Intuitive file sorting in batch scripts? - batch-file

So in Windows Explorer, I have these files sorted like this:
I have this script to remove the brackets and one zero, and in case the trailing number is greater than or equal to 10, to remove two zeroes:
cd C:\folder
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
SET /A COUNT=0
for %%a in (*.jpg) do (
SET /A COUNT+=1
ECHO !COUNT!
set f=%%a
IF !COUNT! GTR 9 (
set f=!f:^00 (=!
) ELSE (
set f=!f:^0 (=!
)
set f=!f:^)=!
ren "%%a" "!f!"
)
pause
However, once I run the code, I get this result:
So the batch file isn't going through the files "intuitively" like Windows Explorer shows them. Is there any way to change this? Or is there a better way to rename these files altogether?

This uses a different approach:
#echo off
cd C:\folder
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
SET /A COUNT=0, REMOVE=2
for /F "delims=(" %%a in ('dir /B *.jpg') do (
SET /A COUNT+=1
ECHO !COUNT!
set "f=%%a"
IF !COUNT! EQU 10 SET "REMOVE=3"
for /F %%r in ("!REMOVE!") do set "f=!f:~0,-%%r!"
ren "%%a" "!f!!COUNT!.jpg"
)
pause

Here is a method that does not depend on the sort order used by the file system, preserving the numbers as occurring in the original file names.
For each file name (for instance, test_this_01 SELR_Opening_00000 (1).jpg), the portion after the last under-score _ is retrieved (00000 (1)). Then the parentheses and the space are removed and then the length is trimmed to five characters (00001). This string replaces the original one in the file name finally (test_this_01 SELR_Opening_00001.jpg); the file name must not contain the replaced portion (00000 (1)) multiple times (hence file names like this should not occur: test_this_00000 (1) SELR_Opening_00000 (1).jpg):
#echo off
setlocal DisableDelayedExpansion
rem // Define constants here:
set "LOCATION=."
set "PATTERN=*_* (*).jpg"
set /A "DIGITS=5"
pushd "%LOCATION%" || exit /B 1
for /F "usebackq eol=| delims=" %%F in (`
dir /B /A:-D /O:D /T:C "%PATTERN%"
`) do (
set "FILE=%%F"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set "LAST="
for %%I in ("!FILE:_=","!") do (
set "LAST=%%~nI" & set "FEXT=%%~xI"
set "FNEW=!FILE:%%~I=!"
)
set "LAST=!LAST:(=!" & set "LAST=!LAST:)=!"
set "LAST=!LAST: =!" & set "LAST=!LAST:~-5!"
ECHO ren "!FILE!" "!FNEW!!LAST!!FEXT!"
endlocal
)
popd
endlocal
exit /B
Adapt the directory location and the file search pattern in the top section of the script as you like.
After having tested, remove the upper-case ECHO command in order to actually rename files.

Related

Batch file to rename file and add sequence number to the file name

I picked up the code below from another post. I believe it should pick up the current directory folder and include it in the renaming part of the process, however that doesn't seem to work for me.
#ECHO OFF
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
PUSHD "%~1"
set inc=0
FOR /f "delims=" %%a in ('dir /b /a-d') DO (
set /a inc+=1
Echo Ren: "%%a" "%~n1!inc!%%~xa"
Ren "%%a" "%~n1!inc!%%~xa"
)
POPD
I have a .txt file that will be received into a folder each day named and time stamped. Example as below:
FileNameA_20170418153000.txt
Essentially I'd like to amend the code above to rename the file: filenam0001.txt and continue to update the sequence number (which works perfectly well).
i.e.
filenam0001.txt
filenam0002.txt
filenam0003.txt
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
you need to add the leading zeros manually (add some zeros, then cut the last x characters):
#echo off
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set inc=0
for /l %%a in (1,1,50) do (
set /a inc+=1
set num=00000000!inc!
set num=!num:~-5!
echo !num!
)
I modified your code in order to insert the leading zeros in a simple way...
#ECHO OFF
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
PUSHD "%~1"
set inc=10000
FOR /f "delims=" %%a in ('dir /b /a-d') DO (
set /a inc+=1
Echo Ren: "%%a" "%~n1_%%~na!inc:~1!%%~xa"
Ren "%%a" "%~n1_%%~na!inc:~1!%%~xa"
)
POPD

