Null Message In Console

Hazel is failing on most of my files and I can't figure out why. The only thing I can figure out about these files is that after the initial rule match, nothing happens, then they start to have a (null) message repeat over and over in the logs:

Code: Select all: 2009-07-28 09:41:41.630 hazelfolderwatch[35617] DSCN0835.JPG: Rule Images matched. 2009-07-28 09:41:58.060 (null)[0] DSCN0835.JPG: Rule Images matched. 2009-07-28 09:42:23.112 (null)[0] DSCN0835.JPG: Rule Images matched.

I have noticed, sometimes, if I move the (null)-identified file to an unwatched folder, Hazel will happily work on the next files in line, until it finds another (null) file. At that point it again completely stops sorting files.

Right now I have 48 files in my downloads folder (mostly JPGs with a few FLV, MP3 and DMG files), and it looks like all of them are causing the (null) message. Since this started happening, I've turned off all my rules except for one... a simple one to sort all JPGs in my downloads folder to subfolders based on the web site I downloaded them from.

When I turn debugging on it looks like this:

Code: Select all: 2009-07-28 09:21:45.540 (null)[0] DEBUG: Program is licensed. 2009-07-28 09:21:45.544 hazelfolderwatch[29691] DEBUG: Could not scan past browser.download.dir preference 2009-07-28 09:21:45.553 hazelfolderwatch[29691] DEBUG: Initialized 2009-07-28 09:21:45.553 hazelfolderwatch[29691] DEBUG: Pausing to wait for things to settle down. 2009-07-28 09:21:47.554 hazelfolderwatch[29691] DEBUG: Processing directories: ( "/Users/mrpeanut/Downloads" ) 2009-07-28 09:21:47.554 hazelfolderwatch[29691] DEBUG: About to process directory /Users/mrpeanut/Downloads 2009-07-28 09:21:47.573 hazelfolderwatch[29691] DSCN0834.JPG: Rule Images matched. 2009-07-28 09:21:47.573 hazelfolderwatch[29691] DEBUG: New rule signature. Executing actions. Old signature: (null) New Signature:{typeObject isType: "public.image" OR extension LIKE[cd] "jpg"}:{(createfolder:( Images, {pathSeparator}, "Images (", {sourceDomain}, ")" ),{ })}

Any idea what's going on?

That (null) is just the process name. I don't think it means anything bad beyond that. There's just some bug now where it loses track of it for logging purposes. You should instead focus on the message after that part but the (null) in and of itself shouldn't indicate anything wrong.

Can you describe what actual things are not working? Have you previewed your rules and do things look ok there?

If I only use the rule "Kind is image", then nothing matches.

Same with "Kind is music", "Kind is movie" and "Kind is text clipping". It looks like none of the "Kind is ___" rules are working.

If I add the rule "Extension is jpg" to my Images rule, then the images match in the preview, but nothing happens. Even if I remove the "Kind is image" rule and keep the "Extension is jpg" rule, nothing happens.

Some extension rules work if I run them by themselves... for instance, torrent files match and are sorted with the rule "Extension is torrent".

If none of the "Kind" stuff is working then I suspect it's a Spotlight issue. First check to make sure the files aren't covered by your Spotlight privacy settings in System Preferences.

If everything looks ok there, then use the 'mdutil' command to determine if indexing is turned off for that drive. If indexing enabled, then you can use the 'mdimport' command to force indexing of those files. Let me know if you need help with these.

The logs you've pasted so far look ok unless there is some error happening outside of the part you've shown. Maybe you should post what your actual rules are.

OK I rebuilt the Spotlight index and it looks like it helped. A lot of the images worked, but not all of them.

I managed to identify a pattern though... most of the files that didn't work are files I created myself.

