Downloads Folder Organizer Pro

macOS only: this project uses AppleScript and Finder automation, so it is designed to run only on Mac.

Automatically organizes files in your Downloads folder into:

• Images: jpg, jpeg, png, gif, bmp, svg, ico, webp, tiff, heic
• Documents: pdf, doc, docx, txt, xlsx, xls, ppt, pptx, rtf, odt, pages, numbers, keynote
• Archives: zip, dmg, pkg, rar, 7z, tar, gz
• Videos: mp4, mov, avi, mkv, flv, wmv, webm, m4v
• Music: mp3, wav, aac, flac, m4a, opus, alac, ogg

Also includes:

• Log file: ~/Desktop/OrganizerLog.txt
• Cache file: ~/Library/Preferences/OrganizerCache.txt

About the App

DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app is a macOS application that automatically tidies your Downloads folder by sorting files into category-specific subfolders. Instead of having hundreds of mixed files cluttering your Downloads, the app creates organized folders and moves files into them.

What it does:

• Scans your Downloads folder for files
• Creates category folders (Images, Documents, Archives, Videos, Music) if they don't exist
• Moves files into the appropriate category folder based on file type
• Logs all actions so you know what was organized
• Caches processed files to avoid redundant moves on future runs

When to use it:

• Your Downloads folder is getting messy and hard to navigate
• You want a hands-off way to auto-organize files as they download
• You need to clean up an existing Downloads folder (run once, or keep it open)

How to use it:

1. One-time cleanup: Open the app, let it run, and close it when done
2. Ongoing auto-organization: Open the app and leave it running—it automatically organizes every 5 minutes
3. Check results: Open ~/Desktop/OrganizerLog.txt to see what files were moved and where

Support & Customization:ion:

If you want to modify file types or category names, edit OrganizerBaseline.scpt in Script Editor before running the app.

important:::

Quick Start

1. Open DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app.
2. The app runs and organizes your Downloads folder.
3. Keep it open if you want auto-runs every 5 minutes (stay-open mode).
4. Check ~/Desktop/OrganizerLog.txt to see what was moved.

If macOS says the app is "damaged" or won't open

Because this is a shared AppleScript app bundle and may not be notarized, macOS Gatekeeper can block it on other devices.

1) Remove quarantine flags (recommended first)

Run this in Terminal (replace the path with your real app path):

xattr -cr "/path/to/DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app"

eg:

xattr -cr "$HOME/Downloads/DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app"

Then try opening the app again.

2) Use Open Anyway if still blocked

1. Go to System Settings -> t; Privacy & Securityrity.
2. In the Security section, find the blocked app message.
3. Click Open Anyway, then confirm.

3) One-time bypass from Finder

1. Right-click DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app.
2. Click Open.
3. Click Open again in the warning dialog.

4) Final fallback: run the script directly

If the app still fails to open, use Script Editor directly:

1. Open OrganizerBaseline.scpt in Script Editor.
2. Click the Run button.
3. Grant Finder/Desktop/Downloads permissions if prompted.

This runs the organizer logic even if the .app wrapper is blocked.

If needed, re-download or re-copy the .app bundle and run xattr -cr again.

Demo

Developer/Test Modes

If you open OrganizerBaseline.scpt, there are three modes:

• organizeBaseline: slow baseline (file-by-file loop)
• organizeBatchNoCache: optimized batch moves
• organizeBatchWithCache: batch + cache (default mode)

Note: In default mode, files already in cache are skipped on future runs.

Optimization Summary

Optimization 1: Batch Apple Events

• Before: move files one by one inside a repeat loop.
• After: move grouped file lists per category.

Optimization 2: Caching

• Before: every run re-processes the same files.
• After: previously processed filenames are skipped using cache.

Results (Example)

Performance Measurement (For Sidequest Evidence)

1) Runtime

Run each mode on the same test data set and record the time from dialog/log:

• organizeBaseline
• organizeBatchNoCache
• organizeBatchWithCache (run twice; record second run)

2) Apple Events Activity

Use Script Editor event log, or monitor Finder activity:

log stream --style compact --predicate 'process == "Finder"'

3) Memory Usage

ps -axo pid,comm,rss | grep -i "DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro\|OrganizerBaseline\|osascript"

rss is in KB. Divide by 1024 to get MB.

Stay-Open Packaging (Flavortown)

1. Open OrganizerBaseline.scpt in Script Editor.
2. Click File -> Export.rt.
3. Set File Format to Application.
4. Enable Stay open after run handler.
5. Save as DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app.

Optional: Sign before sharing (maintainer)

If you distribute the app to other Macs, signing helps reduce launch warnings.

codesign --force --deep --sign - "/path/to/DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app"

Notes:

• --sign - uses ad-hoc signing (no paid certificate required).
• For best trust on external machines, use a Developer ID certificate and notarization.

Reference and credits: Applescript examples