rename a file removing part of the filename batch script

I have some files in the form:
filename1 1 extra1.ext
filename1 2.ext
filename1 3 extra2.ext
...
filename2 1.ext
filename2 100 extra3.ext
...
filename20 1.ext
filename20 15 extra100.ext
(etc.)
...where filename1, filename2, etc., can contain spaces, symbol ' but not numbers. And extra1, extra2, etc, can contain anything. The number in the file name enclosed by spaces does not repeat per same filename1, filename2, etc.
What i want is to remove the extra things of the files that contain it. That is, to get from filename20 15 extra100.ext to filename20 15.ext
My first attempt is this:
#echo off
setlocal EnableExtensions EnableDelayedExpansion
set "FILE=file name 11 con sosas extras 2.txt"
set "ext=txt"
set "folder=."
for /F "tokens=1,* delims=0123456789" %%A in ("!FILE!") do (set "EXTRA=%%B")
set "FIRST=!FILE:%EXTRA%=!"
set "filename=!FIRST!.!ext!"
echo !EXTRA!
echo !filename!
echo rename "!folder!\!FILE!" "!filename!"
that seems to work, but if i change it to receive parameters, it doesn't:
#echo off
setlocal EnableExtensions EnableDelayedExpansion
set "FILE=%1"
set "ext=%2"
set "folder=%3"
for /F "tokens=1,* delims=0123456789" %%A in ("!FILE!") do (set "EXTRA=%%B")
set "FIRST=!FILE:%EXTRA%=!"
set "filename=!FIRST!.!ext!"
echo !EXTRA!
echo !filename!
echo rename "!folder!\!FILE!" "!filename!"
where %1 is the filename, %2 is the extension and %3 is the folder in which the files are. Probably, the extension can be extracted inside the batch, but i don't know how to do it.
On another hand, i plan to use this batch into another one. There, there will be a for loop in (*.txt) and i don't know how to differentiate between files that have extra things (and then call this batch) from files that doesn't (and then not call this batch).
Regards,
use your method to extract the "extra-portion". In a second step, remove that extra-portion:
#echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
set "FILE=file name 11 con sosas extras 2.txt"
for /f "tokens=1,* delims=1234567890" %%a in ("%file%") do set new=!file:%%b=!%%~xb
echo %new%
%%~xb gives you the extension.
Here is a batch script that seeks the first purely numeric string portion enclosed within SPACEs, or in case it appears at the end, preceded by a SPACE, that occurs after some other text not consisting of SPACEs only. The part in front of the found number followed by a SPACE followed by the number itself are used for building the new file name.
This approach handles all valid characters for file names properly, even ^, &, %, !, ( and ).
So here is the code:
#echo off
setlocal EnableExtensions DisableDelayedExpansion
rem // Define constants here:
set "_SOURCE=.\test"
for /F "eol=| delims=" %%F in ('
dir /B "%_SOURCE%\*.ext" ^| findstr /R /I ^
/C:"^..* [0123456789][0123456789]*\.ext$" ^
/C:"^..* [0123456789][0123456789]* .*\.ext$"
') do (
set "FILE=%%F"
call :SPLIT FIRST NUM REST "%%~nF"
if defined NUM (
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
ECHO rename "!_SOURCE!\!FILE!" "!FIRST! !NUM!%%~xF"
endlocal
)
)
endlocal
exit /B
:SPLIT rtn_first rtn_num rtn_rest val_string
setlocal DisableDelayedExpansion
set "RMD=" & set "NUM=" & set "STR=%~4"
:LOOP
for /F "tokens=1,2,* delims= " %%I in ("%STR%") do (
if not "%%J"=="" (
(for /F "delims=0123456789" %%L in ("%%J") do rem/) && (
if not "%%K"=="" (
set "STR=%%J %%K"
goto :LOOP
)
) || (
set "NUM=%%J"
if not "%%K"=="" (
set "RMD=%%K"
)
)
)
)
set "STR=%~4"
if not defined NUM goto :QUIT
set "STR=%STR% "
call set "STR=%%STR: %NUM% =|%%"
for /F "delims=|" %%L in ("%STR:^^=^%") do set "STR=%%L"
:QUIT
(
endlocal
set "%~1=%STR%"
set "%~2=%NUM%"
set "%~3=%RMD%"
)
exit /B
After having tested the script, remove the upper-case ECHO command to actually rename any files.

