Backups Using Mac Automator

Automator is an included macOS application used to automate repetitive tasks through point-and-click or drag and drop across a wide variety of programs.

Built-in Backups

• Mac Automator supports Calendar Alarms; these are triggered when an event in your Calendar happens.

• We will use Calendar Alarms to create a daily, recurring event to copy files.

1. Open Finder and go into the Applications folder.

2. Double-click the Automator icon.
   
   

3. When Automator opens, a dialog window prompts you to choose a type for your document.
   
   

4. Select Calendar Alarm and click Choose. 
   
   Calendar Alarms are triggered when an event in your Calendar happens. We will use this to create a daily, recurring event to copy files.

5. At the top of the Automator window is are buttons labelled Actions and Variables. Make sure Actions is highlighted.
   
   

Add the Find Finder Items Action Step

1. In the search bar to the right, enter: find finder items 
   
   

2. The list below the search bar automatically filters.
   
   

3. Double-click Find Finder Items or drag it to the gray work flow area.
   
   This is what the action looks like at first:
   
   

4. In the Search dropdown, choose Other... and navigate to your FileMaker Server Backups folder.

5. Click the "Any content" dropdown and choose: Label.

6. Click the "is" dropdown and change it to "is not"

7. Select the green icon.

8. This Step will find all files in the Backups folder whose label icon is NOT green.

9. This is what the action looks like now:
   
   

Add the Label Finder Items Action Step

1. In the top search bar, enter: label finder items 
   
   

2. The list below the search bar automatically filters.
   
   

3. Double-click Label Finder Items or drag it to the gray work flow area.
   
   This is what the action looks like at first:
   
   

4. Select the green icon.
   
   This Action Step will add a green label to all files in the Backups folder.

5. This is what the action looks like now:
   
   

Add the Copy Finder Items Action Step

1. In the top search bar, enter: copy finder items 
   
   

2. The list below the search bar automatically filters.
   
   

3. Double-click Copy Finder Items or drag it to the gray work flow area.
   
   This is what the action looks like at first:
   
   

4. Click the "Desktop" dropdown, choose Other... and navigate to your destination folder for copying the files.

5. Check the Replacing existing files checkmark.
   
   This Action Step will copy the found files from the Backups folder.

6. This is what the action looks like now:
   
   

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