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sorry if this was asked before, i did not find anything.

here is the simplifed data structure (:

AMINALS
├─ _NEWDATA………...…."source folder"
├─ 01_DOGS
│ ├─ _newdata_dogs…….one of 95 "target folders"
│ ├─ dogype1
│ ├─ dogtype2
│ └─ dogype3
├─ 02_CATS
│ ├─ _newdata_cats……...one of 95 "target folders"
│ ├─ catttype1
│ ├─ cattype2
│ └─ cattype3
├─ 03_HORSES…………...etc etc as above 95 times
├─ 04_...
└─ 95_SQUIRRELS


SO FAR
i simply made 95 rules for the source folder "_NEWDATA"
95 x "move these specific files into this specific target folder"
worked perfectly fine.

BUT NOW
i have to both rename+move the folder "ANIMALS" to a new location,
that means all 95 rules are broken

QUESTION
every time the folder "ANIMALS" is renamed or moved
the 95 rules have to be manually corrected?
i hope there is a smarter way (:
thank you very much for feedback!

You can use the Replace folder function for this. That said, you may want to look into consolidating your 95 rules. You can probably use patterns to some degree to eliminate most of them.

"You can use the Replace folder function for this."
thank you very much! worked like a charm!

"use patterns to some degree to eliminate most of them."
all the 95 terms are unique.
the only pattern is between "the file names" and "the targetfolfer names"...

sorry for my english!
for my example i should have picked a name for the source folder
that is totally different to the name of the target folders.

anyway, i would need a sophisticated rule the likes of:
move every file from the source folder "_NEWDATA"
IF the file has the same word in it
as one of the subfolders named *newdata_*

therefore > "germandog32.jpg" to "newdata_dogs";
"persian-catandkitten.png" to "newdata_cats"
etc

hehehe, this would be soooooo luxurious
i hope you understand what i mean, thank you for further feedback!

You might be able to use a custom text attribute to match that word in the file and then use a Sort into subfolder with a wildcard token around the custom match token.

Another option is to use a custom table attribute. The manual has more details on how this all works.

love your product! just paypaled you 150$ to show that i do not want to waste your time.

after hours of noobing i now understand how to
>sort all files matching "…dog..."
>into an existing subfolder matching "…dogx...'"
>this rule still works if i rename the subfolder, as long as it has "dogx" in it

…

i now hope thisbehaviour is somehow possible "across folders levels",
it would be my greatest pleasure to paypal another 300$
if you can help me with the new question!


NEW QUESTION
without changing the folders structure is there a way to:

only out of the folder "research"
"automatically sort"
any file matching "…dog…"
if there is a folder matching "…dogx…"
anywhere else in the structure

as opposed to a simple "move" rule
this dynamic rule would still work if i rename or move the target folder,
as long as it still has "dogx" in it



ADMIN
├─ office
├─ hr
├─ research.....................…."source folder"

ANIMALS
├─ 01_DOGS
│ ├─ newdata_dogx………."dynamic word based target folder"
│ ├─ dogtype1
│ ├─ dogtype2
│ └─ dogype3
├─ 02_CATS
│ ├─ newdata_catx………."dynamic word based target folder"
│ ├─ catttype1
│ ├─ cattype2
│ └─ cattype3
├─ 03_HORSES…………...etc etc as above


thank you for your feedback!

First off, there is no need to give me extra money. Can you tell me the transaction id so i can look it up and return it?

As for subfolders, look up "subfolders" in the manual. That outlines how to tell Hazel to go into subfolders. You can modify the rule there to limit which folders or how deep to go.

"First off, there is no need to give me extra money."
sorry for the misunderstanding, please give to a charity of your choice - BD671766C554631D

can you please connect me with a hazel specialist offering 1:1 consulting?
no need for screensharing - mail with screenshots is fine.
i pay one hour in advance, no problem.
thank you for a connection!

It looks like you sent the money to a different email address than the one I use for PayPal so I can't really claim it anyways. You should keep it or donate it yourself.

Check the Apple Consultants Network (https://technicalpartners.apple.com/). You might be able to find someone there. You are also free to post here for direction.

"it looks like you sent the money to a different email address than the one I use for PayPal"
i sent it to address i saw on paypal when i bought the software (support@noodlesoft.com)
but i checked and it indeed says "The recipient has not yet accepted the payment",
and it will come back to me automatically.
sorry again for the confusion.

"You are also free to post here for direction"
thank you, much apprechiated.

explaining to a stranger what i need in broken english,
will require time to understand me,
hence my desire to involve money (:

the "new question" (june 04) is important to me in how i use the product.

i am trying to find out if and how i can replace static rules,
that break every time i rename/move the target folder,
with smarter, dynamic rules.

STATIC RULE: "if name contains 'abc'" then "move to folder 'xyz'"
DYNAMIC RULE: "if name matches '…abc….' " then "move info folder with pattern '… xyz….'"

i want something different than "sort info subfolder with pattern '…xy….'" (:

see the example in the "NEW QUESTION"
the target folder ist not a subfolder of the source folder.


SUMMARY
if i understand hazel correctly such a "dynamic rule"
is only possible if the "target folder" ist a "direct subfolder" of the "source folder"

hence your feedback "You can modify the rule there to limit which folders or how deep to go"

but if the target folder is somwhere else in the structure,
i have to work with "static rules".

well, i hope you understand my question (:
thank you for further feedback!

You can move the file to another folder then sort it there.

If you want to detect some text and then sort it into a folder with different text, look into custom table attributes. You can set up a table with these mappings. Have the rule condition match on one column but then in the sort action, use the other column.

thank you very much for your answer, much appreciated!

unfortunately "custom table attributes" are above my skillgrade,
time to admit defeat (:

Try going through the example in the help on a test rule on a test folder to get a sense of how to do it and see if it clicks with you.