Move Downloads

Project that takes @KalleHallden's Python automation shown in this YouTube video to move the files downloaded with Google Chrome or Safari from the Downloads folder into folders based on the file extension inside a new specified folder.

And runs it in the background as an agent on user log in using macOS' launchd.

Installation

Step 1: Clone master branch or download the latest release.

Step 2: Once you have cloned the repo or downloaded the release, create a Python environment and install the packages needed.

Python Environment w/ Anaconda

The repo has an environment.yml file to create a Python environment called mv_dwnlds and install all packages.

To create environment and install packages run:

conda env create -f environment.yml

or

Python Envrionment w/ Pip

If you used another method to create the Python environment that uses pip to manage packages, the repo also has a requirements.txt file with the packages needed.

To install packages with pip run:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 3: Setup config file.

Rename the emtpy-config.yml file to config.yml:

mv empty-config.yml config.yml

Open the config.yml file and fill in the config values using absolute paths.

As an example here's what my config.yml file looks like:

##                    ##
# Download dirs config #
##                    ##

# Path to default downloads directory
track_dir: /Users/pablordoricaw/Downloads/

# Path to new download directory where downloads will be moved to
dst_dir: /Users/pablordoricaw/Descargas/

# Files that will not be moved from default downloads directory
ignore_files:
  - README!.txt
  - .DS_Store

##                  ##
# macOS Agent config #
##                  ##

# Path to User's Launch Agent's dir to load agent when user logs in
launch_agent_dir: /Users/pablordoricaw/Library/LaunchAgents/

# Agent name to find when checking if running
plist_name: local.user.mv_dwnlds

python_env: /Users/pablordoricaw/anaconda3/envs/mv_dwnlds/bin/python

Optional: The config value, ignore_files, can be ignored or you can chose to move the README!.txt file to your original Downloads folder to remind you of where the downloads are going in case you forget.

Usage

Step 1: Activate the environment created.

Activate environment w/ Anaconda

If you created the environment with Anaconda and didn't change the name of the env in the first line of the environment.yml file, then run:

conda activate mv_dwnlds

Step 2: Load agent.

Once the Python environment is active.

Run w/ make

The project can be run with make by running:

make load

or

Run Python script directly

To run:

python mv_dwnlds/plist.py -l

Uninstall

Step 1: Unload agent.

Unload w/ make

Unload:

make unload

or

Unload w/ Python script

To unload:

python mv_dwnlds/plist.py -u

Step 2: Delete plist file.

Delete plist file w/ make

make rm

Delete plist file w/ Python script

python mv_dwnlds/plist.py --rm

Step 3: Delete the project folder.