Table of Contents
Directory Watcher Dialog
The Directory Watchers dialog allows users to create, edit, activate, and manage automated file-processing workflows from within Sift.
A directory watcher monitors one or more folders for file-system changes. When a change is detected, Sift runs the scripts assigned to that watcher. This can be used to automate workflows such as:
- Running a Visual3D pipeline when a C3D file is added
- Running a Sift batch script when a new file is created
- Combining many processing stages together
- Monitoring multiple input folders with the same workflow
- Temporarily pausing automated processing without deleting the watcher
Directory watchers only respond while the Sift background instance is running.
Accessing the Dialog
To access the Directory Watcher dialog, click on this icon 
in the main Sift page. This dialog will open:
The dialog contains four main sections:
- the watcher table
- the selected watcher settings
- the directory and script lists
- the tray options
Watcher Table
The watcher table appears on the left side of the dialog.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Displays the name assigned to each watcher. |
| Active | Indicates whether the watcher is currently enabled. An inactive watcher remains saved but does not respond to directory changes. |
Selecting a row loads that watcher's configuration into the settings on the right side of the dialog.
Adding a Watcher
After selecting Add, enter a name for the watcher. The new watcher is added to the watcher table and can then be configured.
Each watcher must have:
- a name
- at least one directory
- at least one script
Deleting a Watcher
Permanently removes the selected watcher.
Deleting a watcher removes its configuration from Sift. It does not delete any watched folders, scripts, source files, or generated output files.
Active Watchers
An active watcher responds to changes in its configured directories while the Sift background instance is running.
Deactivate All
Disables every configured watcher.
The watcher configurations remain saved and can be reactivated individually later.
A confirmation message is displayed before all watchers are deactivated.
Selected Watcher Settings
The right side of the dialog displays the configuration for the watcher selected in the table.
Name
Sets the name displayed in the watcher table.
Recursive
Controls whether subdirectories inside the selected watched directories are also monitored.
| Setting | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Disabled | Only the selected directory itself is monitored. |
| Enabled | The selected directory and its subdirectories are monitored. |
This is useful for nested files.
Leave it disabled when only a specific folder should trigger the workflow.
Trigger on Delete
Controls whether deleting or moving a file out of a watched directory triggers the watcher.
| Setting | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Disabled | The watcher responds to file additions and other supported changes, but not deletions. |
| Enabled | File deletion events can also trigger the assigned scripts. |
Delay
Sets the number of milliseconds Sift waits after detecting a directory change before running the assigned scripts.
For example:
1000 ms = 1 second 5000 ms = 5 seconds
The delay allows another application or Windows File Explorer to finish writing or copying a file before the watcher attempts to process it.
Use a longer delay when:
- files are large
- the watched directory is on a network drive
- another application writes the file in several stages
- a processing script occasionally starts before the input file is complete
A very short delay may cause a script to open an incomplete file.
Directories
The Directories list contains the folders monitored by the selected watcher. A single watcher can monitor one directory or several directories.
Using many directories is useful when the same scripts and watcher settings should be applied to each location.
Add Directory
Adds a folder to the selected watcher's directory list.
Select Add, find the required folder, and confirm the selection.
The watcher will begin monitoring the folder when:
- the watcher is active
- the Sift background instance is running
Remove Directory
Removes the selected folder from the watcher's directory list. Removing a directory only removes it from the watcher configuration. The folder and its contents remain on the computer.
A confirmation message is displayed before the directory is removed. A watcher must contain at least one directory.
Scripts
The Scripts list contains the scripts executed when the selected watcher detects a directory event.
A watcher can contain one script or several scripts.
Typical script types include:
- Visual3D pipeline scripts,
.v3s - Sift batch-processing scripts,
.bat
When a batch file is executed by Sift, the first line must contain:
::SIFT
This helps prevent an unintended batch file from being executed.
You can move each script up or down to choose the order that they are executed in.
Add Script
Adds a script to the selected watcher.
Select Add, browse to the script, and confirm the selection. The script path is stored in the watcher configuration. If the script is later moved or renamed, the watcher must be updated with the new path.
Remove Script
Removes the selected script from the watcher. Removing a script from the watcher does not delete the script file from the computer.
A confirmation message is displayed before the script is removed. A watcher must contain at least one script.
Tray Options
The tray options control how Sift operates in the Windows system tray.
Launch Minimized to System Tray
When enabled, Sift launches in the system tray instead of opening the full user interface.
The system-tray instance must remain running for directory watchers to operate.
Launch Background Instance
Starts a Sift background instance immediately.
After the background instance starts, a Sift icon appears in the Windows system tray.
The tray menu provides controls for interacting with the background instance, including opening Sift and closing the background process.
A tutorial on how to use Directory Watchers can be found here.