Scripting: How to locate "Creative Cloud Files" folder?

[Boris Jäger]

I work on several PC's with files from the Creative Cloud Files folder.

Unfortunately this folder is located in different places on different PCs e.g.:

D:\Creative Cloud Files\

E:\...\Creative Cloud Files\

Z:\...\...\Creative Cloud Files\

I am currently creating a script that points to files in this folder.

My question is: how to locate the path of the Creative Cloud Files folder with a script?

[Randy Hagan]

You need to get with your network administrator, or failing that, set absolute rules for defining the "Creative Cloud Files" folder and address that location on every system before you implement your script, then point to your common absolute location. It's common, without a defined network mapping across your systems to have cloud locations assigned on an ad hoc basis by whatever next drive address is available. As you're discovering now.

Even when you're addressing cloud/virtual drives, you can identify them in a common, consistent absolute address. It just needs to be one that's different than a physical network address used anywhere else in the network. That's where a good network administrator can help you find that unique location, then configure the rest of your network to address it (pardon the pun) consistently on every machine on your network. If you don't have that expertise in-house, it may be worth it to hire a contractor/consultant to make that happen for you.

Once you define that common, unique location across the network by SneakerNet on every system, you can write a script to get you where you want to be.

Hope this helps,

Randy

[Boris Jäger]

Thank you for your detailed answer, but this is not about network configuration.

[rob day]

The default install location is the top level of the user folder, which you should be able to get like this:

var ccf = Folder.desktop.parent + "/Creative Cloud Files/"

But the CC app lets the user change the location, so obviously you couldn’t be sure that hasn’t happened. I think you would have to ask the user to locate it in the script.

[Randy Hagan]

Rob's answer is equally valid to mine.

You can, instead, tailor the script to address the "Creative Cloud Files" location on every device.

But also, as Rob offers, the CC app lets the user change locations. That's a complication. Also, depending on the movement of systems within the network/other networks (especially if you're in a BYOD/work from home environment, like many of us are these days) and the vagaries of an undefined network topology, sometimes locations can be changed outside of a given user's input, which can introduce further surprises.

Either solution can serve you in this situation. Let your situation be your guide.

Randy

[Boris Jäger]

Yes, that is exactly the problem. The default path is changed and different on every PC.

[Boris Jäger]

Yes the path to CCF on my Office PC is different to the path on my home PC - because i didn't had enought space on my Home PC. So i had to change the path on my Home-PC to another HDD with more space available.

[Randy Hagan]

Then I would definitely recommend setting up a common topology with your Creative Cloud Files network location arbitrarily "assigned" to a late letter in the alphabet, and locking that late letter down — and if needed, other cloud locations too — on your BYOD/Work From Home systems as well. Your network administrator, if you have one, can help you set and enforce these kind of network rules whether you're working at the shop or from your home.

If you can't access that kind of talent in-house, hiring a consultant to map your network and enforce network addressing will pay handsome dividends in a whole lot of areas as well as this one. There are lots of complications that can arise when network and cloud locations aren't addressed arbitrarily and consistently across the organization. This is one of them. Ad hoc location assignments often work seamlessly, until they don't.

I'm sure it's a bother to you right now, but you're fortunate that you discovered this issue through your experimentation, rather than tripping across it during a mission-critical process crashing. If it's any consolation, this issue is cropping up more and more as COVID-19 has distributed day-to-day business operations out of the office to living rooms and kitchen tables everywhere.

Good luck,

Randy

[Laubender]

Hi Boris,

I looked up the position of folder Creative Cloud Files on my Windows 10 system. That's on my Desktop. And Desktop is in my user folder. I also looked up what that Creative Cloud Files contains. As far as I can tell there is only a "link" to a target on the web. If I click this link my browser will show my assets on Creative Cloud.

Do you actually see a files and folder structure in folder Creative Cloud Files on Windows?

