Applescript - Recursively searching through directories - macos

Question

I have a script that was generously created by another user here, but I've found that it doesn't read recursively through directories. The goal of the script is to read through all sub directories of a directory selected in the Finder, and to write out any absolute paths of files that are 255 characters or longer (path not filename). This is to find files with absolute path lengths that are too long on OSX for a Windows machine with the 255 character path limit, before transferring them from one to the other.
I've tried referencing this post to make it recursive but to no avail as the approach here appears quite different: AppleScript Processing Files in Folders recursively
on run
set longPaths to {}
tell application "Finder" to set theSel to selection
repeat with aFile in theSel
set aFile to aFile as string
set pathLength to count of characters in aFile
if pathLength > 255 then
set end of longPaths to aFile
end if
end repeat
if longPaths is not equal to {} then
-- do something with your list of long paths, write them to a text file or whatever you want
set pathToYourTextFile to (path to desktop folder as string)&"SampleTextFile.txt"
set tFile to open for access file (pathToYourTextFile as string) with write permission
repeat with filePath in longPaths
write (filePath & return as string) to tFile starting at eof
end repeat
close access tFile
end if
end run
Does anyone know the best way to add a recursive element to this script so that theSel includes all files in the subdirectories of the selected directory?

Answer 1

Here's a script which read recursively through directories:
property theOpenFile : missing value
tell application "Finder" to set theSel to selection
if theSel is not {} then
set pathToYourTextFile to (path to desktop folder as string) & "SampleTextFile2.txt"
set theOpenFile to open for access file (pathToYourTextFile as string) with write permission
repeat with aItem in theSel
tell application "Finder" to class of aItem is folder
if the result then my getFilesIn(aItem) -- aItem is a folder
end repeat
close access theOpenFile
end if
on getFilesIn(thisFolder)
tell application "Finder" to set theseFiles to files of thisFolder as alias list
repeat with thisFile in theseFiles
set f to thisFile as string
set pathLength to length of f
if pathLength > 255 then my writeToFile(f)
end repeat
tell application "Finder" to set theseSubFolders to folders of thisFolder
repeat with tSubF in theseSubFolders
my getFilesIn(tSubF) -- call this handler (recursively through this folder)
end repeat
end getFilesIn
on writeToFile(t)
write (t & return) to theOpenFile starting at eof
end writeToFile

Answer 2

Try:
tell application "Finder" to set theSel to every file in (get entire contents of selection)
Or something like that. Sorry, I am without a Mac to test the precise code. Whenever you ask for entire contents, you get everything in all subfolders of your chosen folder.