Rename first part of filename using batch

I have some problem writing a code for a batchfile that will replace the first part of a file name.
let say we have the files:
abcd123.txt
abcd345.txt
the numeric part(and the extensions) is the part I want to keep and change it to blabla123.txt and blabla345.txt
the numeric part is not always the same.
I tried to write:
set FILE =%1
set LastPart = %FILE:~-7%
set NewName = c:\MyFolder\blabla%LastPart%
ren %FILE% %NewName%
but it didn't worked because there's space between c:\MyFolder\blabla to 123.txt
Perhaps:
SET "OldName=%~n1"
SET "Ext=%~x1"
SET "LastPart=%OldName:~-3%"
SET "FirstPart=blabla
SET "NewFold=C:\MyFolder"
REN "%~1" "%NewFold%\%FirstPart%%LastPart%%Ext%"
Please see if below script helps you. It iterates through all files in a given directory and renames them according to your requirement.
#echo OFF
setlocal ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION
REM Get input directory from user
set /p INPUT_DIR=Please enter full path to directory with files, use double quotes if any space:
cd /d %INPUT_DIR%
for /f %%f in ('dir /b %INPUT_DIR%') do (
set newname=hello!fullname:~-7!
ren %%f !newname!
)
Output
E:>dir /b "E:\Temporary\SO\batch\Input - Space"
adadadadad123.txt
E:>Temporary\SO\batch\test_ren.bat
Please enter full path to directory with files, use double quotes if any
space:"E:\Temporary\SO\batch\Input - Space"
E:>dir /b "E:\Temporary\SO\batch\Input - Space"
hello123.txt
Although the question is not quite clear to me, I decided to provide an answer, because the task of extracting a numeric part from the end of a string appears not to be that trivial, particularly in case both the preceding string and the numeric portions may have different lengths.
So here is a script that accepts file paths/names/patterns provided as command line arguments, splits off ther numeric part, prepends an optional prefix to it and renames the file accordingly (actually it just echoes the ren command line for testing; remove the upper-case ECHO to actually rename):
#echo off
setlocal EnableExtensions DisableDelayedExpansion
set "PREFIX="
for %%F in (%*) do (
for /F "tokens=1-2 delims=0123456789 eol=0" %%K in ("_%%~nF") do (
if "%%L"=="" (
set "FLOC=%%~F"
set "FILE=%%~nF"
set "FEXT=%%~xF"
set "FNEW="
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set "FILE=_!FILE!"
for /L %%E in (0,1,9) do (
set "NAME=!FILE:*%%E=%%E!"
if not "!NAME!"=="!FILE!" (
if 1!NAME! GTR 1!FNEW! (
set "FNEW=!NAME!"
)
)
)
ECHO ren "!FLOC!" "!PREFIX!!FNEW!!FEXT!"
endlocal
)
)
)
endlocal
exit /B
The script skips all files that have less or more than exactly one numeric part in their names, and also those where the numeric part is followed by something other than the file name extension. For example, abcd1234.txt is processed, whereas abcd.txt, 1234.txt, ab1234cd.txt, 1234abcd.txt and ab12cd34.txt are skipped. Note that the numeric part is limited to nine decimal figures.
If the limit of nine digits is disturbing, the following script can be used. It is very similar to the aforementioned one, but a numeric comparison has been replaced by a string comparison with the numbers padded by leading zeroes to have equal lengths. Therefore the string comparison provides the same result as a pure numeric comparison:
#echo off
setlocal EnableExtensions DisableDelayedExpansion
set "PREFIX="
set /A "DIGS=256"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
for /L %%E in (1,1,%DIGS%) do set "PADZ=!PADZ!0"
endlocal & set "PADZ=%PADZ%"
for %%F in (%*) do (
for /F "tokens=1-2 delims=0123456789 eol=0" %%K in ("_%%~nF") do (
if "%%L"=="" (
set "FLOC=%%~F"
set "FILE=%%~nF"
set "FEXT=%%~xF"
set "FNEW="
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
set "FILE=_!FILE!"
for /L %%E in (0,1,9) do (
set "NAME=!FILE:*%%E=%%E!"
if not "!NAME!"=="!FILE!" (
set "CMPN=%PADZ%!NAME!"
set "CMPF=%PADZ%!FNEW!"
if "!CMPN:~-%DIGS%!" GTR "!CMPF:~-%DIGS%!" (
set "FNEW=!NAME!"
)
)
)
ECHO ren "!FLOC!" "!PREFIX!!FNEW!!FEXT!"
endlocal
)
)
)
endlocal
exit /B
This is a robust and more flexible approach, which allows to specify what numeric part to extract by its (zero-based) index, in the variable INDEX (a negative value counts from the back, so -1 points to the last one, if you prefer that):
#echo off
setlocal EnableExtensions DisableDelayedExpansion
rem // Define constants here:
set "PREFIX=blah" & rem // (optional prefix to be used for the new file names)
set /A "INDEX=0" & rem // (`0` means first numeric part, `-1` means last one)
rem // Loop through command line arguments:
for %%F in (%*) do (
set /A "CNT=-1" & set "KIND="
for /F "delims== eol=" %%E in ('2^> nul set "$PART["') do set "%%E="
rem // Store information about currently iterated file:
set "FLOC=%%~F"
set "FILE=%%~nF"
set "FEXT=%%~xF"
rem // Toggle delayed expansion to avoid troubles with `!`:
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
rem // Assemble a list of file name portions of numeric and non-numeric parts:
set "LIST= "!FILE!" "
for /L %%J in (0,1,9) do set "LIST=!LIST:%%J=" %%J "!"
set "LIST=!LIST: "" =!"
rem // Determine file name portions, together with their count and kinds:
for %%I in (!LIST!) do (
endlocal & set /A "CNT+=1"
set "ITEM=%%~I" & set "TEST=%%I"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
if "!TEST!"=="!ITEM!" (set "KND=0") else (set "KND=-")
for /F %%K in ("KIND=!KIND!!KND!") do (
for /F "delims=" %%E in ("$PART[!CNT!]=!ITEM!") do (
endlocal & set "%%K" & set "%%E"
)
)
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
)
rem // Retrieve the desired numeric file name portion:
if %INDEX% lss 0 (set /A "INDEX=-(1+INDEX)")
if %INDEX% lss 0 (set "RANGE=!CNT!,-1,0") else (set "RANGE=0,1,!CNT!")
set /A "IDX=-1" & set "FNEW=" & for /L %%J in (!RANGE!) do (
if "!KIND:~%%J,1!"=="0" set /A "IDX+=1" & (
if !IDX! equ !INDEX! for %%I in (!IDX!) do set "FNEW=!$PART[%%J]!"
)
)
rem // Actually rename file:
if defined FNEW (
ECHO ren "!FLOC!" "!PREFIX!!FNEW!!FEXT!"
)
endlocal
)
endlocal
exit /B

Using endlocal set variables in a batch file, but the variables are never available outside of the setlocal/endlocal block

