Automate a repetitive process in Windows

KingL

Hello

Would someone be so kind as to write the code (?batch file) to automate this process?

I have a folder with several hundred files in. For each file, I want to

1) create a new folder
2) rename the folder with the same name as the file (without the extension)
3) move the file into the folder

then step on to the next file; and repeat until there are no more remaining.

I don't know scripting. I've searched around a bit, but to no avail...

tia

(windows 10)

John_Gray

Very straightforward, provided you give a bit more information!

1) Please supply full path of the folder in which the hundreds of files reside
2) Please supply the full path of the folder in which all the new folders are to be created. This should NOT be the same as the folder in 1) to avoid looping! (You can always move the file structure anywhere you like after the BATch file has run...)
3) Is there a blank in ANY of the file names? (I presume yes!)
4) Are there any 'poison characters' in any of the file names, like ", ', %, ^, & ? These can be quite difficult to deal with, and may need to be changed/removed before the BATch file runs.

In fact, a DIR list to a TXT file would be best, so I could look through it...

KingL

thanks, just keep the path statements generic, I can copy/paste the actual paths in later

right now it is all on a USB drive, so say the source folder is
f:\parent folder includes spaces\Source folder includes spaces

I was going to put the destination folders inside the source folder, but I don't have to. Say the destination folder is
f:\parent folder includes spaces\destination folder

Yes there are blanks in the file and foldernames

There are no special characters.

thanks

John_Gray

Have a look at

@echo off
setlocal
set source=D:\Source Folder
set target=D:\Target Folder
for /f "tokens=*" %%a in (' dir /b "%source%" ') do call :process "%%a"
endlocal
PAUSE
goto :eof
::----------
:process
set filename=%~1
set foldername=%~n1
ECHO md "%target%\%foldername%"
ECHO move "%source%\%filename%" "%target%\%foldername%\"
PAUSE
goto :eof

No comments included - ask if you aren't familiar with anything.

Name it MOVER.BAT (or anything you like!). Try it - once you are happy that the correct MD and MOVE statements are showing what you expect, remove ECHO (and perhaps PAUSEs).

Any problems, ask again.

grumpycrab

Looks good to me. Handles files with embedded spaces (always tricky in bats). Repeat running should be ok but may be worth adding detection of files in the for loop otherwise it'll pick up existing directories.

eg try
for /f "tokens=*" %%a in (' dir /b /A-D "%source%" ') do call :process "%%a"
rather than
for /f "tokens=*" %%a in (' dir /b "%source%" ') do call :process "%%a"

EDIT: and also make sure mover.bat is not in the same directory as Source Folder (obvious I know).

John_Gray

There are a number of checks I would introduce for a production file - but this is just to be run once!

KingL

Thanks, I'll give it a try later

KingL

Hi

Sorry, I couldn't get it to work. The echo statements ahead of each operation indicate that it is just about to do the right thing, but it doesn't actually make any directories or move any files....

I tried a (more focussed) test of it on the drive (a partition on the main drive, rather than on an external drive) and with short path statements without spaces. Here's the dialogue when running it:

md "d:\test2\test"
move "d:\test\test.txt" "d:\test2\test\"
Press any key to continue . . .
md "d:\test2\test2"
move "d:\test\test2.txt" "d:\test2\test2\"
Press any key to continue . . .

It doesn't report that it has moved the file (as it does when I just key the equivalent command (move) straight into a command line window) and it hasn't created the folder or moved the file.... It doesn't report any errors.

---

if I just key

md "d:\test2\test"
then
move "d:\test\test.txt" "d:\test2\test\"

into a commandline window, it works as expected, but not when running it from the batch file.

.

if I first manually make the subdirectory in the destination folder; then run the script, it also doesn't move the file into it.

.

if I use the code exactly as in post #4 (i.e. without me making edits to include my path statements), same result:

md "D:\Target Folder\Testfile1"
move "D:\Source Folder\Testfile1.txt" "D:\Target Folder\Testfile1\"
Press any key to continue . . .
md "D:\Target Folder\Testfile2"
move "D:\Source Folder\Testfile2.txt" "D:\Target Folder\Testfile2\"
Press any key to continue . . .

...no errors reported, but nothing in the target folder at the end.

.

Chino

I vaguely recollect encountering problems in the past with BAT files when working with folders on a different drive to the default drive.
This is just a guess, but you could try adding a line at the start of the BAT file to change the default drive to the drive (i.e. simply a line with on it).

DoaM

KingL wrote: »

Hi

Sorry, I couldn't get it to work. The echo statements ahead of each operation indicate that it is just about to do the right thing, but it doesn't actually make any directories or move any files....

Did you pay heed to this comment?

John_Gray wrote: »

Try it - once you are happy that the correct MD and MOVE statements are showing what you expect, remove ECHO (and perhaps PAUSEs).

Did you edit the BAT file to remove the ECHO statements?

KingL

re: #9

No, that doesn't fix it. But thanks for the suggestion.

.