I am trying out some time lapse photography to capture building work over the next 18 months. Unfortunately the software I am using  cannot be scheduled so I am getting photos 24/7. I thought the simplest way to deal with this would be a daily batch file to delete the photos taken between 0000 & 0800 and 1700 & 2359. However, I can only find how to create a batch file based on the date, but not on the time. Can anyone help? Alternative solutions are also welcome. I am using Windows 8.1Are the image files themselves named with date/time or do the names follow some other scheme?
Salmon Trout may give you a batch solution but here is a powershell solution wrapped inside a batch file.

EDIT:

if your PC is setup to enable powershell scripts then run this in the folder with the images and it
should echo the del command to the screen for each image that is outside the time range shown
 - it will delete ALL files from previous days in the current directory because they are outside the time range.

Remove the echo from echo del "%%a" to make it delete the images instead of list it to the screen after you have verified that the correct files are listed.


Code: [Select]echo off
set "file=%temp%\psdaterange.ps1"

(
echo( $folderPath = '%~dp0'
echo(
echo( $date1 = Get-Date '08:00'
echo( $date2 = Get-Date '17:00'
echo(
echo( foreach( $ITEM in (Get-ChildItem -file $folderPath^) ^)
echo( {
echo( if( $item.LastWriteTime -lt $date1 -or $item.LastWriteTime -gt $date2 ^)
echo(     {
echo(         Write-Host $folderPath$item
echo(     }
echo( }
) >"%file%"

for /f "delims=" %%a in ('powershell "%file%"') do echo del "%%a"
del "%file%"

pause
I was going to finish a VBscript/batch hybrid or pure VBscript solution I was working on, but the need has suddenly evaporated, unless the OP requests it. However it has occurred to me that it is quite easy, in Windows Explorer, to delete files created in a time range by choosing Details view and then sorting in date created order, using a mouse left click to select the first file to be deleted, then extending the selection by using the SHIFT and the down arrow keys until the last file to be deleted is reached, finally pressing the DEL key. Then the files will move to the Recycle Bin and can be recovered if needed, or SHIFT + DEL will remove them forever. Of course if there are lots of folders to be treated or if there are files from many days a scripted solution might be preferred.



Your VBS solution should work where the powershell one can be a problem if powershell is not configured to run scripts, I think.

This failed in Windows 7 and worked in Windows 8.1
It's the same code as above but the temporary file is eliminated:

Code: [Select]echo off

pushd "%~dp0"
for /f "delims=" %%a in ('powershell "foreach( $item in (Get-ChildItem -file)) {if( $item.LastWriteTime -lt '08:00' -or $item.LastWriteTime -gt '17:00' ) {Write-Host $item}}"') do echo del "%~dp0%%a"
popd

pause
Quote

However it has occurred to me that it is quite easy, in Windows Explorer, to delete files created in a time range by choosing Details view and then sorting in date created order, using a mouse left click to select the first file to be deleted, then extending the selection by using the SHIFT and the down arrow keys until the last file to be deleted is reached, finally pressing the DEL key. Then the files will move to the Recycle Bin and can be recovered if needed, or SHIFT + DEL will remove them forever. Of course if there are lots of folders to be treated or if there are files from many days a scripted solution might be preferred.

foreach( $item in (Get-ChildItem -file)) {if( $item.LastWriteTime -ge '08:00' -and $item.LastWriteTime -le '17:00' )

Won't that select those files whose last write time is 8 AM or after - and - earlier than or at 5 PM. i.e. the ones taken during the working day (the ones he wants to keep?)

why not just sort by date and select the range to delete.

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Quote from: patio on Today at 07:40:45 AM
    More OP's get abducted by aliens here than any other section of the Forums...

No officer, there is nothing in my trunk.

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