Thanks Stefan, sadly the result is still “msng”… any ideas? my new code:
on run {input, parameters}
set trashPath to (((item 1 of input) as text) & ".Trashes") as alias
set itemSize to size of (get info for trashPath) --is NOT working
display alert itemSize
return itemSize
end run
Hi KniazidisR and thanks for your input!
Sadly the result is still “msng”… I tried both to select the volume and the .Trashes Folder on it…
Thanks for checking! It works for me too on the home directories trash but not on the .Trashes folder of an external drive…
If you look at the infos for the folder .Trashes with cmd I you will see that it’s a Write Only item.
If you want to look in it you must change the privileges to Read & Write.
Take care to reset the initial privileges when you have finish.
Yvan KOENIG running High Sierra 10.13.6 in French (VALLAURIS, France) dimanche 28 avril 2019 21:51:34
Thank you Yvan,
Thats what i was thinking, that it is a privileges issue… Do you mean, i can set the privileges in code, and if yes, how would i do that in applescript? Setting it manually via the finder is not an option for me, sadly… maybe with a run shell script action in automator instead of run applescript?
The other option i have in mind would be to determine the size of all the (unhidden) folders on the drive, add the available space and subtract from the total capacity of the drive, which should give me the (approximate) size of data in the trash.
I am just wondering, if there is a more elegant way to do it…
Thanks for the suggestion, KniazidisR, but .Trashes seems to be a folder… when i run choose file instead of choose folder, i can not choose the .Trashes folder…
Here, my boot volume is an external SSD named “SSD 500”.
I ran this script:
--set myVol to path to startup disk
tell application "System Events"
set volNames to name of disks whose local volume is true
--> {"SSD 500", "Macintosh HD"}
end tell
set theSizes to {}
set volName to item 1 of volNames
set POSIXPath2Trashes to POSIX path of (volName & ":.Trashes")
set quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes to quoted form of POSIXPath2Trashes
try # MOVED
do shell script "chmod 775 " & quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes # Standard privileges
tell application "System Events"
with timeout of 10000 seconds # ADDED
set sizeOfTrashes to size of disk item POSIXPath2Trashes
end timeout # ADDED
end tell
set end of theSizes to {volName, sizeOfTrashes}
do shell script "chmod 333 " & quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes # Write Only privileges
end try # MOVED
set volNames to rest of volNames
repeat with volName in volNames
set volName to contents of volName
set POSIXPath2Trashes to POSIX path of (volName & ":.Trashes")
set quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes to quoted form of POSIXPath2Trashes
try # MOVED
do shell script "chmod 775 " & quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes with administrator privileges # Standard privileges
tell application "System Events"
with timeout of 10000 seconds # ADDED
set sizeOfTrashes to size of disk item POSIXPath2Trashes
end timeout # ADDED
end tell
set end of theSizes to {volName, sizeOfTrashes}
do shell script "chmod 333 " & quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes with administrator privileges # Write Only privileges
end try # MOVED
end repeat
theSizes
--> {{"SSD 500", 0}, {"Macintosh HD", 422714353}}
I checked that the value returned for “SSD 500” is OK by running:
tell application "System Events"
set volName to name of startup disk
end tell
set path2Trashes to volName & ":.Trashes"
set POSIXPath2Trashes to POSIX path of path2Trashes
set quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes to quoted form of POSIXPath2Trashes
do shell script "chmod 775 " & quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes # Standard privileges
tell application "Finder"
open folder path2Trashes
end tell
display dialog "Check the content of the folder then click a button to reset original privileges"
do shell script "chmod 333 " & quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes # Write Only privileges
Of course, my folder is really empty.
Yvan KOENIG running High Sierra 10.13.6 in French (VALLAURIS, France) lundi 29 avril 2019 15:42:55
Added a couple try / end try useful if a .Trashes folder isn’t available on one disk.
Added with timeout of 10000 seconds statements to take care of your huge folder. I hope that the 10000 value would be sufficient.
Moved the try instructions.
Wow Yvan, thanks for going through such lengths to help me…!
