# Progress Indicator Feature Request

**URL:** <https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783>\
**Category:** Automation\
**Created:** [April 8, 2020, 7:05pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783 "2020-04-08T19:05:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 13\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Silverstone](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/silverstone/32/34093_2.png) [@Silverstone](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Silverstone)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2020, 7:05pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783/1 "2020-04-08T19:05:38Z")

</div>

The problem is simple: if you run one script within another (with AppleScript function “run script” or beautiful DT function “perform smart rule”) the Progress Indicator of inner script resets the Progress Indicator of outer script… and after the first repeat cycle outer script continues without any progress indication, - which is a pretty strange behavior (

IMHO, a good solution would be to start a new instance of Progress Indicator for inner script (not reset the current one).

A slightly worse solution would be to ignore any progress indicator commands for scripts called by “perform smart rule” function.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/bluefrog/32/135_2.png) [@BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/BLUEFROG)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2020, 7:30pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783/2 "2020-04-08T19:30:25Z")

</div>

It is suggested not to use things like progress indicators in smart rules.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Silverstone](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/silverstone/32/34093_2.png) [@Silverstone](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Silverstone)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 2:48pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783/3 "2020-04-10T14:48:33Z")

</div>

It is used widely by Smart Rules scripts written by DEVONtech team themselves… even if I myself will drop using it, but why should I? It is very handy if your process is lengthy, to see what’s going on and when it will possibly finish

Yes, I can delete the counter from the inner script, but it’s a workaround, not a solution, which will require to create a new script without counter. So, every such script must be in two versions… Not good.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/bluefrog/32/135_2.png) [@BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/BLUEFROG)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783/4 "2020-04-10T15:00:41Z")

</div>

> It is used widely by Smart Rules scripts written by DEVONtech team themselves

For example…?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Silverstone](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/silverstone/32/34093_2.png) [@Silverstone](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Silverstone)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783/5 "2020-04-10T15:33:49Z")

</div>

All scripts, that may take a while. Of course, no need for progress bar if script is small and quick. Take these two, written by @cgrunenberg:

- Download Bibliographic Metadata
- Validate All Bookmarks

But why do you ask it? Would my request loose its meaning if no one used it in smart rules scripts before?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/bluefrog/32/135_2.png) [@BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/BLUEFROG)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 4:01pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783/6 "2020-04-10T16:01:32Z")

</div>

I ask because it’s my job to ask questions. 🙂

Also, I don’t think you’re talking about the saem thing here.  
You said you’re calling a script from within a script. That is **not** the same as running a single script via **Execute Script \> External**. @cgrunenberg would have to assess this.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Silverstone](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/silverstone/32/34093_2.png) [@Silverstone](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Silverstone)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783/7 "2020-04-10T19:50:34Z")

</div>

Not sure what is

> [@BLUEFROG](#):
>
> **Execute Script \> External**.

But I meant a simple thing: when e.g. you use a function like:

```auto
perform smart rule name "Download Bibliographic Metadata" record theRecord

```

in a script, which already uses progress indicator. So, in the first repeat cycle of my script this smart rule script (“Download Bibliographic Metadata”) will hide the Progress Indicator and all remaining cycles of my script will continue without Progress Indicator. That’s it.

Sorry, if my first post was not as clear.  
I appreciate your work in any case 😉

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/bluefrog/32/135_2.png) [@BLUEFROG](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/BLUEFROG)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2020, 3:10am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783/8 "2020-04-11T03:10:05Z")

</div>

No worries. It’s definitely not a common case. Christian will have to take a look at this after the Easter holiday.  
🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/cgrunenberg/32/7172_2.png) [@cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/cgrunenberg)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 10:29am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783/9 "2020-04-14T10:29:18Z")

</div>

> [@BLUEFROG](#):
>
> You said you’re calling a script from within a script. That is **not** the same as running a single script via **Execute Script \> External**. @cgrunenberg would have to assess this.

There’s only one global progress indicator right now for scripts, just like in version 2. DEVONthink just executes the scripts but due to technical limitations of AppleScript & Cocoa doesn’t know whether you execute other scripts in your script or not and wouldn’t even know which one uses the progress indicator. The easiest solution is currently to revise your scripts so that only one of them uses the indicator.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Silverstone](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/silverstone/32/34093_2.png) [@Silverstone](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Silverstone)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783/10 "2020-04-14T17:32:33Z")

</div>

Thanks, but it will duplicate some scripts in need to have a version without progress indicator.

Is it possible technically/feasible to make “perform smart rule” function ignore all progress indicator commands?

BTW, this is the way to know if we run script inside script - if we use “perform smart rule”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/cgrunenberg/32/7172_2.png) [@cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/cgrunenberg)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 8:03am UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783/11 "2020-04-15T08:03:09Z")

</div>

How does the smart rule and the scripts actually look like?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Silverstone](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/silverstone/32/34093_2.png) [@Silverstone](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/Silverstone)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783/12 "2020-04-15T14:30:25Z")

</div>

I mean the AppleScript function “perform smart rule” may be programmed (or may not?) to ignore any progress indicator commands in the script tied to this rule. So if you use this function in the script, it will not run PI commands from the script it contains (if any) or other subsequent scripts called from it. Of course if it is possible - I don’t know

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/user_avatar/discourse.devontechnologies.com/cgrunenberg/32/7172_2.png) [@cgrunenberg](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/u/cgrunenberg)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://discourse.devontechnologies.com/t/progress-indicator-feature-request/54783/13 "2020-04-15T14:34:54Z")

</div>

It’s possible and might be changed in future releases but in the near future lots of other things have a higher priority to be honest.