How do I make a text listing of folder contents?

[Peter Jason]

I have Win7 SP1.

I have a 1TB HDD now full of downloaded TV movies.

There are over 250 movies.

I want to make a list of these for my movie database and this will
involve importing the titles into Access2010.

How do I convert the titles in the right side of Windows Explorer into
a text list that can be imported into Access?

Peter

 

[Evan Platt]

I have Win7 SP1.

I have a 1TB HDD now full of downloaded TV movies.

There are over 250 movies.

I want to make a list of these for my movie database and this will
involve importing the titles into Access2010.

How do I convert the titles in the right side of Windows Explorer into
a text list that can be imported into Access?

Peter

Are they all in the same folder?

Go to dos - Start, run, cmd <Enter>

Go to folder.

dir /b > file.txt

'bare' directory listing (ie one filename per line) outputted to
file.txt.

 

[Vic RR Garcia]

I have Win7 SP1.

I have a 1TB HDD now full of downloaded TV movies.

There are over 250 movies.

I want to make a list of these for my movie database and this will
involve importing the titles into Access2010.

How do I convert the titles in the right side of Windows Explorer into
a text list that can be imported into Access?

Peter

Open a CMD window on the folder (Shift right-click)
Type: DIR /B > Names.txt
Edit and clean-up Names.txt
Import text file onto Database.

 

[Nil]

I have Win7 SP1.

I have a 1TB HDD now full of downloaded TV movies.

There are over 250 movies.

I want to make a list of these for my movie database and this will
involve importing the titles into Access2010.

How do I convert the titles in the right side of Windows Explorer
into a text list that can be imported into Access?

I will make many assumptions about what it is you really want. I only
have Office 2003, so I hope it's similar to 2010. The way I'd do it is
this:

1. Open a CMD session and navigate to the folder with the movies.

2. At the prompt, type "DIR /B /ON >>MOVIES.TXT" (without the quotes.)
This will create a text file containing the file names.

3. Import ("Get External Data") this into Access. It might be a little
easier to copy 'n paste the contents of the text file into Excel and
save that as an XLS file. Then import the XLS into Access.

 

[Peter Jason]

I have Win7 SP1.

I have a 1TB HDD now full of downloaded TV movies.

There are over 250 movies.

I want to make a list of these for my movie database and this will
involve importing the titles into Access2010.

How do I convert the titles in the right side of Windows Explorer into
a text list that can be imported into Access?

Peter

Thanks to all. I went to the movies HDD (K:/)
Then
K:\>dir>list.txt

This generated & outputted a txt file with all the titles into the K
HDD. Now I can import this into Access10, just like my bank
statements etc.

P

 

[Smiles]

I have Win7 SP1.

I have a 1TB HDD now full of downloaded TV movies.

There are over 250 movies.

I want to make a list of these for my movie database and this will
involve importing the titles into Access2010.

How do I convert the titles in the right side of Windows Explorer into
a text list that can be imported into Access?

Peter

http://www.spadixbd.com/freetools/jdirprint.htm

I use this program which works nice and you do not have to remember any
coding

 

[Kenny Cargill]

There's also Karen's Directory Printer, free from:
http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptdirprn.asp

Kenny

"Smiles" wrote in message

I have Win7 SP1.

I have a 1TB HDD now full of downloaded TV movies.

There are over 250 movies.

I want to make a list of these for my movie database and this will
involve importing the titles into Access2010.

How do I convert the titles in the right side of Windows Explorer into
a text list that can be imported into Access?

Peter

http://www.spadixbd.com/freetools/jdirprint.htm

I use this program which works nice and you do not have to remember any
coding

 

[Gordon]

just like my bank statements etc.

Interesting. As a recently retired Management Accountant why on earth
would you import Bank Statements into ACCESS?

 

[Rob]

Interesting. As a recently retired Management Accountant why on earth
would you import Bank Statements into ACCESS?

Presumably because it's the best tool for whatever he wants to do.
Nothing wrong with Access. More folk should use it instead of
always trying to do everything in Excel or other spreadsheets
(spreadsheets are perfectly designed for almost nothing, are hard
to use and prone to errors which are hard to trace.)

 

[Ken Springer]

Nothing wrong with Access. More folk should use it instead of
always trying to do everything in Excel or other spreadsheets
(spreadsheets are perfectly designed for almost nothing, are hard
to use and prone to errors which are hard to trace.)

Spreadsheets are intended to be used for various types of mathematical
calculations in real time, such as working out a financial plan with
future estimations of profit/loss, etc. Been there, done that with
Visicalc of many years ago. And a gazillion other types of math issues
I don't begin to know how to do.

But, I think the average user finds it easier to grasp using a
spreadsheet than a high end database like Access. And since the
majority of users don't purchase Office Pro, Enterprise, whatever, they
have no clue what Access or a database is, nor what it can do for the user.

Factor in that it's hard to find a simple to use database anymore,
especially when you can't go to a place like Best Buy, any of the big
box office supply places, and pick up a software box that is a database,
and be able to say "What's this?"

--
Ken

Mac OS X 10.6.8
Firefox 10.0.2
Thunderbird 10.0.2
LibreOffice 3.5.0 rc3

 

[Rob]

Spreadsheets are intended to be used for various types of mathematical
calculations in real time, such as working out a financial plan with
future estimations of profit/loss, etc. Been there, done that with
Visicalc of many years ago. And a gazillion other types of math issues I
don't begin to know how to do.

