How to add a shortcut to open a new finder window to the Launchpad or dock

Question

What I want: A one-click action in the dock or launchpad that opens the downloads folder in a new finder window.

Note: the Downloads "fan" thing that is in the left side area of the dock is not what I want. When I click that it opens a weird list / grid / fan thing of the stuff in my downloads folder, and then I have to click some more to actually open a finder window. Nope. I want a one click icon in the dock or launchpad.

Additionally: the icon needs to be the Downloads folder icon, if at all possible.

Answer 1

Copy this script to a new ScriptEditor document. Then export it as an application.

tell application "Finder"
    activate
    make new Finder window to path to downloads folder
end tell

Next, Open the “Get Info” window for the “Downloads” folder and also open the “Get Info” window for the new application you just exported. Select the icon of the downloads folder and “Edit/Copy” Select the icon of the new application and “”Edit/Paste”.

Drag your new application down to your dock and you are good to go.

Answer 2

Another way to get what you're asking for, also done as an AppleScript application, but being able to customize the properties of the window.

In Script Editor, create a new document and add the following AppleScript code as an example:

set theTarget to (path to downloads folder as string)
tell application "Finder"
    set theWindow to make new Finder window to folder theTarget
    tell theWindow to set {current view, toolbar visible, bounds} to {list view, true, {0, 23, 1024, 512}}
    activate
end tell

You can modify the properties to your liking in the tell theWindow to set line of code to whatever you'd like of the available properties.

To get the properties, you can open a Finder window to your downloads folder, arrange it how you'd like to appear every time and then use the following in a separate AppleScript document to get it's properties to use in the app that opens it:

tell application "Finder" to get properties of windows "Downloads"

The above command returns the following example output:

{class:Finder window, id:1004, name:"Downloads", position:{0, 23}, bounds:{0, 23, 1024, 512}, index:1, zoomed:false, closeable:true, titled:true, floating:false, modal:false, resizable:true, zoomable:true, visible:true, collapsed:false, target:folder "Downloads" of folder "me" of folder "Users" of startup disk of application "Finder", current view:list view, icon view options:icon view options of Finder window id 1004 of application "Finder", list view options:list view options of Finder window id 1004 of application "Finder", column view options:column view options of Finder window id 1004 of application "Finder", toolbar visible:true, statusbar visible:true, sidebar width:213}

Doing it this way, you get a new Finder window opened to your Downloads folder set exactly how you want it, based on available properties.

See wch1zpink's answer for assigning the Downloads folder icon to the AppleScript application's icon.