Hi, I am a new user with very limited DOS experience.

I figured out how to find and display filenames with a certain string in them ie: findstr /i /m test .*.

If I would like to delete all those files in one go from that directory, what are the options, do I need to write a .BAT FILE (don't really know how to do that and how to address that particular directory)
There is many holes in my Computer/Windows/DOS knowledge, so I apologize and hope you are patient with me.
thanks, EdgarAny experience in QBasic? Interrupts can do it in DOS.

In Dos you can pipe the filenames to a file, but what are you really trying to do?

Sounds a little strange that you want to delete files with a certain string in them.

Ted

PS: Just because you delete a file, could still hold the data on the disk until overwritten.
Thanks Ted,
no, no experience in QBasic, and don't know what interrupts are.

I don't really want to pipe the filenames to a file, but I want to delete the files I FOUND with "findstr" out of that directory in one go, without having to do delete every file by itself.

thanks, Edgar

Code: [Select]for /f "tokens=*" %%a in ('findstr /I /M "search string" *txt') do (
echo %%a
rem your removal command here...
)
thanks ghostdog,

I gather this is the code for a BATCH file? I am such a noob...
Is this all it takes, then you just run this batch file in that directory?
is the "rem your removal command here" needed or is it just a remark?

edgar1. Yes, that is the code
2. You probably just need to leave it like that (except for the search strings)
3. The rem specifies a remark; but your code that deletes files there (such as del %%a)So does the code go:

or /f "tokens=*" %%a in ('findstr /I /M "search string" *txt') do (
echo %%a
rem delete all files with search string in them
del %%a

)You don't need (but it still works with) either echo %%a or the rem line: echo just displays %%a (which is deleted) and rem is just a remark and doesn't get printed (only viewable while editing your batch and therefore only needed if you want to keep notes).

But otherwise it's all good.Hi guys,
thanks it worked! I used:
or /f "tokens=*" %%a in ('findstr /I /M "search string" *txt') do (
echo %%a
rem delete all files with search string in them
del %%a

)

and it did the trick. Now, two observations. On filenames with spaces in them it did not work. If the file has a different suffix than .txt it did not work (I suppose thats why *txt is in the code)

thanks for all your help, great forum.
edgarQuote from: edgar on October 10, 2007, 06:05:33 PM

On filenames with spaces in them it did not work.

If the file has a different suffix than .txt it did not work (I suppose thats why *txt is in the code)