Here's the rule I am using:

Description: Images
If any of the following conditions are met
Kind is Image
Do the following:
Sort file into subfolder with pattern Downloads (Sorted) > Images > Images (domain)

So it looks like if the file doesn't have a valid domain, Hazel is getting stuck. This has been happening with some video files as well, and I believe they are all files I downloaded with Firefox, which doesn't save the domain information like Safari does.

I think I confirmed it. Anything that has a "domain" rule fails if the file doesn't have an embedded domain (like when Safari adds the domain to a downloaded file). This action doesn't work:

Sort file into subfolder with pattern Downloads (Sorted) > Images > Images (domain)

but by removing this ending subfolder from my rule:

> Images (domain)

the action works. It worked with the movies and audio files that were tripping me up too.

By the way, I have seen the original rule work... maybe in an earlier version. The images that didn't have a domain just got sorted into an "Images ()" folder.

Testing it here, if there is no domain, it just comes up as blank so "Images (domain)" just comes up as "Images ". If it is not working, please check the logs. You may want to turn on debug mode. See the sticky article near the top of this forum. If you are running 2.3 or later, you can do this easily by going to the "Info" tab, holding down the option key and checking the debug mode button that shows up. Remember to turn if back off when you are done as it can generate a lot of logs.

OK... I have just the image rule turned on, and there's a picture I made in the downloads folder, so this is what I get in the logs (over and over):