Two problems with your code:
Syntax Error
chmod: /private/var/vm/.Trashes: No such file or directory
i am checking the value of quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes before the error, it is ‘/Volumes/FF_ext_003/.Trashes’ (FF_ext_003 being the external drive i want to check)
why the path later appears to be /private/var/vm/.Trashes is beyond me…
No need to waste more time trying to help me, i have found a “Workaround” that is good enough for me:
on run {input, parameters}
set oneBreak to "
"
set allItemsSize to 0
tell application "Finder"
set fl to items of folder input as alias list
repeat with theItem in fl
set theItemSize to size of (get info for theItem)
set allItemsSize to allItemsSize + theItemSize
end repeat
set diskName to name of (get info for input)
set totalSpace to the (capacity of disk diskName)
set free_bytes to free space of disk input
set actuallyAvailable to totalSpace - allItemsSize -- this is free Space plus trash Space (in Theory)
set actuallyAvailableGB to round (actuallyAvailable / 1.0E+9) rounding down
activate
display alert diskName & oneBreak & oneBreak & actuallyAvailableGB
end tell
end run
This does not give me the size of the .Trashes Folder, but the Size of ALL hidden Items on the Drive. But it is OK for me, since there should not be a great amount of hidden Space other than in the .Trashes folder…
I really appreciate all of your Input! Thanks again to all of you 
I really don’t understand. I connected a Firewire mechanical HD to my machine.
The result was :
{{“SSD 500”, 0}, {“Macintosh HD”, 422714353}, {“Hitachi 2To1”, 0}}
Of course, I was asked for the passWord to be able to treat the volumes which aren’t the startup one.
The instructions were:
do shell script "chmod 775 '/.Trashes'" # for startup disk
do shell script "chmod 333 '/.Trashes'" # for startup disk
do shell script "chmod 775 '/Volumes/Macintosh HD/.Trashes'" with administrator privileges # asked for passWord
do shell script "chmod 333 '/Volumes/Macintosh HD/.Trashes'" with administrator privileges
do shell script "chmod 775 '/Volumes/Hitachi 2To1/.Trashes'" with administrator privileges
do shell script "chmod 333 '/Volumes/Hitachi 2To1/.Trashes'" with administrator privileges
Yvan KOENIG running High Sierra 10.13.6 in French (VALLAURIS, France) lundi 29 avril 2019 18:16:16
I’m naive and assume that Apple’s engineers have some good reasons to define such privileges for the .Trashes folder.
Yvan KOENIG running High Sierra 10.13.6 in French (VALLAURIS, France) lundi 29 avril 2019 18:23:39
Thanks for your suggestion, i think i’m naive as well though, like Yvan, and would prefer not to meddle with apples intended privileges system as long as it can be avoided…
Out of interest, i checked your code again, this time in Script editor. But please, as i said, it is really not important for me anymore, as my workaround works fine for me and i do not have to meddle with privileges or enter a PW.
I check volNames, right after you define it in the second Line: it returns {“Macintosh HD”, “vm”, “TM_BU_5K”, “FF_ext_003”, “FF_ext_034”, “FF_ext_027”, “FF_ext_022”, “Macintosh HD”, “Macintosh HD”}
then i set volName to item 4 of volNames. This are the only two changes i made…
at the line
do shell script "chmod 775 " & quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes with administrator privileges # Standard privileges
i get the error i mentioned above…
May you post the value of quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes and the result of
tell application "System Events"
properties of disk "FF_ext_003"
end tell
(*
Supposed to return something like:
{container:disk id "FF_ext_003,-101,2" of application "System Events", path:"FF_ext_003:", capacity:9.99345127424E+11, volume:"FF_ext_003", physical size:missing value, URL:"file:///Volumes/FF_ext_003", id:"FF_ext_003,-101,2", displayed name:"FF_ext_003", zone:missing value, ignore privileges:false, busy status:false, name:"FF_ext_003", name extension:"", free space:1.99129010176E+11, POSIX path:"/Volumes/FF_ext_003", startup:false, modification date:date "mardi 26 mars 2019 à 10:07:42", local volume:true, size:missing value, format:Mac OS Extended format, class:disk, package folder:false, creation date:date "dimanche 19 août 2012 à 20:07:17", visible:true, ejectable:false, server:missing value}
*)
Yvan KOENIG running High Sierra 10.13.6 in French (VALLAURIS, France) mardi 30 avril 2019 13:57:34
the Value of quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes is ‘/Volumes/FF_ext_003/.Trashes’
properties of disk FF_ext_003 is:
{container:disk id “FF_ext_003,-110,2” of application “System Events”, path:“FF_ext_003:”, capacity:3.000144142336E+12, volume:“FF_ext_003”, physical size:missing value, URL:“file:///Volumes/FF_ext_003”, id:“FF_ext_003,-110,2”, displayed name:“FF_ext_003”, zone:missing value, ignore privileges:true, busy status:false, name:“FF_ext_003”, name extension:“”, free space:4.8226091008E+11, POSIX path:“/Volumes/FF_ext_003”, startup:false, modification date:date “Monday, 29. April 2019 at 17:16:34”, local volume:true, size:missing value, format:Mac OS Extended format, class:disk, package folder:false, creation date:date “Thursday, 16. January 2014 at 17:09:40”, visible:true, ejectable:false, server:missing value}
Thanks!
