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Sort Downloads as things land

Receipts and invoices leave Downloads for a dated folder in Documents, and pictures move to Pictures with a tag.

When a PDF or a picture lands in your Downloads folder, Switchboard files it. A file whose text mentions an invoice or a receipt moves to Documents/Receipts/<year> with the date in front of its name. A picture gets the Finder tag Downloaded and moves to Pictures/Downloads. Anything else stays where it is.

Sort Downloads as things land
When
  1. A file is created in ~/Downloads matching “*.pdf”
Do
  1. Receipts and invoicesIf the contents of “{{file.path}}” contains “invoice” or the contents of “{{file.path}}” contains “receipt”
  2. Sort the file into “~/…/Receipts/{added:yyyy}”
  3. PicturesIf the content type of “{{file.path}}” is a kind of “public.image”
  4. Add tags “Downloaded” to the file
  5. Move the file to “~/Pictures/Downloads”
Open in Switchboard to try it

Switchboard waits until a download has finished and the file has stopped changing for three seconds, so a half-downloaded file is never moved. Folders that are missing are made for you. macOS protects the Downloads folder: if Switchboard can't read it yet, the When row says so and opens the right Privacy setting. Each If is a step with conditions of its own, and {{file.path}} means the file that just arrived.

Press Add to Library to keep a copy. It arrives turned off: select it in your library and turn on the switch beside its name.

Make it yours #

  • Other words. Change invoice or receipt in the first If to words your bills use, such as order or statement. Case doesn't matter.

  • Other folders. Click a folder in a Move step and choose another.

  • Another kind of file. Add a pattern to the When row, such as *.zip, and an If that moves it.

  • Files already there. The trigger only sees new files. To sort what's already in Downloads, drag the files out and back in.

Coming from Hazel? File › Import… brings your Hazel rules across in this same shape. See Coming from Hazel.