Incremental Folder Backup 1.0

Function: Mounts a disk image and copies a specified folder onto it. The backup is enclosed within a folder labelled with the date and time. Useful for taking a ‘snap shot’ of a folder whilst working on a project.
Author: j1
Instructions:
(This set-up procedure is a bit involved but only has to be performed once)

1. Create a disk image using Disk Utility.
2. Create of new folder on the mounted disk image and call it ‘backup’ without the quotes.
3. Open the workflow in Automator.
4. Add the disk image file (not the mounted disk image) to Step 1 of the workflow.
5. In Step 4 of the workflow, click the ‘Where’ pop-up menu and select ‘Other…’. Select the newly created mounted disk image.
6. In Step 6 of the workflow, click the ‘To:’ pop-up menu and select ‘Other…’. Select the folder named ‘backup’ on the mounted disk image.
7. In Step 5 of the workflow, add the folder you wish to back up.
8. In Step 7 of the workflow, add the folder on the disk image named ‘backup’.
9. Save and close the workflow.
10. Delete the ‘backup’ folder on the mounted disk image.

That’s it. Now, whenever you wish to back up the specified folder just double click the workflow icon.

Note: This is obviously not a substitute for a true external backup. I use it for ensuring I don’t throw away or overwrite critical files when working on a project, especially if there are multiple revisions or many files to keep track of. Steps 10 and 11 of the workflow can be deleted if they grate on your nerves [if you have Growl, the Growl Notification action works well here -ed.].