressing the ‘folder within a folder’ icon in the Folder Watcher Controls control panel.
After a minimum sleep time (that you set with the Folder Watcher Controls control panel) Folder Watcher will peek at the folders that the aliases point to. If any of them have changed since the last time Folder Watcher took a peek, Folder Watcher will respond in any of the abovementioned ways (alert, beep, Applescript, etc.)
IDEAS FOR USE
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Folder Watcher has many great uses such as:
• Network Administrators who want to track changes to folders on the network.
• Users can see when someone adds a new file to a ‘Public’ folder and can be the first ones to check out the goodies.
• Users can keep an alias to their ‘drop box’ located on the network server.
• Users who share a dropbox on their local hard disks can keep an eye on it for files that another user drops off. When a user drops a file in your dropbox, you will be alerted as soon as possible!
• When you download files you may want all TEXT files to be routed to a particular place on the network, use AppleScript scripts to scan the newly changed folder for files of type TEXT and move them for you -- automatically!
• Using AppleScript, you can perform ANY function on ANY file that is in a changed folder the moment it changes. Think of the possibilities! Archiving data, moving files, deleting old files, copying to a server, stuffing files, merging data, etc.
EDITING PREFERENCES
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Folder Watcher Controls is the control panel you use to edit the preferences associated with the Folder Watcher Extension. Simply launch the Folder Watcher Controls control panel and make your changes. When you close the control panel, or launch Folder Watcher Extension from it, the current preferences will be updated and used immediately!
Preferences include:
Play sound: You can have Folder Watcher play a unique custom sound when it notices a change, play a system beep, or make no sound at all. Two custom sounds are included with Folder Watcher. If the Folder Watcher Extension is currently running, you will hear the sounds play when the you select them from the popup menu.
Show alert: You can choose to have Folder Watcher show an Alert dialog box when it notices a change.
Write to log file: The log file is located in the ‘Folder Watcher Aliases’ folder and is called ‘! Folder Watcher Log !’. Folder Watcher will write detailed information to the log file including the number of files in the folder and the time of the change in "Server Mean Time".
Execute script if available: Run an AppleScript script whenever a folder changes. If there is an AppleScript script (or an alias to a script) with the same name as the folder being watched (plus ".scr") the script will be played. For example:
Target folder on network: Joe's dropbox
Alias in Folder Watcher Aliases folder: Joe's dropbox alias
Script (or alias to a script) name in Folder Watcher Aliases folder: Joe's dropbox alias.scr
Check folder every x seconds: This is the maximum time in seconds that Folder Watcher will be at rest. If this is set to 60 seconds then it is possible that Folder Watcher will not notice a change for up to 60 seconds after it occurs. The higher this number the less CPU time Folder Watcher will use but the less precise it will be. The lower this number the sooner you will hear about changes. The range of time is from 0 seconds (immediately) to 3600 seconds (1 hour). The values change in 30 second increments.
Launch/Quit Icon: The icon with the "little guy" in it tells you if Folder Watcher Extension is currently “watching”, or running. Click the icon to launch or quit the Folder Watcher Extension. The Folder Watcher Extension must reside in the Extensions folder on the startup disk for this icon to work properly. It will also be launched automatically at startup whenever it is in the Extensions folder. This icon is only for immediate effect and does not pertain to whether or not the Extension will run at startup (ie: it is NOT a master on/off switch.)
Folder within a folder icon: The icon to the right of the Launch/Quit Icon, when pressed, will open (and create) the Folder Watcher Aliases folder within the Preferences folder. It will bring the window to the front to make it easier for you to get at and add aliases to be watched.
KNOWN “What you might call” PROBLEMS
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• Make sure your clock is correct on a network, otherwise strange things can happen (ie:I had a server that had a clock time 12 hours ahead of my computer, it took me 15 minutes of bug tracking to realize the reason Folder Watcher wasn't working was because of this time difference.) This will NOT cause a crash.
• If you have an alias to an unmounted volume, Folder Watcher will not mount the volume for you. It is up to you to mount the volume. Once the volume is mounted, Folder Watcher will check it the next time it “peeks”. This will NOT cause a crash.
• If you quit the Folder Watcher Extension and then quickly press the Launch/Quit Icon again it is possible that the program will be in “mid-quit.” Nothing will happen to Folder Watcher but you may get confused if the icon changes to be the inverse of what you think it should be. Only “Hyper-Clickers” will ever run into this problem. This is just the way it is. This will NOT cause a crash.
• If the Folder Watcher Extension is not running, you will not hear the sounds selected from the “Play sound” popup menu. The reason for this is that the sounds reside in the Folder Watcher Extension. To keep the size of the Folder Watcher Controls control panel to a minimum, it summons the Extension to play the sounds if it is running. This is accomplished via AppleEvents! This will NOT cause a crash.
• Normally the popup menu in the Folder Watcher Controls control panel is in Geneva 9 point font. However, if you run Microsoft Word 5.0, type some text, then quit the program (or close the document) the popup menu will appear in Geneva 12. This is a bug either in the System 7 popup menu but more likely in Microsoft Word 5.0. This will NOT cause a crash.
NOTE: I have tested this software on the following configurations (all running System 7.0.1 thru 7.1) and have found it to be quite robust. Macintosh IIcx, Radius Rocket 25, Macintosh II, Quadra 700, Centris 610, PowerBook 160.
IF YOU STILL NEED HELP
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Turn on Help Balloons! :)
SHAREWARE
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If you find you are using the Folder Watcher Package for more than 7 days, you are asked to send $20 for each copy you use to the author. In return, you will be entitled to the next updated version of Folder Watcher at no cost and will be considered a registered user for life. Only registered users will receive updates. Be sure to include your full mailing address so we can send you a disk with a REGISTERED copy on it and other goodies!
Joe Zobkiw
172 Charles St, Suite A
Cambridge, MA 02141-2118
ATTN: Folder Watcher Registration
WHO TO CONTACT
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If you have any suggestions, comments, or bug reports -- you can contact the author at any of the following or the above USMail address:
America Online: AFL Zobkiw
Internet: zobkiw@world.std.com
CompuServe: >INTERNET:zobkiw@world.std.com
AppleLink: zobkiw@world.std.com@INTERNET#
DISCLAIMER
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I, nor anyone else, makes any warranty as to the suitability or use of this product for any purpose. I, nor anyone else, will be held responsible for any damage attributable to this product. Use this product at your own risk.