Thanks.
Have you checked that the folder really exists ?
If it doesn’t, the error is logical.
It would be useful to add a couple try / end try in the code.
I will edit the message with the script accordingly.
Yvan KOENIG running High Sierra 10.13.6 in French (VALLAURIS, France) mardi 30 avril 2019 16:33:53
Thank you Yvan,
Your altered code computes without error, i changed volName to item 4 of volNames again, my result:
{{“FF_ext_003”, -1.846161564E+9}, {“TM_BU_5K”, 0}, {“FF_ext_003”, -1.846161564E+9}, {“FF_ext_034”, 0}, {“FF_ext_027”, 0}, {“FF_ext_022”, 0}, {“Macintosh HD”, 0}, {“Macintosh HD”, 0}}
should the second value be the size of Trashes in bytes? Because as a test, i have a 190 GB file in .Trashes on FF_ext_003. 1.846161564E+9 bytes equal 1.84 GB (also, the value seems to be negative)
any ideas whats going on?
I never guessed that you have a so huge folder.
To calculate the value of this size, System Events requires a lot of time and when the standard limit ( 2 minutes) allowed to execute a task is reached what you get is the value grabbed from the previous disk
To get the full value I added a “with timeout of 10000 seconds” statement in the script available in my “old” message.
It would be useful to make a bit of cleaning because these Gigabytes are just wasted.
Yvan KOENIG running High Sierra 10.13.6 in French (VALLAURIS, France) jeudi 2 mai 2019 15:58:20
thanks again Yvan!
Sadly your new code gives me the old error
chmod: /private/var/vm/.Trashes: No such file or directory
I tried wrapping the repeat command in a try command, changed volName to item 4 again, my result:
{{“FF_ext_003”, -1.846161564E+9}}
(1) When editing I misplaced the try/end try statements. It’s now corrected.
(2) To test I asked System Events to return the size of my Applications folder and got a negative value so I decided to use an other tool which is BridgePlus by Shane Stanley.
This one returns a more logical result: {totalFileSize:1.06473994557E+11, totalFileAllocatedSize:8.594223104E+10}
Here is the script using it.
(*
Download BridgePlus here: <http://www.macosxautomation.com/applescript/apps/BridgePlus.html>
Install BridgePlus.scptd in "/Library/Script Libraries/"
*)
use theLib : script "BridgePlus"
use scripting additions
tell application "System Events"
set volNames to name of disks whose local volume is true
--> {"SSD 500", "Macintosh HD"}
end tell
set theSizes to {}
set volName to item 1 of volNames
set POSIXPath2Trashes to POSIX path of (volName & ":.Trashes")
set quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes to quoted form of POSIXPath2Trashes
try # MOVED
do shell script "chmod 775 " & quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes # Standard privileges
set theSize to theLib's sizeInfoForFile:POSIXPath2Trashes
set end of theSizes to {volName, totalFileSize of theSize}
do shell script "chmod 333 " & quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes # Write Only privileges
end try # MOVED
set volNames to rest of volNames
repeat with volName in volNames
set volName to contents of volName
set POSIXPath2Trashes to POSIX path of (volName & ":.Trashes")
set quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes to quoted form of POSIXPath2Trashes
try # MOVED
do shell script "chmod 775 " & quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes with administrator privileges # Standard privileges
set theSize to (theLib's sizeInfoForFile:POSIXPath2Trashes)
set end of theSizes to {volName, totalFileSize of theSize}
do shell script "chmod 333 " & quotedPOSIXPath2Trashes with administrator privileges # Write Only privileges
end try # MOVED
end repeat
theSizes
--> {{"SSD 500", 0}, {"Macintosh HD", 6.08037518E+8}}
Yvan KOENIG running High Sierra 10.13.6 in French (VALLAURIS, France) vendredi 3 mai 2019 12:39:09