A PowerShell (Windows) script that watches folder for new files and archives (moves) them somewhere else.
- Runs in console without user interaction, with predefined settings.
- Can be set to start only while specified app is started (and stop when it stops), what makes this script 100% effortless for user – it starts/runs/stops in background. Instructions are embedded in file – they involve creating a new task in Scheduler which waits for the app to start/stop.
Invented primarily for Gnucash but works for any type of files or directory.
GnuCash creates a lot of backup and log files in the directory of a file that user currently works on. This makes the directory clutter very quickly (depending on GnuCash settings).
Paste the path to GnuCash.exe into code of both task triggers, e.g.:
and *[EventData[Data[@Name='NewProcessName'] and (Data='C:\Program Files (x86)\gnucash\bin\gnucash.exe')]]
and
and *[EventData[Data[@Name='ProcessName'] and (Data='C:\Program Files (x86)\gnucash\bin\gnucash.exe')]].
Paste your PowerShell custom window title into the code of the task action, e.g.: cmd /c (FOR /F "tokens=1 USEBACKQ" %a IN (`tasklist /fi "imagename eq powershell.exe" /fo table /nh`) DO (if "%a"=="powershell.exe" (taskkill /im powershell.exe /fi "windowtitle eq GnuCash Folder Watcher" & exit) else (start powershell.exe -file "C:\Path\To\FolderWatcher.ps1" & exit)))
# SETTINGS
$host.ui.RawUI.WindowTitle = "GnuCash Folder Watcher" #appears also in Scheduled Task action above!
$homeDir = 'C:\Path\To\Directory\Budget'
$archiveDir = 'C:\Path\To\Directory\Budget\Archive'
$filter = '*.gnucash.*.*'
Optionally uncomment a line that clears the directory of desired files before Watcher init:
Move-Item "$homeDir\$filter" "$archiveDir".