EDIT a rule + "Data Last Matched" parameter

Hi
I have searched for this in forum, thinking it must be here but did not find the answer. Apologises if it is a duplicate question.

As I am getting to understand Hazel, I am tweaking the rules.
In all my rules they include e.g. Date Last Matched is after Date Last Modified

However, some times after an edit, Hazel, processes for all items in the folder. These times are when there are more than 1 Hazel rules for that file. Sometimes 2 sometimes 4 distinct hazel rules.

As sometimes 100s of files in the folder - as a temporary measure, I then stop hazel. unclick the rule and put another line to say process only after a certain timeframe e.g. 1minute ago. Reclick the rule as active and turn hazel back on.

Is there any means to ask Hazel to stop processing immediately?
Is Date Last Matched per rule or for all rules?

thankyou for any help

You can stop Hazel but otherwise, I'm not sure what the issue is. Date last matched is per file.

Last edited by NoodleNewbie on Sat Aug 04, 2018 9:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Thankyou. Now it makes sense

Date Last Matched is per file
I had misunderstood it to be Data Last Matched is by rule per file

What is the best way to stop re-processing of a file after editing 1 of the 10 hazel rules?
So the file will have a Last Matched date. But that could be for any one of hte 10 rules, not the rule I am currently changing.

Not sure if I'm completely following you. If a file matches the same rule it did before, it won't fire its actions. If anything changes, then Hazel will re-scan though nothing may come of it. If it's something else, then could you elaborate?

The file has 10 rules on it. Thus the "date last matched" is referring to the "last rule that ran by Hazel on this file" rather than "the specific rule that has been changed that will be run on this file"

So how do I tell Hazel do not re-process a file, if it has already processed that file, where processed = a specific rule

Thankyou for your help.

If you absolutely do not want a file reprocessed even if you change the rules, then you should add a tag to it when it is processed. Then, as the first rule, have "If Tags contain tag <<<your special tag>>> Then Ignore".

Last edited by NoodleNewbie on Mon Aug 06, 2018 6:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Thankyou. That makes sense.

I had been using color label e.g. RED = not processed, GREEN = processed.
Is there any difference to using tags? same load etc..

The bit I learnt was, you must set the file attribute (e.g. color label = xxx or tag = "not processed"), before you copy the file elsewhere, if you want the attribute in/on/attached the copied file. Simpe but being a newbie, I missed this.

It's a bit confusing as color labels and tags are intermingled but they are basically equivalent for most uses.