How to create complex folder structures with just 1 click
Use a simple Shortcuts on your iOS Apple Device to save tons of time and keep your projects folders perfectly organized and always consistent.
Why you should proceed or not proceed reading this article:
Even if the next general principles could be applied to any folder structure on any digital support you are using, I unfortunately still don’t know how to create all the automations and the amazing hacks that the built-in Apple native app iOS Shortcuts are giving even to non programmers users.
All my articles and the tools I provide are always meant and thought to respect your precious time.
So if you are an Android or Windows Phone OS user I greatly respect you but I don’t want you to invest even a minute going on unless you are interested on giving a quick glance on what’s possible to do on iOS devices with little or no experience at all.
But if you are an Apple user you will find in the next few lines all the basics to create your own “1-click automated folder creation tool” and at the end of this article I will also provide a screen recording of the Shortcut in action and a link to a ready-to-go Video Creation Nested Folder Structure Shortcut that you can download and use as-is or even adapt it to your specific needs.
Anyone who is reading this, one day or another, probably has stumbled upon the same question that any content creator, whether is making videos or reportages, recording podcast, writing articles or books, giving courses, public speeches or just a simple presentation, has to confront:
“Where did I saved that piece of information, that note, that picture, that footage, that audio, that #*%’ (fill at your will!) I am now getting so mad at finding out again?”
Don’t break the flow while you are in “the zone”!
When you are planning or drafting your content, if you are somewhat like me, you are probably ending up with multiple browser tabs opened, many links, notes, pictures and contents that you have set apart to help you craft your next creation.
Even for relatively simple video content, the resources scenario could evolve so complex and intricate that without you are even realizing, it really could be too late to fix the structure; you will probably end up cluelessly scratching your head and wasting your time (and sometimes your patience too!) trying to figure out where you have put that missing piece of content that keeps you stuck.
You maybe have your B-rolls on a SD card, other footage on a local drive, some templates or general resources on Dropbox or iCloud, the audio or the voiceovers on your recorder, the music on different online services, the outline on a Google Doc or in Notes, some useful links in Evernote, pictures in the Image folder, and if you use mindmaps or even storyboards, you could have sketched them somewhere on your iPad.
I don’t know about you, but I used to really get annoyed and frustrated when I was in the middle of “The Zone” and I suddenly get stuck because I wasn’t able to immediately find that single missing piece to proceed at full steam ahead.
And sometimes when I get back from the “M.I.A. rescue recovery mission” I found myself having lost all the momentum; getting back to the creation or the editing part had become so hard that I eventually decided to stop and resume the work in a different moment.
Structure your resources before you start your next project!
If you are a professional content creator working everyday on multiple projects at the same time, I am quite sure that you have adopted the following tactics a long time ago, so probably you could skip this section without any worries.
But if you’re an occasional content creator just like me this simple strategy could really save you a lot of time and frustration waiting you down the road!
“ Please do your future self a real favor! “
Resist the temptation to dive-in immediately on the creative part for your next project and give this simple solution a try. I’m quite sure that you will heartfully thank yourself as I have already done not a long time ago. (Today! …as I am writing this)
Any real professional crafter (a cook, a painter, a craftsman, a mechanic,...you name it!) knows that the working place and the setup has to be made upfront the starting of the works and that it will be infinitely easier and better if you prepare your tools and all the “ingredients” of your recipe (or anything you will possibly need) in advance.
Speaking about content creation, anytime I start a new project, even for something like this article, I fire a very simple but really powerful iOS Shortcut that immediately creates inside iCloud a well organized nested folder structure that I will use to store anything that could relate to that specific project.
I have invested a few minutes to plan and figure out what will be the ideal folder structure for any kind of project that involves resources; then I decided a specific and predetermined location for everything that I am sure I will later remember and also get used to, for whatever I will needed further down in the workflow.
So now, anytime I need for example to store B-Rolls footage, or screenshots for a tutorial, or adding content to an article outline, or storing an audio recording, I am sure that I already had setup in place the right and organized containers to store them without the risk of puzzling and mixing too much.
Whenever I am starting something new, having this preset Master Folder let me easily move it inside or outside of the filesystem or even from the device; I could also put it in shared cloud collaborative storage like Google Drive or Dropbox to easily get outside contributions while collecting all the raw materials.
The beneficial side effect of this simple strategy is that for every project you complete you are building some kind of “muscle memory” so when you gather together the various pieces and decide to store something, or anytime you need a piece of content, you already exactly know where it belongs and where you will find it later on.
Did you know you had the Ultimate Toolbox inside your iOS device?
For all the relevant information explaining what iOS Shortcuts are and how to use them you can refer to this Apple website section.
