File Utilities for DOS (1 of 2)

Back to Front Page

global menu:

On this page:

Go to next page:


RENAME FILE UTILITIES

(8+3 filenames only)


Rename with number...

1. FRENUM- Rename series of files with sequential numbers, optional prefix string.
2. Ren2Num- Rename file to number; sequential numbering based on existing filenames.

1. FRENUM: unrated [added 11-10-98] "...renames files which fit a given filespec according to a new name made from a string and a number. The file extension is not changed. Existing filenames are previously sorted in RAM. The maximum number of files which can be renamed in a single command is 4000. The string is optional. The numbers will be made from a given minimum amount of digits and a starting point for number generation..." Can run interactively or in batch mode. Author: Joao Magalhaes. (1998)

Use: FRENUM filemask serial-ID a b
        filemask: file spec of files to be renumbered
        serial-ID: a string for identification (for none, enter *)
        a: minimum number of digits to append to SerialID
        b: starting number for 'aa'

download frenum0.zip (9.3K)

2. Ren2Num: unrated. [added 3-27-98] "infile.ext will be renamed to (x+1).ext, where x is the highest number found in the same dir, with the same extension." No wildcard support (but try using it with Locate's /O switch). Author: Arjen Venhuis, Netherlands. (1997)

download ren2num.zip (6K)


Rename with date...

1. ND- Flexible file rename with date or time, duplicate prevention.
2. WMD2FN- Rename file to current date; customizable date formats.
3. Fdate- File renamer can rename to file date or calendar date.

1. ND * * * * * "The function of ND is to rename files using a format string such as the current date. For example, you can use ND to rename a file such as CHANNEL1.QWK to 920203.QWK. This is handy if you want to do something like archive log or message files using the current date. " Accepts wildcards -checks for duplications, and allows addition of dup prevention characters. Allows modification of extensions. Author: Gordon Haff/ Bit Masons Consulting. (1992)

USAGE: ND filenames /f= /e= /d= /t= /p /b /?
Options:
/f=format for new name. Legal constructs are:
...yyyy.. Year (4 digit)
...yy.... Year (2 digit) 
...mm.... Month 
...dd.... Day 
...hh.... Hour 
...tt.... Minute 
...'xyz'. Literal (i.e. insert what's between the ' and ') 
...a..... Put 1 to 4 of these in a row for "duplication preventers" between A and Z 
...n..... Ditto but with the digits 0 to 9
/e=new extension
/d=new date of form mm/dd/yy
/t=new time of form hh:mm
/p gives a prompt and current settings before executing
/b Append a duplicate preventer on the first filename

download namd200.zip (27K)

2.WMD2FN * * * * [added 6-2-98]: This flexible rename-to-date util offers customization of date formats. Running WMD2FN without any parameters will rename a given file to today's date (default format= y-m-d.ext, file extension unaltered). Using the -f parameter, you can roll your own date format using numerical day, month, and 2 or 4-digit year. The file extension can be altered and normal characters can be inserted within a date string. Date format characters may also be used in the file extension. Author: Warren Mann (1998)

Usage: WMD2FN [{[-|/]opt ...} filename ...] ...
f{$}{.{ext}} --- set format of date to $
                where $ is:
                d ---- replaced with 2 digits representing day
                m ---- replaced with 2 digits representing month
                y ---- replaced with 2 digits representing decade (95)
                yy --- replaced with 4 digits representing century (1996)
                @ ---- next character to be replaced verbatim
                all other characters replaced verbatim
        .ext specifies new extension for file, '-f{$}.' for none

download wmd2f102.zip (8K)

2. Fdate * * * "...is a program which uses certain rules to rename the files given to it to either the date of the file itself, or the ``current'' date. Fdate currently supports the Julian date format, YYYYMMDD format, and ``hex-seconds-since-the-epoch'' which should be familiar to C programmers. Some features may not work as expected if the TZ environment string is not set. Fdate was released as donationware. Options are:

-d: the filename is set to the date, in YYYYMMDD format (default).
-x: the filename is set to the number of seconds, in hex, 
    that last midnight GMT was, since 0:01 GMT on January 1, 1970.
-j: the file extension (filetype) is set to the Julian
-c: use the ``current'' date, and not the date on the file.
-f: use the file's date, not the ``current'' date (default).
-s: subtract days days from the ``current'' date.
-o: force the ``current'' date to the weekday numbered dow 
    (using the scheme 0=Sun, 6=Sat, etc.).
-l: only do the rename if the date on the file is less than the 
    current date.
-a: Always - always do the rename (default).

download fdate12a.zip


MOVE and COPY UTILITIES


Zcopy- Xcopy, copy or move files, synch dirs. With date/ time filters.

* * * *

Zcopy may be the only xcopy or move replacement you'll need. Includes several date and time filter options. Also functions as a file "synchronizer" ("...when a file does NOT exist in the source-directory, it is removed from the target- directory") New version (5-97) compatible with year 2000 and beyond.

