Rule works then seemingly randomly matches everything again

Hi

I have a rule setup that watches a folder resides on my Unraid server. I have macOS setup to mount that volume via smb. The rule looks for new files added to that folder or its subfolders then copies them to a folder on an external drive.

The rule works most of the time, but sometimes it starts to copy everything from the source folder again. It's 1000s of files so it's quite inconvenient as you imagine. I can't figure out any patterns to when it matches everything again.

The first criteria in the rules is "date added is after date last matched" but that doesn't seem to prevent it from matching everything again. Is it something to do with being a remote volume? I can't figure out where I'm going wrong.

Try the troubleshooting guide here: https://www.noodlesoft.com/kb/hazel-tro ... ing-guide/

When it happens again, use the preview to check the various values of the dates.

Mr_Noodle wrote:Try the troubleshooting guide here: https://www.noodlesoft.com/kb/hazel-tro ... ing-guide/

When it happens again, use the preview to check the various values of the dates.

Edit to add: Actually it went through the whole match again and copied the files. Once it was completed, it updated the date last matched. However, the preview is showing the date added and the data last matched as the exact same. I also forgot to mention that file that gets copied will be deleted from the destination folder shortly after being added. Does that make a difference in the match date?

Original post: The files aren't showing a date last matched. So it seems to think every matching file is new. Unless I'm misunderstanding how the preview and/or matching date work.

Is there something re-creating the source file?

Mr_Noodle wrote:Is there something re-creating the source file?

Not that I'm aware of. Unless Unraid is doing something funky.

Is the file supposed to be deleted at the destination supposed to happen or that that's another issue?

You are saying the date last matched is getting updated. Is the date added being updated after that?

Mr_Noodle wrote:Is the file supposed to be deleted at the destination supposed to happen or that that's another issue?

You are saying the date last matched is getting updated. Is the date added being updated after that?

Sorry about the wording. The file is supposed to be deleted once it hits the destination folder. A different app imports the file and deletes the one from the destination folder.

If I check a file with preview in Hazel that was just copied in the last mass copy, the date added is the same as the date last matched. If I check the created date in Finder, it shows it was back in August. So it seems Hazel is using its own date added?

More likely Finder is wrong in this case. Especially if you are using the "List" view, it sometimes makes up dates. If you do "Get Info" on the file, those dates are more accurate.

Unless you are saying you added those files back in August and haven't touched them since.

Mr_Noodle wrote:More likely Finder is wrong in this case. Especially if you are using the "List" view, it sometimes makes up dates. If you do "Get Info" on the file, those dates are more accurate.

Unless you are saying you added those files back in August and haven't touched them since.

Yeah I added them in August and haven't touched them myself. The date added from Finder was from the get info panel. Could it be anything to do with Finder screwing up dates whenever the smb share is disconnected and reconnected?

If that volume is being unmounted and mounted again, it might trigger the rules. It might be resetting the date last matched. I'd consider adding some other conditions to prevent a file matching after it's already been matched in that case.