I'm trying to set the value of a variable that is inside a SETLOCAL, inside a FOR loop and inside an IF statement. However, it never seems to work. I tried using a SET statement at the ENDLOCAL statement, but that doesn't seem to actually set anything. Echoing the variable after that only echos the original set value of 0.
#ECHO off
SET pathsource=K:
SET sourcefile=0
SET counter=0
SETLOCAL enableextensions enabledelayedexpansion
REM Get the newest pptx file in the specified directory. Get the filename and last modified timestamp
FOR /f "tokens=1-3,5*" %%a IN ('dir ^"%pathsource%\*.pptx^" /a-d-h-s /o-d /tw ^| find /i ^".pptx^"') DO (
REM echo !counter!
REM only get the first row by using a counter
IF !counter! EQU 0 (
REM variables are: a-date, b-time, c-am/pm, d&e-filename
ECHO %%a %%b %%c %%d %%e
SET sourcefile=%%d %%e
)
SET /A counter+=1
)
ENDLOCAL & (
SET "sourcefile=%sourcefile%"
)
ECHO %sourcefile%
REM do other stuff with the %sourcefile% variable after this
Because you assign the values within the Set/End Local block, any changes made within this are discarded once on the ENDLOCAL command is reached.
Just move your SETLOCAL and ENDLOCAL commands to the very top and bottom of your script respectively. This would make all assignments made within the entirety of script stick throughout.
Additionally, you don't really need the counter variable. You can just jump out of the loop after the first file is processed:
#ECHO off
REM delayed expansion not needed for the portion shown
SETLOCAL enableextensions
SET pathsource=K:
SET sourcefile=0
REM Get the newest pptx file in the specified directory. Get the filename and last modified timestamp
FOR /f "tokens=1-3,5*" %%a IN ('dir ^"%pathsource%\*.pptx^" /a-d-h-s /o-d /tw ^| find /i ^".pptx^"') DO (
REM variables are: a-date, b-time, c-am/pm, d&e-filename
ECHO %%a %%b %%c %%d %%e
SET sourcefile=%%d %%e
REM We only care about the first row
GOTO EndLoop
)
:EndLoop
ECHO %sourcefile%
REM do other stuff with the %sourcefile% variable after this
ENDLOCAL
One last thing is you can simply your FOR syntax a bit by using native DIR and FOR variable commands:
#ECHO off
REM delayed expansion not needed for the portion shown
SETLOCAL enableextensions
SET pathsource=K:
SET sourcefile=0
REM Get the newest pptx file in the specified directory. Get the filename and last modified timestamp
CD "%pathsource%\"
FOR /f "usebackq tokens=* delims=" %%a IN (`dir "%pathsource%\*.pptx" /a-d-h-s /o-d /tw /b`) DO (
REM Use For loop variables.
REM Print the date/time and file name.
ECHO %%~ta %%~a
SET sourcefile=%%~a
REM We only care about the first row
GOTO EndLoop
)
:EndLoop
ECHO %sourcefile%
REM do other stuff with the %sourcefile% variable after this
ENDLOCAL
If all you want is the name and timestamp of the newest PPTX file, your script is a lot more complicated than it needs to be. Simply scrape dir "path\*.pptx" /b /o:-d then break out of the for /f loop after the first line.
#ECHO off
setlocal
SET "pathsource=K:"
REM Get the newest pptx file in the specified directory. Get the filename and last modified timestamp
pushd "%pathsource%"
FOR /f "delims=" %%a IN ('dir "*.pptx" /b /o:-d') DO (
set "sourcefile=%%~nxa"
set "timestamp=%%~ta"
goto break
)
:break
ECHO %sourcefile%
echo %timestamp%
REM do other stuff with the %sourcefile% variable after this

