Filter "alias" Files

[DBarranca]

Hello fellow developers,

is there a way to discern whether a File is an alias on Mac? Like:

var fList = Folder("~/Desktop/TEMP").getFiles();
$.writeln(fList.toSource());
// [new File ("~/Desktop/TEMP/.DS_Store"), new File ("~/Desktop/TEMP/_Anita.jpg"), new File ("~/Desktop/TEMP/Anita.jpg")]

The TEMP folder contains (besides the hidden .DS_Store) a proper jpg called Anita.jpg and an alias which is _Anita.jpg.

On PC they have a .lnk extension, on Mac it gets harder to recognize them.

I thought to filter the getFile with somethig such as:

var fList = Folder("~/Desktop/TEMP").getFiles( function(f) {
          //... if f is alias then return false
          return true
});

Bu I don't know how to fill the function.

Any idea?

Thank you!

Davide Barranca

www.davidebarranca.com

[Michael_L_Hale · Accepted solution]

There is a File property for that. File.alias will be true if the file is an alias or shortcut.

Or are you saying that property doesn't work on Mac?

[DBarranca]

Yup Mike,

I did completely miss that property!

Works flawlessly, thanks!

var fList = Folder("~/Desktop/TEMP").getFiles( function(f) {
          if (f.alias) { return false; }
          return true;
});

Davide

www.davidebarranca.com

[Michael_L_Hale]

You could also do something like this.

var fList = Folder("~/Desktop/TEMP").getFiles( function(f) {
          return !f.alias;
});

[DBarranca]

Speaking of aliases, do you happen to know how to copy them around "as aliases"?

Like:

var sourceFolder = Folder("~/Desktop/TEMP/Source");
var destFolder = Folder("~/Desktop/TEMP/Destination");
var fList = sourceFolder.getFiles();
for (var i = 0, len = fList.length; i < len; i++) {
  fList.copy(destFolder + "/" + fList.name);
}

This one works, but copies the referenced files (instead of the aliases themselves)

Davide

[CarlosCanto]

you can recreate the alias

var sourceFolder = Folder("~/Desktop/TEMP/Source");
var destFolder = Folder("~/Desktop/TEMP/Destination");
var fList = sourceFolder.getFiles();
for (var i = 0, len = fList.length; i < len; i++) {
  //fList.copy(destFolder + "/" + fList.name);
  if (fList.alias) {
      var destFile = new File(destFolder + "/" + fList.name);
      destFile.createAlias (fList.fsName);
  }
}