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[rob day]

Hi Uwe, The Creative Clouds Files folder gets installed by the Creative Cloud App, and the default location is in the computer’s user folder, but that can be changed here:

The Creative Files folder automatically sync’s any files or folders that you move into it, but if you don’t store anything in the folder there would only be the default _Cloud documents link alias that you mentioned.

The JavaScript Folder.desktop.parent should take you to the user folder on either Mac or Windows, but that is only going to work if you are sure the users have not changed their CFF directory location preference.

I use the CFF for all of my important ongoing work, so I have a cloud backup. Here’s my local CFF directory, and the matching cloud directory:

[Boris Jäger]

Hi Uwe!

I have a folder 

C:\Users\<username>\Creative Cloud Files

But this one is empty.

Maybe i deleted the folder on my desktop, because i don't have it. 

[Randy Hagan]

It's not unusual for Macs tied into Samba networking to assign Macs (and Windows systems too, with the team product using a common Creative Cloud Files address across the organization) a drive letter to access network and cloud addresses through Windows File and Print sharing. If that's not arbitrarily and consistently assigned by network administrators, those letters can be changed on an ad hoc basis when moving within the network or accessing the network remotely.

Randy

[Laubender]

Thanks, Rob!

Currently I turned off synching anything with Creative Cloud.

My daily work is synched with Dropbox.

However, there could be ( must be? ) another folder somewhere in the file system that is showing the contents of my CC Library assets. Otherwise I could not have access to CC Library contents when I am offline. Of course I have to test this first. I simply do not work with others through the Creative Cloud…

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[rob day]

For an image placed from the Library I can edit the original, but it is buried in the hidden private folder on OSX.

There is also the ~user/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Creative Cloud Libraries folder, but that seems to handle the Libraries interface previews.

I think the OP wants to use the CCF folder the same way you are using Dropbox.

[Laubender]

Hi Rob,

yes, but the contents of the T folder is temp contents.

It is ceated in the moment you do Edit Original with CC Library assets.

After a reboot of the machine you will not see the contents anymore.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Boris Jäger]

Oh this is not about Libraries. This is about synchronization and collaboration.

I used the CCF folder to synchrzonize my work between my Office and my Home-Office PC.

Recently I got a colleague who also works with InDesign. Now we use the CCF folder to work together (Adobe for Teams).

[rob day]

My question is: how to locate the path of the Creative Cloud Files folder with a script?

Could you use a companion script that is run once when the script is installed and writes the path to a text file?

An install script could ask the user to choose the CCF folder once, and would write a text file into the same directory as the script. Then the main script could read the text file and get the path. Something like this:

//get this script’s path. NOTE: app.activeScript only works when the script is run from the ID Scripts panel
var path = app.activeScript.path + "/CCFpath.txt";
var ccf = Folder.selectDialog("Please Select Your Creative Cloud Files Folder", "");

//write the path to a text file in the same folder as this script
writeText(path, ccf)

/**
* Write a text file 
* @param the file path 
* @param the text 
* 
*/
function writeText(p,s){
    var file = new File(p);
    file.encoding = 'UTF-8';
    file.open('w');
    file.write(s);
    file.close();
}

 Then your main script would run this to get the path:

var path = app.activeScript.path + "/CCFpath.txt";
var CFF = readFile(path)
alert(CFF)

function readFile(p) {
	var f = new File(p);
	f.open("r");  
	var x = f.read();  
	f.close();
	return x; //returns the file path
}

[Boris Jäger]

Hi Rob!

Yes... I guess this is how I have to do it 😞
Since CCF is an Adobe feature, I thought there is an easier, and safer way to determine the correct path.
The CCF path can be changed (moved) anytime in the CC application.

[Boris Jäger · Accepted solution]

This doesnt answer my original question but helps me:

I created a junction link (mklink /J) on drive d pointing to the ccf folder on the corresponding hdd.

Doing so i have "/d/Creative Cloud Files"  available on all my machines now.