Get full path and long file name from short file name

I have an nice console file manager (eXtreme by Senh Liu), it passes short path/filenames as variables to a menu.bat.
How can I generate a full folder name + long file name?
Example:
input variable = "P:\MYPROG~1\SHELLS\ZBACKUP\REFSTO~1.BAL"
target variable = "P:\MyPrograms\SHELLS\zBackup\RefsToMyData.bal"
I have tried the following:
SET my_file=%~2:
echo %my_file% produces: "P:\MYPROG~1\SHELLS\ZBACKUP\REFSTO~1.BAL"
FOR /F "tokens=* USEBACKQ" %%F IN (`dir /B %2`) DO SET my_file=%%~fF:
echo %my_file% produces: "P:\MYPROG~1\SHELLS\zBackup\RefsToMyData.bal"
FOR /F "tokens=* USEBACKQ" %%F IN (`dir /B %2`) DO SET my_file=%%~dpnxF:
echo %my_file% produces: "P:\MYPROG~1\SHELLS\zBackup\RefsToMyData.bal"
Simple solution: use PowerShell.
PS C:\> (Get-Item 'P:\MYPROG~1\SHELLS\ZBACKUP\REFSTO~1.BAL').FullName
P:\MyPrograms\SHELLS\zBackup\RefsToMyData.bal
You can incorporate a PowerShell call in a batch file like this:
#echo off
setlocal
for /f "usebackq delims=" %%f in (
`powershell.exe -Command "(Get-Item '%~1').FullName"`
) do #set "var=%%~f"
echo %var%
Output:
C:\> test.cmd P:\MYPROG~1\SHELLS\ZBACKUP\REFSTO~1.BAL
P:\MyPrograms\SHELLS\zBackup\RefsToMyData.bal
PowerShell is available for all supported Windows versions:
Windows XP SP3 and Server 2003 SP2: PowerShell v2 available
Windows Vista and Server 2008: ship with PowerShell v1 (not installed by default), PowerShell v2 available
Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2: PowerShell v2 preinstalled, PowerShell v3 available (batteries not included)
Windows 8 and Server 2012: PowerShell v3 preinstalled
If PowerShell can't be used for some reason (e.g. administrative restrictions), I'd use VBScript instead:
name = WScript.Arguments(0)
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
If fso.FileExists(name) Then
Set f = fso.GetFile(name)
ElseIf fso.FolderExists(name) Then
Set f = fso.GetFolder(name)
If f.IsRootFolder Then
WScript.Echo f.Path
WScript.Quit 0
End If
Else
'path doesn't exist
WScript.Quit 1
End If
Set app = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
WScript.Echo app.NameSpace(f.ParentFolder.Path).ParseName(f.Name).Path
A VBScript like the one above can be used in a batch file like this:
#echo off & setlocal
for /f "delims=" %%f in ('cscript //NoLogo script.vbs "%~1"') do #set "var=%%~f"
echo %var%
This does require an additional script file, though.
The following should work with any valid path, as long as it is not a UNC path. The path may be absolute or relative. It may use short file names or long names (or a mixture). The path may refer to a folder or a file.
The result will end with \ if it is a folder, no \ at end if it is a file.
The :getLongPath routine expects an inputPath variable name as the 1st argument, and an optional return variable name as the 2nd argument. The inputPath variable should contain a valid path. If the return variable is not speciied, then the result is ECHOed to the screen (enclosed in quotes). If the return variable is specified, then the result is returned in the variable (without quotes).
The routine should only be called when delayed expansion is disabled if you are returning a variable. If called with delayed expansion enabled, then the result will be corrupted if it contains the ! character.
Test cases (for my machine only) are at the top of the script, the actual routine at the bottom.
#echo off
setlocal
for %%F in (
"D:\test\AB2761~1\AZCFE4~1.TXT"
"AB2761~1\AZCFE4~1.TXT"
"D:\test\AB2761~1\ZZCE57~1\"
"D:\test\a b\a z.txt"
"D:\test\a b\z z"
"."
"\"
"x%%&BAN~1\test"
"x%% & bang!\test"
) do (
echo(
echo resolving %%F
set "shortPath=%%~F"
call :getLongPath shortPath longPath
set longPath
)
echo(
echo(
set "shortPath=D:\test\AB2761~1\AZCFE4~1.TXT"
set shortPath
echo Calling :getLongPath with with no return variable
call :getLongPath shortPath
exit /b
:getLongPath path [rtnVar]
setlocal disableDelayedExpansion
setlocal enableDelayedExpansion
for %%F in ("!%~1!") do (
endlocal
set "sourcePath=%%~sF"
set "sourceFile=%%~nxF"
)
if not exist "%sourcePath%" (
>&2 echo ERROR: Invalid path
exit /b 1
)
set "rtn="
2>nul cd "%sourcePath%" || (
cd "%sourcePath%\.."
for /f "eol=: delims=" %%F in ('dir /b /a-d "%sourceFile%"') do set "rtn=%%F"
)
:resolveFolders
for %%F in ("%cd%") do (
cd ..
set "folder=%%~nxF"
)
if defined folder for /f "eol=: delims=" %%: in ('dir /b /ad') do (
if /i "%%~snx:" equ "%folder%" (
set "rtn=%%:\%rtn%"
goto :resolveFolders
)
)
set "rtn=%cd%%rtn%
( endlocal
if "%~2" equ "" (echo "%rtn%") else set "%~2=%rtn%"
)
=== OUTPUT ===
resolving "D:\test\AB2761~1\AZCFE4~1.TXT"
longPath=D:\test\a b\a z.txt
resolving "AB2761~1\AZCFE4~1.TXT"
longPath=D:\test\a b\a z.txt
resolving "D:\test\AB2761~1\ZZCE57~1\"
longPath=D:\test\a b\z z\
resolving "D:\test\a b\a z.txt"
longPath=D:\test\a b\a z.txt
resolving "D:\test\a b\z z"
longPath=D:\test\a b\z z\
resolving "."
longPath=D:\test\
resolving "\"
longPath=D:\
resolving "x%&BAN~1\test"
longPath=D:\test\x% & bang!\test\
resolving "x% & bang!\test"
longPath=D:\test\x% & bang!\test\
shortPath=D:\test\AB2761~1\AZCFE4~1.TXT
Calling :getLongPath with with no return variable
"D:\test\a b\a z.txt"
If you want to run the above code, then I suggest you completely delete all the test scenario code between #echo off and :getLongPath. Then you can simply call the script, passing any valid path as the first argument. The correct long path should be printed as a result.
