Saving attachment and opening at same time

[steehl]

Hi,

I have the following problem: I often receive documents as attachments via e-mail (using the mail app). Instead of opening them directly I often have to save them to a disk or network share before opening and editing them. Since sometimes directory structures are pretty deep it is enoying to run through the same directory structure two times (first while saving in mail and second time when opening the saved file). I know I could first open a finder window with the appropriate storage place and than drag and drop but still this is a lot of context changing.

I'm looking for a way (e.g. with automator) to save an attachment from mail, being asked for the storage place and afterwards being able to open the file immediately by max one more click.

Any ideas?

 

[Rod]

OK steehl, since you want to perform two separate actions you will need to initiate each with a couple of click's; I dont see how creating a script with Automator would reduce the actions required much.
First you want to save the document, then you want to edit it.
When you save an attachment the save window asks Where? In "where" you should see Recent Places. If you open the folder where these documents are normally stored then close it again it should appear in the Recent Places list. So that takes care of saving subsequent attachments but you now wish to open/edit that document. So if as you say the directory structure is complex I would suggest you create a Shortcut/Alias to that folder/s and place it in the Dock.
This is a simple process of dragging the folder in question to the right hand side of the dock (usually where the Downloads folder is located).
Saving to the parent folder will mean the document will appear in the alias and changes you make in the alias folder will be reflected in the parent folder.
So now you save, click where, open the alias of the folder and there it is. IF you set the options for the alias folder the right way. Have a play with these options till you find the best for your needs, I personally have a Desktop Stuff folder alias and set the options for (see below)
I think thats three clicks but not too bad.

 

[pendlewitch]

That's a worthy idea by Rod Sprague. From what I can see there is way by using 'smart mailboxes' and 'rules' in Mail. You'll have to define conditions about how the box handles your specific mail and then you can add a new rule with the option for running an Applescript...and that's the end there as far as my knowledge goes with Applescript! I've attached a couple of images from Mail preferences. Alternatively Automator could solve your problem but I don't know as to whether the Mail rule will see the Automator file as Applescript or not. I've also attached an image for you to show that there is a way but you will have to experiment.. note the description of the Action at the bottom of the image to get you started. I wish I had the time to work it out!!

 

[cradom]

Um...save it to the Desktop. Quit Mail, BAM! there it is. Absolutely no file digging.

 

[toMACsh]

Um...save it to the Desktop. Quit Mail, BAM! there it is. Absolutely no file digging.

But I think the OP wants it saved way down in the file structure. However, using this method initially, once the editing is done, SaveAs will take you anywhere you want to go. I'm sure that's obvious. But trying to make the computer think the way the user thinks is a whole different ball game.

 

[steehl]

Thanks to all of you for the fast replies. Let me detail a couple of things:
Anything like favorite folders, aliases etc does not really work, since there are multiple tens, maybe more than 100 potential target directories. The files are saved to this location for permanent storage. (it's a business environment. E.g. a contract template arrives via email, is stored to legal/contracts/customers/<custxyz>/<project123>/ ) . So saving to desktop does not help either. And the recent list only seldom holds the actual needed target.

My idea was, that I for example create an automator app, where I drag the files to, the app asks for storage place, saves the attachment to the selected place and then either opens a finder window of the selected place or opens the file directly.

The automator app could reside in the dock or could be registered under the "share" option in the context menu (since i'm using a German version, I'm not sure the option is called "share") or could be registered to mail as a context option or what ever.

 

[Rod]

steehl, that is a great idea but i dont think anyone has designed an app to do what you suggest yet so. As you state there are multiple directories you would normally need one script for each location.
Alternatively you could tag the destination folder so that it becomes visible in the sidebar of any finder window but there are only 7 default tags, still it may give you a head start rather than following the whole directory path.

 

[pendlewitch]

My idea was, that I for example create an automator app, where I drag the files to, the app asks for storage place, saves the attachment to the selected place and then either opens a finder window of the selected place or opens the file directly.

The automator app could reside in the dock or could be registered under the "share" option in the context menu (since i'm using a German version, I'm not sure the option is called "share") or could be registered to mail as a context option or what ever.

steel sometimes it's best to dive in and start 'automating' with Automator and you'll see how relatively straightforward it is to build yourself a workflow and get a sense of achievement. That's how I learnt, though granted I haven't done much in a while.

Apple gave us a great tool there and it's one which most people bypass, my advice is if you're clear in what you want then give it a go and it will at least get you some of the way there.

 

[cradom]

Ok, browse through these three links. You can make a watch folder which will file things to certain folders according to what kind of file they are. Then have the script open the folder in Finder.
The first link is an Automator database of actions. Learn yourself some Automator and you can do all sorts of things.
Search results for automator | Macworld
Automator workflow of the month: Automatically file downloaded items | Macworld
How to set up and use Folder Actions on your Mac | MacIssues

 

[steehl]

As suggested I digged a bit into automator and found a solution. Actually I found two solutions, but one isn't working due to a bug in email attachment access from apple script.

My solution is an automator app, which receives one or many files per drag and drop. It sits in the dock and gets activated when files are dropped to it. I would share it with you if I had a clue how to display the app here. A German screenshot would probably not be of much help.

It basically asks for a target directory through a finder dialog, copies the files to that directory, opens each file with the standard app for the file type and opens a finder window with the selected directory.

 

[Slydude]

If you can PM me a screenshot I should be able to figure out the English equivalent. Although my German is limited to whatever appeared in the old "Hogan's Hero's" TV show I've used Automator enough that I should be able to figure out which actions are being used and I can post the result here.