Just to put it down in really simple words, think about them as a full LEGO set: you have multiple pieces each with specific functions and outputs (these building blocks are called Actions) that you can combine, pile up and put together to execute a set of instructions, to manipulate a wide variety of contents or inputs, to choose between different options and so on.
And these combinations and possibilities are nearly infinite and extremely customizable for any of your specific need.
It’s like the Genie in The Bottle: you can quite really get whatever you want from your iOS device and, with the right knowledge and experience, even build your own apps and your automations that can go across almost the entire Apple devices ecosystem and that are fully integrated with Siri.
How to create nested folder structure with iOS:
This is how simple is to use the Shortcut:
- You trigger it with voice control by saying out loud the Shortcut name after the “Hey Siri” or clicking on its tile-like button. (It can also be triggered automatically by other Shortcuts if it’s part of a chained or a multiple steps workflow!)
- You are prompted to choose the name of the Project that will be your new Master Folder.
- In one fraction of second it goes through the set of actions and it creates in iCloud/Shortcuts/ the structured nested folder you have planned.
- It notifies you that it successfully created a new project folder and it asks you to choose between opening the Files app or simply exiting with a Notification.
It’s done: you don’t even have to think about it more.
And this is how I have structured a template Project Nested Folder for my video projects that you can follow step by step:
- A Ask for Input action is prompted to you to input the Master Folder Project Name.
2. A Text action where I have enlisted all the specific nested folder: I always use the Master Folder Project Name variable (the output of the Ask for Input action above) before the child folders so it will create them with the correct dependencies and the planned nested structure. Note that you can edit this action to rename anything or to re-structure and edit the folders on your own preferences.
3. A Split Text action that will split any single line of the Text action above in individual items that then are added to a Variable named Folder using the Add to Variable action.
4. A Repeat With Each action that will cycle through all the individual items stored in the Folder variable performing each time the Create Folder action.
5. The Create Folder action receives from each item passed the directory path that has to be created using the Repeat Item variable after the default iCloud/Shortcuts/ path destination*
6. A Show Notification action will let you know that the actions were correctly executed for the Project Name you have set before.
*At this particular moment in iOS.13 and PadOS.13 any folder or file that you create with Shortcuts is (probably for safety reasons) sandboxed inside the iCloud/Shortcuts/ default folder. Inside the Create Folder action you can also choose to create the Project Nested Folder structure alternatively in a DropBox account destination of your choice (after you complete the login for the first time) but notice that the entire process will be a little bit longer as it’s performed outside the device and the Apple native ecosystem.
7. After a Wait for action set for 2 seconds that let you easily read the notification, you have the Choose From Menu action to finish the program that asks you to choose which path of next action you want to follow:
A) Go for the Open App action to exit from the Shortcut an opening immediately the Files app so you can start to work directly on the new folder just created.
B) Go for the Exit from Shortcut action to just finish the program.
Please note that iOS Shortcuts can be syncronized through iCloud an will always be available and launched on iPad and iPhone and any iOS device supporting them, once you add them to your Shortcuts library.
Here is your well earned prize to be such an avid reader!
In the following screen recording you can see with your eyes how incredibly fast is to create 18 nested and organized folders for a new video project with just 1 click of a button!
And here’s the good news! You don’t even need to build this up on your own, because you can have my New Video Project Folder Structure Shortcut just by clicking on the embedded link👆🏻above.
To add it to your Shortcuts library and start using it you only need to check in your iOS device settings that “Allow Untrusted Shortcuts” is active*.
*DISCLAIMER: Any non user-built Shortcuts is considered by Apple potentially dangerous for the intrinsic power to partially control your device and the possibility to execute scripts and automations in the background. Before downloading and using any unknown or untrusted third-user Shortcuts and giving any permission to access your personal data (if required), I strongly suggest you to scroll through the actions and see what the Shortcut it’s supposed to do. Even if everything I share it’s designed to be safe, secure and complete as possible I cannot and I won’t be held responsible for whatever issue or damage of any nature deriving from use of the contents, the opinions and the suggestions written on this article.
“Hey, I’m quite confident that if you have read until here I have earned a bit of your trust!”
Do you want to learn MORE?
If you are wondering how much time I have invested to create this powerful tool probably you will be shocked: less than 10 minutes! How much time this Shortcuts has saved me since I started using it? Countless hours!
Wield the power of crafting any solution you can imagine for your business and personal life with the power of iOS Shortcuts!
Discover the amazing ability to link together multiple apps and devices in a seamless and frictionless experience in a single ecosystem and invest all the time that you will save only on the things that really matters to you!
This is my promise to you!
If you’re already craving for some other smart and useful solution, if you need help to build up from the ground your personal automations or you want to learn more about the wonderful frontiers opened by iOS Shortcuts ask for a connection here on LinkedIn or follow my Twitter account @giacomopasini
Thank you for your time and your attention.
Giacomo.