I was amazed how difficult this was to solve using batch. I don't think it is much easier with JScript or VBS (Actually, Ansgar found a nice VBS solution). But I like Ansgar's simple PowerShell solution - so much easier.
Update
I found an obscure case where the above code fails if called from within a FOR loop, and the path happens to have the FOR variable within it. It also doesn't properly report a path with wild cards as an error, and it doesn't work with delayed expansion enabled when the path contains !.
So I created a modified version below. I'm pretty confident it should truly work in all situations, except for UNC paths and possibly not with unicode in the path. I packaged it up as an easy to call procedure, complete with built in documentation. It can be left as a stand-alone script, or incorporated into a larger script.
#echo off
:getLongPath
:::
:::getLongPath PathVar [RtnVar]
:::getLongPath /?
:::
::: Resolves the path contained in PathVar into the full long path.
::: If the path represents a folder then it will end with \
:::
::: The result is returned in variable RtnVar.
::: The result is echoed to the screen if RtnVar is not specified.
:::
::: Prints this documentation if the first argument is /?
if "%~1" equ "" (
>&2 echo ERROR: Insufficient arguments. Use getLongPath /? to get help.
exit /b 1
)
if "%~1" equ "/?" (
for /f "delims=" %%A in ('findstr "^:::" "%~f0"') do (
set "ln=%%A"
setlocal enableDelayedExpansion
echo(!ln:~3!
endlocal
)
exit /b 0
)
setlocal
set "notDelayed=!"
setlocal disableDelayedExpansion
setlocal enableDelayedExpansion
for /f "eol=: delims=" %%F in ("!%~1!") do (
endlocal
set "sourcePath=%%~sF"
set "sourcePath2=%%F"
set "sourceFile=%%~nxF"
)
if not exist "%sourcePath%" (
>&2 echo ERROR: Invalid path
exit /b 1
)
set "sourcePath3=%sourcePath2:**=%"
set "sourcePath3=%sourcePath3:?=%"
if "%sourcePath3%" neq "%sourcePath2%" (
>&2 echo ERROR: Invalid path
exit /b 1
)
set "rtn="
2>nul cd "%sourcePath%" || (
cd "%sourcePath%\.."
for /f "eol=: delims=" %%F in ('dir /b /a-d "%sourceFile%"') do set "rtn=%%F"
)
:resolveFolders
for %%F in ("%cd%") do (
cd ..
set "folder=%%~nxF"
)
if defined folder for /f "delims=: tokens=1,2" %%A in ("%folder%:%rtn%") do for /f "eol=: delims=" %%F in ('dir /b /ad') do (
if /i "%%~snxF" equ "%%A" (
set "rtn=%%F\%%B"
goto :resolveFolders
)
)
set "rtn=%cd%%rtn%"
if not defined notDelayed set "rtn=%rtn:^=^^%"
if not defined notDelayed set "rtn=%rtn:!=^!%"
if not defined notDelayed (set "!=!==!") else set "!="
for %%A in ("%rtn%") do (
endlocal
endlocal
if "%~2" equ "" (echo %%~A%!%) else set "%~2=%%~A"!
)
I also adapted Ansgar's VBS into a hybrid JScript/batch script. It should provide the identical result as the pure batch script above, but the JScript is much simpler to follow.
#if (#X)==(#Y) #end /* harmless hybrid line that begins a JScrpt comment
#echo off
:getLongpath
:::
:::getLongPath PathVar [RtnVar]
:::getLongPath /?
:::
::: Resolves the path contained in PathVar into the full long path.
::: If the path represents a folder then it will end with \
:::
::: The result is returned in variable RtnVar.
::: The result is echoed to the screen if RtnVar is not specified.
:::
::: Prints this documentation if the first argument is /?
::************ Batch portion ***********
if "%~1" equ "" (
>&2 echo ERROR: Insufficient arguments. Use getLongPath /? to get help.
exit /b 1
)
if "%~1" equ "/?" (
for /f "delims=" %%A in ('findstr "^:::" "%~f0"') do (
set "ln=%%A"
setlocal enableDelayedExpansion
echo(!ln:~3!
endlocal
)
exit /b 0
)
setlocal
set "notDelayed=!"
setlocal disableDelayedExpansion
set "rtn="
for /f "delims=" %%A in ('cscript //E:JScript //nologo "%~f0" %*') do set "rtn=%%A"
if not defined rtn exit /b 1
if not defined notDelayed set "rtn=%rtn:^=^^%"
if not defined notDelayed set "rtn=%rtn:!=^!%"
if not defined notDelayed (set "!=!==!") else set "!="
for %%A in ("%rtn%") do (
endlocal
endlocal
if "%~2" equ "" (echo %%~A%!%) else set "%~2=%%~A"!
)
exit /b 0
************ JScript portion ***********/
var env=WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell").Environment("Process");
var fso=WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject");
var app=WScript.CreateObject("Shell.Application");
var inPath=env(WScript.Arguments.Item(0));
var folder="";
var f;
if (fso.FileExists(inPath)) {
f=fso.GetFile(inPath);
}
else if (fso.FolderExists(inPath)) {
folder="\\"
f=fso.GetFolder(inPath);
if (f.IsRootFolder) {
WScript.StdOut.WriteLine(f.Path);
WScript.Quit(0);
}
}
else {
WScript.StdErr.WriteLine('ERROR: Invalid path');
WScript.Quit(1);
}
WScript.StdOut.WriteLine( app.NameSpace(f.ParentFolder.Path).ParseName(f.Name).Path + folder);
This returns the full long pathname, but depends on:
A) there not being too many files in the tree (due to time taken)
B) there is only one of the target (long) filename in the tree.
#echo off
for /f "delims=" %%a in (' dir /b "%~1" ') do set "file=%%a"
for /f "delims=~" %%a in ("%~dp1") do cd /d "%%a*"
for /f "delims=" %%a in ('dir /b /s /a-d "%file%" ') do set "var=%%a"
echo "%var%"
When called with mybat "d:\MYPROG~1\SHELLS\zBackup\REFSTO~1.BAL"
it returned this:
"d:\MyPrograms\SHELLS\zBackup\RefsToMyData.bal"
And one unexpectedly simple solution:
echo lcd %some_path%|ftp
EDITED to show example: it isn't 100%
d:\>echo lcd C:\Files\Download\MYMUSI~1\iTunes\ALBUMA~1 |ftp
Local directory now C:\Files\Download\MYMUSI~1\iTunes\Album Artwork.
this is an ugly batch job and my code is not nice, but brut force :-)
#echo off &SETLOCAL
SET "short=P:\MYPROG~1\SHELLS\ZBACKUP\REFSTO~1.BAL"
