The DOS DIR command is great, but it does have its limitations. I'm trying to find a particular word as it occurs in all files. and re-direct the results of the search to a text FILE. I'd also like to be able to exclude some folders (like that with my saved email) which are just going to complicate things.

I'm using WIN2000, and I know I can use its search function, but that won't allow me to re-direct the results, nor will it let me specify what I'd like to exclude.

Any ideas?

Tom

This little snippet may help:

Code: [Select]@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
::
:: Exclude array
::
set array.1="drive:\path1"
set array.2="drive:\path2"


for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%f in ('dir c:\ /a:d /s /b') do (
for /l %%i in (1, 1, 2) do (
set count=0
find /i "!array.%%i!" %%f
if not errorlevel 1 call set /a count+=1
)
if !count! GTR 0 (
for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%d in ('dir /a:-d /b %%f\%%d ^| find /i "arg") do (
if not errorlevel 1 echo ....
)
)
)

Notes:

1. the highlighted NUMBER in this line: for /l %%i in (1, 1, 2) do (
must match the number of items in the exclude array.

2. replace the highlighted arg in this line:
for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%d in ('dir /a:-d /b %%f\%%d ^| find /i "arg") do (

3. Replace the dots with redirection of the information you want saved to the text file (ex. echo %%f\%%d >> text.txt)

Disclaimer: This snippet has not been tested, so drive carefully Thanks for the fast response. That sure looks like it will work. I won't have time to try it for a couple of days, but I'll report the results.
TomI was able to get back to my computer earlier than I expected, and I tried the suggested snippet. Sadly, without luck. I obviously have done something wrong.

I created a file called "Findword.Bat" and ran it. Here is the file, as written:
_______________________________________ ____________________
:: @echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion
::
:: Exclude array
::

set array.1="c:\Paprport"
set array.2="C:\Windows"

for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%f in ('dir c:\ /a:d /s /b') do (
for /l %%i in (1, 1, 2) do (
set count=0
find /i "!array.%%i!" %%f
if not errorlevel 1 call set /a count+=1
)
if !count! GTR 0 (
for /f "tokens=* delims=" %%d in ('dir /a:-d /b %%f\%%d ^| find /i "standard") do (

if not errorlevel 1 echo >> FOUNDIT.TXT
)
)
)
_______________________________________ ___________

On my hard drive , I have 2 directories named "Paprport" and "Windows" which I was trying to exclude. The is a file in the C:\ folder containing the text "standard".
I hoped that the program would ignore the 2 folders specified; find the file containing the word "standard", and put the name of that file, and its location into a file called "Founditit.TXT". This didn't happen.
When run the SCREEN showed line after line reading "Access Denied" and the name of a directory (not only the directories specified in the array, but others as well).
What have I done wrong, or failed to do right?
Tom
Quote

I obviously have done something wrong

Quote

I obviously have done something wrong

I told you to drive carefully.

Actually you did nothing wrong, it was all my doing. I keep getting carried away, forgetting that batch code is not a programming language. So for my next trick, I went all procedural, which should make it easier to read, if nothing else.

This code has been tested and appears to meet all your specs.

Good luck.

While I was hunting down my Santa Claus outfit, I found a script in the snippet closet. With a tweak here and a tweak there, we could be talking about a serious script:

Yes I know, this is not batch code. Save the script with a vbs extension and run from the command prompt as cscript scriptname.vbs

The script will scan the C drive looking for txt files. The drive can be changed and we can add more extensions, but there really is no point in checking exe files for a string.

Happy Christmas to you and a Merry New Year.

The previous code you sent looked like it would remedy those deficiencies, but it didn't work. I'd like to find out why it wouldn't do what it should have done.

Thanks for the code. It looks like it would find a string in a file.TXT file, but only there. What I was trying to do is find a particular string in files of any type, and to exclude directories where the string I was looking for couldn't possibly be found; and then to put the results into a file.

Quote

The previous code you sent looked like it would remedy those deficiencies, but it didn't work. I'd like to find out why it wouldn't do what it should have done.

Which previous code? The VBScript worked fine when it was tested. . Did you run the VBScript? Can you document any specific problems?

All I know is that no file called "Foundit.txt" was created, even though I had specifically created a TXT file in the Root directory containing the string I was searching for.

I'm not familiar with scripts, so I can't manipulate the code you sent in order to make the results appear on the screen; nor can I, for instance, eliminate sub-directories.

It looks like I'm going to have to learn scripting, though, since your code, even though it didn't produce results, ran a lot faster than if it were a batch file.

SUCCESS!!

Now I have to figure out how to search in files with other extensions, or perhaps learn to exclude those extensions which won't contain the string (like EXE or COM files, or image files)