Automate Naming and Copying?

Hi, I’m a newbie to using Automator and suddenly find myself desperate to learn it for a specific business reason. So, I’ll keep my question simple: is there a way to automate naming a new USB thumb drive and then copying a specific folder from the desktop to the newly-named USB drive. The reason I’d like to automate the procedure is because it has to be done 175 times for a conference. Can anyone please, please help?

Rename Finder Items can rename the HD. (Don’t ask.) So I assume it can rename a thumbdrive.

It might be a little tricky, but this is probably how to do it.

Get Specified Finder Items (check show when run option)
Rename Finder Items (Replace text, check show when run)
Get Specified Finder Items (Click Files/Folders at the top and chose Ignore Previous Results, check show when run box)
Copy Finder Items (check show when run)

Run the workflow. Add the drive to the list. Click continue. Insert the text in the boxes. Click continue. Add the folder to the list. Click Continue. For “to”, choose the new drive name from the list.

Once you’ve run it and saved it, most the names and pathways are remembered. You can unheck the show when run option on any actions that are consistent each time you run the workflow. You can also save it as an app for easy running.

Hope that does it,

Kevin

If it’s possible for you to use AppleScript instead of Automator, then you could try something like this:

property newName : "Your New Thumbdrive Name"
property theFolder : (path to desktop as text) & "Your Folder Name"

tell application "Finder"
	activate
	
	repeat
		set diskList to name of every disk whose ejectable is true
		count result
		
		if result is 1 then
			set theDisk to disk (first item of diskList)
		else if result > 1 then
			choose from list diskList default items {first item of diskList}
			
			if result is not false then
				set theDisk to disk (first item of result)
			else
				return false
			end if
		else
			display dialog "No removeable drives were found." buttons "Cancel" default button 1 with icon note
		end if
		
		try
			set name of theDisk to newName
			set theDisk to disk (result)
			duplicate (alias theFolder) to theDisk
			eject theDisk
		on error errorMsg number errorNum
			display dialog "Error (" & errorNum & "):" & return & return & errorMsg buttons "Cancel" default button 1 with icon caution
		end try
		
		display dialog "Script finished successfully." buttons {"Stop", "Repeat"} default button "Repeat" with icon note
		
		if button returned of result is not "Repeat" then exit repeat
	end repeat
end tell