SET "shorty=%short:\= %"
FOR %%a IN (%short%) DO SET "shortname=%%~nxa"
FOR %%a IN (%shorty%) DO (
IF DEFINED flag (
CALL :doit "%%~a"
) ELSE (
SET "longpath=%%~a"
SET flag=true
SET "first=\"
)
)
ECHO "%longpath%"
goto:eof
:doit
SET "last=%~1"
IF "%last%" neq "%shortname%" (SET "isDir=/ad") ELSE SET "isDir=/a-d"
FOR /f "delims=" %%b IN ('dir %isdir% %longpath%%first%^|findstr /ri "\<%last%\>"') DO SET "X0=%%b"
FOR /f "delims=" %%b IN ('dir %isdir% /x %longpath%%first%^|findstr /ri "\<%last%\>"') DO SET "X1=%%b"
REM for European time format
IF "%X0: =%"=="%X1: =%" (SET /a token=3) ELSE SET /a token=4
REM for "AM/PM" time format
IF "%X0: =%"=="%X1: =%" (SET /a token=4) ELSE SET /a token=5
FOR /f "tokens=%token%*" %%b IN ('dir %isdir% /x %longpath%%first%^|findstr /ri "\<%last%\>"') DO SET "longname=%%~c"
SET "longpath=%longpath%\%longname%"
SET "first="
goto:eof
Please set your time format in the doit function (delete as applicable format).This might maybe fail with special characters in path or file names like !%=&^.
#echo off
setlocal
rem this need to be a short name to avoid collisions with dir command bellow
cd C:\BALBAL~1\BLBALB~1\
set "curr_dir=%cd%"
set "full_path="
:repeat
for /f "delims=" %%f in ('for %%d in ^(.^) do #dir /a:d /n /b "..\*%%~snd"') do (
set "full_path=%%f\%full_path%"
)
cd ..
if ":\" NEQ "%cd:~-2%" (
goto :repeat
) else (
set "full_path=%cd%%full_path%"
)
echo --%full_path%--
cd %curr_dir%
endlocal
The path is hardcoded at the beginning but you can change it or parameterizied it.As you can easy get the full name of a file here is only a solution for directories.
EDIT
now works for file and directory and a parameter can be passed:
#echo off
rem ---------------------------------------------
rem ---------------------- TESTS ----------------
rem ----------------------------------------------
md "c:\test\blablablablabl\bla bla bla\no no no no no no\yes yes yes" >nul 2>&1
md "c:\test\1 b1\1\" >nul 2>&1
for %%t in ("c:\test\blablablablabl\bla bla bla\no no no no no no\yes yes yes") do set t_dir=%%~st
for %%t in ("c:\test\1 b1\1\") do set t_dir2=%%~st
echo a>"%t_dir2%a"
echo a>"%t_dir2%a a.txt"
echo testing "%t_dir%\\"
call :get_full_name "%t_dir%\\"
echo(
echo testing "%t_dir2%a"
call :get_full_name "%t_dir2%a"
echo(
echo testing "%t_dir2%a a.txt" with return variable
call :get_full_name "%t_dir2%a a.txt" test_var
echo return variable : -- %test_var% --
goto :eof
rem -------------------------------------
:get_full_name [%1 - short path to a file or directory ; %2 - if set stores the result in variable with that name]
setlocal
if not exist "%~1" ( echo file/dir does not exist & exit /b 2 )
set "curr_dir=%cd%"
for /f "delims=" %%n in ('dir /b /n "%~dps1\%~snx1"') do set "name=%%n"
cd "%~dps1"
set "full_path="
:repeat
for /f "delims=" %%f in ('for %%d in ^(.^) do #dir /a:d /n /b "..\*%%~snd"') do (
set "full_path=%%~f\%full_path%"
)
cd ..
if ":\" NEQ "%cd:~-2%" (
goto :repeat
) else (
set "full_path=%cd%%full_path%"
)
echo %full_path%%name%
cd %curr_dir%
endlocal & if "%~2" NEQ "" set "%~2=%full_path%%name%"
and the test output:
testing "c:\test\BLABLA~1\BLABLA~1\NONONO~1\YESYES~1\\"
c:\test\blablablablabl\bla bla bla\no no no no no no\yes yes yes\
testing "c:\test\1B1~1\1\a"
c:\test\1 b1\1\a
testing "c:\test\1B1~1\1\a a.txt" with return variable
c:\test\1 b1\1\a a.txt
return variable : -- c:\test\1 b1\1\a a.txt --
And one attempt with WMIC and Win32_Directory.Probably is slower than using cd and dir , but the current directory is not changed:
#echo off
:get_full_name [%1 - short path to a file or directory ; %2 - if set stores the result in variable with that name]
setlocal
if not exist "%~1" ( echo file/dir does not exist & exit /b 2 )
for /f "delims=" %%n in ('dir /b /n "%~dps1\*%~snx1"') do set "name=%%n"
set "short_path=%~dps1"
set "short_path=%short_path:~0,-1%"
set "drive=%short_path:~0,2%"
set "full_name="
:repeat
set "short_path=%short_path:\=\\%"
set "short_path=%short_path:'=\'%"
FOR /F "usebackq skip=2 delims=" %%P in (`WMIC path win32_directory where name^='%short_path%' get Path^,FileName /Format:Textvaluelist.xsl`) do for /f "delims=" %%C in ("%%P") do (
set "_%%C"
)
set "_Path=%_Path:~0,-1%"
set full_name=%_FileName%\%full_name%
if "%_Path%" NEQ "" (
set "short_path=%drive%%_Path%"
goto :repeat
) else (
set full_name=%drive%\%_FileName%\%full_name%
)
echo %full_name%%name%
endlocal if "%~2" NEQ "" set "%~2=%full_path%%name%"
Not heavy tested yet....
Here is a batch script based on the answer by npocmaka, using the ftp command (together with its sub-command lcd). There you can see that only the last element of a path is expanded to the long name. My idea is now to apply the lcd sub-command for every element of the path individually, so we will get the full names of all elements in the final output.
This script works for directories only. It does not work for files, neither does it work for UNC paths.
So here we go:
#echo off
setlocal EnableExtensions DisableDelayedExpansion
set "ARGS=%*"
set FTP_CMD=lcd
set "TEMP_FILE=%TEMP%\%~n0_%RANDOM%.tmp"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
for %%A in (!ARGS!) do (
endlocal
set "ARG=%%~fA" & set "SEP=\"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
> "%TEMP_FILE%" (
for %%D in ("!ARG:\=" "!") do (
endlocal
if not "%%~D"=="" (
set "ITEM=%%~D"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
echo(%FTP_CMD% "!ITEM!!SEP!"
endlocal
set "SEP="
)
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
)
)
set "PREFIX="
