Preview Rule Matches… usage

[sjk]

Is Preview Rule Matches… intended to be used (mostly) as a debug tool while Hazel isn't running? I arrived at that question after noticing newly-added rules are immediately active after configuration unless Hazel is stopped. Would it make sense to be able to configure new rules/actions that aren't immediately active while Hazel is running? I'm trying to develop a Hazel configuration workflow that minimizes stoppages and not having rules/actions firing before I want them to. Thanks for any tips on doing that.

[Mr_Noodle]

The workflow is the way it is to keep things simple and straightforward. It may not be the most efficient for certain cases but I think not activating rules on creation will cause a lot of confusion or annoyance since 90% of the time, that's what users expect to happen.

The global start/stop may be a bit rough-grained but it serves it's purpose. There has been a request or two for disabling a folder at a time but I feel adding another level of control will clutter the interface plus make things harder to debug. It adds yet another level where things can go wrong which is an extra thing users have to remember to keep track of when their rules are not working.

So, you'll have to deal with stopping things for short bits while editing your rules. The question I have is do you spend all that much time editing rules (so much so that the workflow stoppages are unacceptable)?

[sjk]

So, you'll have to deal with stopping things for short bits while editing your rules.

That's fine. I'm adaptable.

The question I have is do you spend all that much time editing rules (so much so that the workflow stoppages are unacceptable)?

If Hazel is monitoring folders that only change with explicit activity (which I'd prefer to retain that control over) then workflow stoppages aren't going to be an issue. It's a matter of remembering to stop Hazel in cases where I'd want to double-check more complex rules/actions before they become active on some folder (e.g. Desktop) that I may change relatively soon afterwards.

I'd like newly-added rules to be disabled by default, allowing me to enable them when ready vs. stopping Hazel, adding rules, then restarting Hazel. A "Do you want to make this rule active?" dialog after adding one would be one way to handling this, avoiding a full Hazel stop/start cycle. I don't think anything needs to change when editing an existing rule because its Active column gives me a visual cue that helps me choose whether or not to disable it before editing.

Summarizing my initial experience:

When I added a rule while Hazel was running I expected the rule to be disabled by default (or prompted to enable/disable it). Seems I needed to know a priori that the only way to avoid automatically enabling the rule was to stop Hazel first. Hmm.

I can "deal with" stopping Hazel to avoid prematurely enabling risky newly-added rules, while still doubting it's the optimal way of handling them. I'll take it as a compliment if I'm an atypical user for being aware of and caring about such things.