But, I think the average user finds it easier to grasp using a
spreadsheet than a high end database like Access. And since the majority
of users don't purchase Office Pro, Enterprise, whatever, they have no
clue what Access or a database is, nor what it can do for the user.

Factor in that it's hard to find a simple to use database anymore,
especially when you can't go to a place like Best Buy, any of the big
box office supply places, and pick up a software box that is a database,
and be able to say "What's this?"

I take your point about having to buy Office pro to get Access.,
but there is always Open Office which includes Base and is free
of course.
In my experience, many ordinary folk cannot grasp how spreadsheets
work (as soon as you start talking B3, C5 etc, their eyes glaze over)
but can understand the basics of a database. After all, everyone
who has a mobile phone <spit> is already used to using a simple one.
Still, with all of these i-toys, soon no-one will even need (or
have the ability) to be creative or use their intelligence as it
will all be done by (locked-down) specific apps! Not a future I'm
going to be taking much part in, I may add.

 

[Ken Blake]

I take your point about having to buy Office pro to get Access.,

A minor point, but let me mention that you do *not* have to buy Office
Professional, or any edition of Office, to get Access. Access can be
bought by itself.

 

[choro]

A minor point, but let me mention that you do *not* have to buy Office
Professional, or any edition of Office, to get Access. Access can be
bought by itself.

Kama? How much? It costs an arm and a leg.
-- choro

 

[Ken Blake]

Kama? How much? It costs an arm and a leg.

I just checked on Amazon.com. Access 2010 is $116.99 US there.

Is that an "arm and a leg"? Whether or not you think so is up to you.
I wasn't suggesting that it was a good buy; I was merely pointing out
that it's available separately--something that many people don't know.

 

[Gene Wirchenko]

[snip]

In my experience, many ordinary folk cannot grasp how spreadsheets
work (as soon as you start talking B3, C5 etc, their eyes glaze over)
but can understand the basics of a database. After all, everyone

Try a different paradigm. Ordinary folk can understand a
black/white-board.

who has a mobile phone <spit> is already used to using a simple one.

Using and developing are quite different.

Still, with all of these i-toys, soon no-one will even need (or
have the ability) to be creative or use their intelligence as it
will all be done by (locked-down) specific apps! Not a future I'm
going to be taking much part in, I may add.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

 

[Peter Jason]

Interesting. As a recently retired Management Accountant why on earth
would you import Bank Statements into ACCESS?

Long ago I had trouble with accounting software because the
'consultants' were ephemeral, the software complex and expensive - and
unalterable, the reports meager, and when all the crying was over one
was locked in. I resolved to sack the pests and I changed over to
Access97, coming in every Sunday morning to program it. There are
tables/queries/forms and reports; all infinitely adjustable and
stable. I run my whole business on it with no regrets. Even now I
make adjustments for invoicing etc. I have never used Excel because
Access does all I need via query grids and reports. Of course the
advice I had from Access newsgroups made it all possible. Though I
had to get expert advice on a self-join query for a 4-level bill of
materials; but that was all. Thoroughly recommended.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

Spreadsheets are intended to be used for various types of mathematical
calculations in real time, such as working out a financial plan with
future estimations of profit/loss, etc. Been there, done that with
Visicalc of many years ago. And a gazillion other types of math issues
I don't begin to know how to do.

[]
Horses for courses. Spreadsheets are ideal for some things, especially
if they involve calculations. Databases are good for what they're good
for - linked lists in one form or another. One thing spreadsheets should
_not_ be the first choice for are tables: too many people, when they
want a table, immediately think of a spreadsheet, even to the extent
that they sometimes say spreadsheet when they _mean_ table. Within
Office, at least, the table functionality of Word is far better than
that of Excel. Spreadsheets _only_ when you need _calculations_ - i. e.
_not_ for grids of _text_.

 

[Bob I]

I just checked on Amazon.com. Access 2010 is $116.99 US there.

Is that an "arm and a leg"? Whether or not you think so is up to you.
I wasn't suggesting that it was a good buy; I was merely pointing out
that it's available separately--something that many people don't know.

Ken, I think it depends on whether you have a ready supply of arms and
legs or not.

 

[z]

Long ago I had trouble with accounting software because the
'consultants' were ephemeral, the software complex and expensive - and
unalterable, the reports meager, and when all the crying was over one
was locked in. I resolved to sack the pests and I changed over to
Access97, coming in every Sunday morning to program it. There are
tables/queries/forms and reports; all infinitely adjustable and
stable. I run my whole business on it with no regrets. Even now I
make adjustments for invoicing etc. I have never used Excel because
Access does all I need via query grids and reports. Of course the
advice I had from Access newsgroups made it all possible. Though I
had to get expert advice on a self-join query for a 4-level bill of
materials; but that was all. Thoroughly recommended.

I totally agree. I have been using Access since Access 1.1
It was a bit buggy back then, but since Access 2 it has been great.
If you have programming skills, you can get Access to do just about
anything.

The only weakness is doing graphs, and that is easy to fix, just link
Excell to the database and create the graphs in excell.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

I totally agree. I have been using Access since Access 1.1
It was a bit buggy back then, but since Access 2 it has been great.
If you have programming skills, you can get Access to do just about
anything.

The only weakness is doing graphs, and that is easy to fix, just link
Excell to the database and create the graphs in excell.

There's a great (well, somewhat funny) poem by Ogden Nash about the
one-L lama, the two-L llama, and a punchline which I won't spoil.