for /F "delims=" %%L in ('^< "%TEMP_FILE%" ftp') do (
endlocal
if not defined PREFIX set "PREFIX=%%L"
set "LONG_PATH=%%L"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
)
set "PREFIX=!PREFIX::\.=!" & set "PREFIX=!PREFIX:~,-1!"
for /F "delims=" %%E in ("!PREFIX!") do (
set "LONG_PATH=!LONG_PATH:*%%E=!"
set "LONG_PATH=!LONG_PATH:~,-1!"
)
echo(!LONG_PATH!
)
endlocal
del /Q "%TEMP_FILE%"
endlocal
exit /B
Basically there is a for %%D loop that iterates through all elements of the given path (after it has been expanded to its full path by the outer-most for %%A loop). Each element is enclosed within "" and preceded with lcd (the sub-command of the ftp command to change the local working directory). For the first path element that constitutes a drive, a trailing \ is appended to refer to its root directory. Each of these built path strings is written to a temporary file.
Next the temporary file is redirected into the ftp command, so it changes its local working directory path element by path element. The output of ftp is captured by a for /F %%L loop. Actually the last line of the output is of interest only as this contains the full long path. However, the first line is also stored, where the root directory of the applicable drive is used. This is just needed to easily extract the prefix of the output lines in order to remove it from the output line containing the full path (the ftp command outputs something like Local directory now D:\. on English systems, but I want the script to be language-independent). Finally the said prefix is removed from the full long path and the result is returned on the console.
Here is an improved approach that can also handle paths of files, by handling the last path element in such a case separately by the sub-routine :LAST_ITEM, which does not rely on ftp but on the fact that for loops expand tthe last path element to long paths when wildcards are given:
#echo off
setlocal EnableExtensions DisableDelayedExpansion
set "ARGS=%*"
set FTP_CMD=lcd
set "TEMP_FILE=%TEMP%\%~n0_%RANDOM%.tmp"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
for %%A in (!ARGS!) do (
endlocal
set "ARG=%%~fA" & set "SEP=\" & set "ITEM="
if exist "%%~fA" (
if exist "%%~fA\" (set "FLAG=") else set "FLAG=#"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
> "%TEMP_FILE%" (
for %%D in ("!ARG:\=" "!") do (
endlocal
if not "%%~D"=="" (
set "ITEM=%%~D"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
echo(!FTP_CMD! "!ITEM!!SEP!"
endlocal
set "SEP="
) else set "ITEM="
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
)
)
set "PREFIX="
for /F "delims=" %%L in ('^< "%TEMP_FILE%" 2^> nul ftp') do (
endlocal
if not defined PREFIX set "PREFIX=%%L"
set "LONG_PATH=%%L"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
)
set "PREFIX=!PREFIX::\.=!" & set "PREFIX=!PREFIX:~,-1!"
for /F "delims=" %%E in ("!PREFIX!") do (
set "LONG_PATH=!LONG_PATH:*%%E=!"
set "LONG_PATH=!LONG_PATH:~,-1!"
)
if not "!LONG_PATH:~-2!"==":\" set "LONG_PATH=!LONG_PATH!\"
for /F "tokens=1,2 delims=|" %%S in ("!LONG_PATH!|!ITEM!") do (
endlocal
set "LONG_PATH=%%S" & set "ITEM=%%T"
if defined FLAG call :LAST_ITEM ITEM LONG_PATH
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
)
if defined FLAG (echo(!LONG_PATH!!ITEM!) else echo(!LONG_PATH!
) else setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
)
endlocal
del /Q "%TEMP_FILE%"
endlocal
exit /B
:LAST_ITEM var_last_item var_long_path
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
for %%I in ("!%~2!!%~1!*") do (
endlocal
set "LONG=%%~nxI" & set "SHORT=%%~snxI"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
if /I "!LONG!"=="!%~1!" (set "%~1=!LONG!"
) else if /I "!SHORT!"=="!%~1!" set "%~1=!LONG!"
)
for /F "delims=" %%T in ("!%~1!") do (
endlocal
set "%~1=%%T"
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
)
endlocal
exit /B
My solution:
set shortname=P:\MYPROG~1\SHELLS\ZBACKUP\REFSTO~1.BAL
for /F %f in ('dir /b /s %shortname%') do where /R %~dpf %~nf%~xf
if you use it in a batch file:
for /F %%f in ('dir /b /s %shortname%') do where /R %%~dpf %%~nf%%~xf
Alright, here is a script I began some time ago, relying on the fact that dir /B returns long file or directory names when a wildcard is used. This is a recursive approach that walks up the directory hierarchy of the path given as command line argument and resolves each element. Note that it has problems with paths containing % and/or ^ due to the usage of call:
#echo off
setlocal EnableExtensions DisableDelayedExpansion
set ARGS=%*
set "COLL="
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
for %%A in (!ARGS!) do (
endlocal
set "ARG=%%~fA"
if exist "%%~fA" (
call :PROC_ITEM COLL "%%~fA" || set "COLL="
)
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
)
if defined COLL (echo(!COLL!) else exit /B 1
endlocal
endlocal
exit /B
:PROC_ITEM rtn_built_path val_source_path
setlocal DisableDelayedExpansion
set "FND="
if "%~pnx2"=="\" (
set "COLL=%~d2"
) else (
cd /D "%~dp2." & rem (this must be set before `for /F` in order for `%%~snxJ` to refer to it!)
for /F "delims= eol=|" %%J in ('dir /B /A "%~f2?"') do (
if /I "%%J"=="%~nx2" (
set "FND=\%%J" & rem (this assignment should be executed for long names)
) else (
if /I "%%~snxJ"=="%~nx2" set "FND=\%%J" & rem (and this for short ones)
)
)
if defined FND (
call :PROC_ITEM COLL "%~dp2."
) else (
exit /B 1 & rem (this intercept exceptions and should usually not happen)
)
)
endlocal & set "%~1=%COLL%%FND%"
exit /B

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