Hazel Simplifies Folder Actions

One of the most powerful–and confusing–uses of Automator is creating workflows in conjunction with [Folder Actions](http://www.apple.com/applescript/folderactions/). The myriad ways to trigger, turn on and attach scripts to folders is daunting and un-intuitive, to put it kindly.

Enter [Hazel](http://www.noodlesoft.com/hazel.html). MacOSXHints has selected Hazel as their [Pick of the Week](http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20061121055406895), and it's a doozy. Hazel is essentially a single-interface for creating, editing and managing all your folder actions. Using an interface similar to Apple Mail's rules, you can create powerful folder action with the built in options, or attach your own Applescripts, shell scripts and of course Automator workflows.

Using the clean, refreshingly un-trendy interface, I created a simple rule to convert all downloaded PDFs to JPG. It was as simple as adding the folder to the "Folder" list, and adding my workflow to the rule [options](http://www.automatorworld.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/hazel2.png).

As the OSXHints review points out, it's not perfect; some rules do indeed have trouble "taking", but hopefully this will be ironed out. Hazel is available for $16, and has a 15-day free trial.