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- How to batch install multiple sims2pack files on a Mac
Replies: 0 (Who?), Viewed: 5141 times.
#1
20th Dec 2010 at 4:44 PM
Posts: 2
How to batch install multiple sims2pack files on a Mac
I play The Sims 2 on a Mac and I've been downloading a lot of custom content recently. Consequently the lack of tools for Mac such as SimPE and the Clean Installer, and the limited usefulness of WooHoo and Maxis' Package Installer, have become a problem for me. After a while of ruining my wrists installing hundreds of packages individually, I decided to make my own way around the problem, and found such a solution in Automator.Automator is a little application that allows you to easily create workflows or applications to automate repetitive tasks, with or without human input. It ships with versions of Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and later. I created a workflow workaround to install multiple sims2pack files using Automator and an application called Automator Multi-Item Processing Utility, available for free from Automated Workflows, LLC. It's attached to this message, but I'm not sure whether it will work for everyone so you may have to create your own using the instructions below. Don't worry, it's quite simple!
How to Use the Batch Installer (attached)
First I'll tell you how to use the application I've attached; if it doesn't work, scroll down to find out how to make your own.
Before you begin, make sure that Package Installer (the little app that's installed along with The Sims 2) is set as the default application for opening sims2pack files. Select a sims2pack file and go to File > Get Info. In the little window that opens check that Package Installer is selected in the "Open With" section. If it isn't, select it from the drop-down menu (if it isn't in the menu, go to "Other…" and navigate to Package Installer, which should be in the same folder as The Sims 2) and press the "Change All" button under the drop-down menu. Press "Continue" in the alert that pops up. You should now be ready.
All you need to do to use the batch installer is to select all the sims2pack files you want to install, and drag them onto the application's icon. Now don't touch your computer. It should launch Package Installer and begin moving the mouse by itself to press the Install button for each package. If you move the mouse or switch to another application it may interrupt the process (if there's a better way of doing this I'd certainly like to know, but this is the only way I've found). The application will move each package file to the Trash after it's been installed, and should leave behind any which fail the process. If you install them manually when it's over they should work fine.
How to Make Your Own Batch Installer
If the attached app doesn't work, you'll need to make your own.
Begin by opening Automator (in your Applications folder) and choose Application as your template, as shown in fig. 1 (if the template window doesn't appear, don't worry; skip to the next step and we'll deal with it later).
You'll be presented with an empty workflow. Select the "Files & Folders" category in the library on the left, select the "Filter Finder Items" action and drag it to the workflow space on the right. Use the menus to create the filter, "[File extension] [is] [sims2pack]" as shown in fig. 2. Next, drag the action "Set Application for Files" to the workflow and set the application to Package Installer, then do the same for the "Open Files" action [fig. 2].
Now, go back to the Finder and open a sims2pack file with Package Installer. Don't install it yet. Be sure not to move the Package Installer window. Go back to Automator and press the Record button at the top of the window. Automator will disappear, to be replaced by a little black dialog that says "Automator: Recording" with a stop button. Follow the next instructions exactly: click on the Package Installer icon in the dock, click the "Install" button, and then press the stop button on the Automator dialog.
The Automator window should return, with a new action entitled "Watch Me Do" with the events "Click "Package Installer" in the Dock." and "Bring the window "The Sims 2 Package Installer" to the front." If there is anything else there, you've done something wrong. You need to delete the "Watch Me Do" action and repeat the recording process correctly. When you've got this, drag the Playback Speed slider on the right to 10x, and add the action "Move Finder Items To The Trash" to the end of the workflow. [fig. 3]
Now, if you began by selecting Application as your template, select "Save" from the File menu, give your new application a name and save it to the desktop. If you began with a normal workflow, choose "Save As…" and choose Application as the file format in the resultant dialog. Either way, it's probably a good idea to save a copy of your app as a workflow too, just in case you got something wrong and need to change it later.
Now download the Automator Multi-Item Processing Utility from the Automated Workflows LLC website and drag your app onto its icon. Save the new app somewhere convenient (e.g. the Applications folder, from where you could add it to your dock) and delete the original from your desktop.
Now, when you drag a bunch of sims2pack files or a folder containing them onto your new app, it should open them with Package Installer one by one, click Install and trash the package before moving onto the next. You'll need to leave your computer alone until it's finished, since I'm uncertain of the consequences of interrupting the process, but you should probably check on it every now and then to make sure it hasn't stalled.
And there you have it! It's an imperfect solution, but it's better than carpal tunnel syndrome. If anyone hears of a better solution or thinks of a way of improving this one I'd be grateful if they posted it here and/or PM'd me. Let me know too if you found this app helpful or have problems with it, it'd help me to improve it.
Attached files:
sims2pack installer (Multi).zip (105.3 KB, 245 downloads) - View custom content | ||
0 12-18-06 06:52 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/ 0 12-18-06 06:52 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/ 1261 12-18-06 06:52 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Info.plist 0 12-18-06 06:52 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/MacOS/ 33740 12-18-06 06:52 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/MacOS/droplet 8 12-18-06 06:52 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/PkgInfo 0 12-20-10 08:47 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/ 0 12-18-06 06:52 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/description.rtfd/ 101 12-18-06 06:52 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/description.rtfd/TXT.rtf 68902 12-18-06 06:03 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/droplet.icns 362 12-18-06 06:52 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/droplet.rsrc 323 12-20-10 08:47 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/prefs.plist 0 12-18-06 06:52 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/Scripts/ 5786 12-20-10 09:11 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/Scripts/main.scpt 0 12-20-10 09:33 __MACOSX/ 0 12-20-10 09:33 __MACOSX/sims2pack installer (Multi).app/ 0 12-20-10 09:33 __MACOSX/sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/ 0 12-20-10 09:33 __MACOSX/sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/ 0 12-20-10 09:33 __MACOSX/sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/Scripts/ 82 12-20-10 09:11 __MACOSX/sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/Scripts/._main.scpt 0 12-20-10 08:47 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/suck my sims2pack.app/ 0 12-20-10 08:47 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/suck my sims2pack.app/Contents/ 31115 12-20-10 08:47 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/suck my sims2pack.app/Contents/document.wflow 1626 12-20-10 08:47 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/suck my sims2pack.app/Contents/Info.plist 0 08-26-10 04:41 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/suck my sims2pack.app/Contents/MacOS/ 38568 02-11-10 03:58 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/suck my sims2pack.app/Contents/MacOS/Application Stub 8 02-11-10 03:58 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/suck my sims2pack.app/Contents/PkgInfo 0 02-11-10 03:58 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/suck my sims2pack.app/Contents/Resources/ 40312 02-11-10 03:58 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/suck my sims2pack.app/Contents/Resources/AutomatorApplet.icns 0 02-11-10 03:59 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/suck my sims2pack.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/ 0 02-11-10 03:58 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/suck my sims2pack.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/ApplicationStub.nib/ 13350 02-11-10 03:58 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/suck my sims2pack.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/ApplicationStub.nib/keyedobjects.nib 448 02-11-10 03:59 sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/suck my sims2pack.app/Contents/version.plist 82 12-20-10 08:47 __MACOSX/sims2pack installer (Multi).app/Contents/Resources/._suck my sims2pack.app -------- ------- 236074 34 files |
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Description: sims2pack batch installer for Mac |
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