Hazel Not Using File Created Date

Setup - Source Folder, Folder A, Folder B.

I take a photo with a created date of 12-01-2016 and drop it into source folder. Hazel should then MOVE that file to Folder A (which is on a NAS), then SORT it into a sub folder of year (eventually year/month, but right not just trying to get it to work). After that, it should copy the file into Folder B.

The process works with the exception that the sorting is using today's date (sort folder is 2017) and not the file created date. Any ideas?

(Note, eventually the source folder will be a dropbox folder, but right now I'm just using some test folders I created on my desktop and then a folder on my NAS)

d.pr/X2d3
d.pr/zZ6k

Latest version of Hazel and macOS Sierra.

What does it show as the file creation date when you drop it into the source folder? Depending, it might be the date that you dropped it in there. In that case, you might want to check out other date fields on the file to see if one corresponds to the date you want.

NEVER MIND

The Finder creation dates are off. But the EXIF ones are correct, so I'll have to find a way to extract those.

Still leaves me with the question why the Sort into subfolder works correctly when the creation date according to Finder is off? Can you explain that?

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Hi there,

I can confirm the above behaviour. I've just upgraded to Hazel 4, but have been using Hazel for years. In trying to replicate my Hazel 3 set-up, I noticed the exact same error. But it's intermittent. Here's what's happening:

1. Add photo to a folder with Hazel rules
2. Have a rule to change the photo filename to "Date created"
3. Hazel changes the name to 2017-02-05 instead of the actual date of the photo
4. Hazel sorts in to a sub folder using the CORRECT date, it will put a photo in 2016/December, but the date of the filename will be 2017-02-05

Here's the kicker: the date created of the FOLDER Hazel is watching is 2017-02-05. Also, the timestamp on the photos are wrong as well. The intermittent part is that it doesn't do this on EVERY photo, but if I take a mislabeled one, and put it back in the folder, it will rename it correctly.

Really weird.

Update: Log doesn't show anything weird, just that it renames it wrong the first time, then correctly the next.

Update: Just to be clear, Name Mangler/Better Rename/Finder show the correct creation dates.

I'd need to see the rule to do the rename so I can't answer that.

As for extracting the EXIF info, search the forums as people have come up with scripts to do that (search for "exiftool").

Mr_Noodle wrote:I'd need to see the rule to do the rename so I can't answer that.

As for extracting the EXIF info, search the forums as people have come up with scripts to do that (search for "exiftool").

I'd post the rules, but there's no attachment option.

I know I can script it, but I'd like to keep it as lean as possible with as little dependencies; which is why I use Hazel in the first place…

You'll need to post the image elsewhere and include the link here. If you have any sort of cloud-based file service, you can usually do it there, otherwise try a site like imgur.com.