Code: Select all: 2009-08-03 17:42:39.385 (null)[0] DEBUG: Program is licensed. 2009-08-03 17:42:39.390 hazelfolderwatch[9968] DEBUG: Could not scan past browser.download.dir preference 2009-08-03 17:42:39.418 hazelfolderwatch[9968] DEBUG: Initialized 2009-08-03 17:42:39.418 hazelfolderwatch[9968] DEBUG: Pausing to wait for things to settle down. 2009-08-03 17:42:41.418 hazelfolderwatch[9968] DEBUG: Processing directories: ( "/Users/mrpeanut/Downloads" ) 2009-08-03 17:42:41.427 hazelfolderwatch[9968] DEBUG: About to process directory /Users/mrpeanut/Downloads 2009-08-03 17:42:41.434 hazelfolderwatch[9968] Flying-Snakes-Cover-600x600.jpg: Rule Images matched. 2009-08-03 17:42:41.434 hazelfolderwatch[9968] DEBUG: New rule signature. Executing actions. Old signature: (null) New Signature:{typeObject isType: "public.image"}:{(createfolder:( "Downloads (Sorted)", {pathSeparator}, Images, {pathSeparator}, "Images (", {sourceDomain}, ")" ),{ })} 2009-08-03 17:47:39.434 (null)[0] DEBUG: Program is licensed. 2009-08-03 17:47:39.440 hazelfolderwatch[9992] DEBUG: Could not scan past browser.download.dir preference 2009-08-03 17:47:39.490 hazelfolderwatch[9992] DEBUG: Initialized 2009-08-03 17:47:39.490 hazelfolderwatch[9992] DEBUG: Pausing to wait for things to settle down. 2009-08-03 17:47:41.490 hazelfolderwatch[9992] DEBUG: Processing directories: ( "/Users/mrpeanut/Downloads" ) 2009-08-03 17:47:41.502 hazelfolderwatch[9992] DEBUG: About to process directory /Users/mrpeanut/Downloads 2009-08-03 17:47:41.512 hazelfolderwatch[9992] Flying-Snakes-Cover-600x600.jpg: Rule Images matched. 2009-08-03 17:47:41.512 hazelfolderwatch[9992] DEBUG: New rule signature. Executing actions. Old signature: (null) New Signature:{typeObject isType: "public.image"}:{(createfolder:( "Downloads (Sorted)", {pathSeparator}, Images, {pathSeparator}, "Images (", {sourceDomain}, ")" ),{ })} 2009-08-03 17:52:39.431 (null)[0] DEBUG: Program is licensed. 2009-08-03 17:52:39.435 hazelfolderwatch[10013] DEBUG: Could not scan past browser.download.dir preference 2009-08-03 17:52:39.446 hazelfolderwatch[10013] DEBUG: Initialized 2009-08-03 17:52:39.446 hazelfolderwatch[10013] DEBUG: Pausing to wait for things to settle down. 2009-08-03 17:52:41.446 hazelfolderwatch[10013] DEBUG: Processing directories: ( "/Users/mrpeanut/Downloads" ) 2009-08-03 17:52:41.461 hazelfolderwatch[10013] DEBUG: About to process directory /Users/mrpeanut/Downloads 2009-08-03 17:52:41.474 hazelfolderwatch[10013] Flying-Snakes-Cover-600x600.jpg: Rule Images matched. 2009-08-03 17:52:41.474 hazelfolderwatch[10013] DEBUG: New rule signature. Executing actions. Old signature: (null) New Signature:{typeObject isType: "public.image"}:{(createfolder:( "Downloads (Sorted)", {pathSeparator}, Images, {pathSeparator}, "Images (", {sourceDomain}, ")" ),{ })} 2009-08-03 17:57:39.516 (null)[0] DEBUG: Program is licensed. 2009-08-03 17:57:39.520 hazelfolderwatch[10038] DEBUG: Could not scan past browser.download.dir preference 2009-08-03 17:57:39.748 hazelfolderwatch[10038] DEBUG: Initialized 2009-08-03 17:57:39.748 hazelfolderwatch[10038] DEBUG: Pausing to wait for things to settle down. 2009-08-03 17:57:42.019 hazelfolderwatch[10038] DEBUG: Processing directories: ( "/Users/mrpeanut/Downloads" ) 2009-08-03 17:57:42.037 hazelfolderwatch[10038] DEBUG: About to process directory /Users/mrpeanut/Downloads 2009-08-03 17:57:42.046 hazelfolderwatch[10038] Flying-Snakes-Cover-600x600.jpg: Rule Images matched. 2009-08-03 17:57:42.046 hazelfolderwatch[10038] DEBUG: New rule signature. Executing actions. Old signature: (null) New Signature:{typeObject isType: "public.image"}:{(createfolder:( "Downloads (Sorted)", {pathSeparator}, Images, {pathSeparator}, "Images (", {sourceDomain}, ")" ),{ })} 2009-08-03 18:02:39.368 (null)[0] DEBUG: Program is licensed. 2009-08-03 18:02:39.373 hazelfolderwatch[10059] DEBUG: Could not scan past browser.download.dir preference 2009-08-03 18:02:39.382 hazelfolderwatch[10059] DEBUG: Initialized 2009-08-03 18:02:39.382 hazelfolderwatch[10059] DEBUG: Pausing to wait for things to settle down. 2009-08-03 18:02:41.382 hazelfolderwatch[10059] DEBUG: Processing directories: ( "/Users/mrpeanut/Downloads" ) 2009-08-03 18:02:41.382 hazelfolderwatch[10059] DEBUG: About to process directory /Users/mrpeanut/Downloads 2009-08-03 18:02:41.391 hazelfolderwatch[10059] Flying-Snakes-Cover-600x600.jpg: Rule Images matched. 2009-08-03 18:02:41.391 hazelfolderwatch[10059] DEBUG: New rule signature. Executing actions. Old signature: (null) New Signature:{typeObject isType: "public.image"}:{(createfolder:( "Downloads (Sorted)", {pathSeparator}, Images, {pathSeparator}, "Images (", {sourceDomain}, ")" ),{ })}

As you can see, it just keeps repeating the same thing. There are other files in the folder, Hazel just never looks at them.

I'm guessing it's crashing whenever it processes that file. Go to your Library/Logs/CrashReporter folder and see if there are any files starting with 'hazelfolderwatch'. See if the dates/times correspond with the logs. Email me any you find.

Logs sent.

Check the beta forum. The latest release (2.3.2b2) has a fix for this.

Great! That fixed it. Thanks so much!