Usage: ZCOPY <SourcePath+FileSpec> [<TargetPath>] [<Params>]

[/A]...............Only copy/move files with archive-attribute set.
[/DE[:MM-DD-YYYY]].Copy/move files with date.
[/DY[:MM-DD-YYYY]].Copy/move files with or younger then date.
[/DO[:MM-DD-YYYY]].Copy/move files with or older then date.
[/F]...............Fill diskette.
[/I]...............Copy/move-operation CANNOT be interrupted with ESC.
[/M]...............Move files instead of copy.
[/N]...............Only copy/move changed files.
[/P]...............Prompt before overwriting files.
[/Q]...............Quiet mode, no screen-updates.
[/S]...............Copy sub-directories-structures (also empty ones).
[/TE[:HH:MM:SS]]...Copy/move files with time.
[/TY[:HH:MM:SS]]...Copy/move files with or younger then time.
[/TO[:HH:MM:SS]]...Copy/move files with or older then time.
[/U]...............Update, synchronize source and target directory.
[/?]...............Help-screen.

download zcopy35.zip


Copy to floppy with "best fit"

These similar programs copy selected files from a source to destination drive (i.e., usually assume a floppy). They attempt to efficiently fill the destination drive by first copying/moving those files which will fit best into the available free destination space.

1. Fill- Efficiently pack files onto floppy.
2. FFIT- Efficiently pack files onto floppy.
3. JCOPY- Efficiently pack files (from single directory) onto floppy.

  1. Fill * * * * [updated 07-05-99] The most complete (and largest) program of the group, and includes a wealth of useful options (e.g., report generation). Can accept listfile for source specs. Includes file splitting option. Destination drive not limited to A or B. Version history: see Wayne Software. Author: Bruce Guthrie. (1999)
  2. FFIT * * * * The exe is less than half Fill's size (50K vs. Fill's 130K), but FFIT has plenty of flexibility. "You can specify alphabetical sorting, no grouping (sequential copying), wanted volume size, how much space you want to leave free on the disks, only use files with archive bit set, test mode (just print the filenames, do not copy), and much more..." Can accept listfile for source specs. Target drive limited to "A" or "B." This program prefers to have the documentation present in the same directory. Not widely distributed on the Net. Author: Kai Risku. Finland. (1992)
  3. JCOPY * * 1/2. A full screen program that some may find easier to use because it allows you to tag files from a directory list. JCOPY lacks the flexibility of Fill and FFIT and only processes files residing in the same directory. Target drive limited to "A" or "B." Includes file splitting option. Author: Jon Lanceley. (1995)
  1. download fill906.zip (101K)
  2. download ffit15.zip (36K)
  3. download jcopy36.zip (22K)


FILE ATTRIBUTE, DATE-TIME (TOUCH) UTILS


1. Touch- (aka YATU) Enhanced file date and time modifier.

* * * * * [updated 3-19-99]

Touch.com is a file date, time, and attribute modifier which offers maximum flexibility. What helps sets touch apart is its ability to act on a file list (a text file containing a list of files to modify). Simplified syntax for touching entire directories and drives. Supports U.S., European, and Japanese date formats. Good docs. Includes ASM source. Author: Charles Dye. (1999)

Brief Syntax:

TOUCH  filespec [switches]
TOUCH @filelist [switches]

   /D:date  set to specific date     /D  set to today's date
   /T:time  set to specific time     /T  set to current time
   /C=file  copy stamps from file
   /A:attr  change file attributes
   /P  offer yes/no prompt           /F:x  set date format
   /S  recurse into subdirectories   /M    page output

New in v1.07(3-99): "Added an internal INT 24 handler to suppress "Abort, Retry, Fail" messages; use the new switch /H to disable this handler. Added an errorlevel 23 to indicate unsupported DOS versions." minor bug fixes. v1.06 (1-99) "Minor changes to the handling of the null date stamp...now displayed as (none) instead of 0-00-1980...can now set a null date stamp using /D:N...Two changes to scrolling. The key to pause a continuous scroll is now Alt instead of Esc. This change eliminates the annoying problem of TOUCH eating keys from the typeahead buffer. Also, the Control key can now be used to slow a scrolling display.

download touch.zip (43K)


2. ATTRIB- Enhanced ATTRIB replacement.

* * * * * [added 6-6-98; updated 3-19-99]

An intelligent substitute for MS-DOS' ATTRIB command. Some notable differences, liberally quoted and paraphrased from the good documentation:

Brief syntax:

ATTRIB [operators] [filespecs] [switches]

   + set   - clear   ~ toggle
   A  Archive    H  Hidden
   S  System     R  Read-only

   /S  recurse into subdirectories
   /P  offer yes/no prompt
   /M  page output
   /D  wildcards may match directory names
   /C=filename   copy attributes from file

Author: Charles Dye. (1999)

New in v1.05 (3-99): "fixes two obscure bugs...The code has been tightened in places...switches /D and /C have been added to the syntax screen." v1.04: "You can pause a continuous scroll with the Alt key ....the Control key may now be used to slow a scrolling display." v1.03a (1-99):" /H works as documented." v1.02 (8-98):"...adds various tweaks for compatibility with FreeDOS. NUL and CR are both accepted as valid end-of-line markers. Duplicate backslashes are removed from the filespec. There's also a workaround for the problem with subdirectories being converted into files..."

download attrib.zip (39K).


MISCELLANEOUS FILE UTILS


DO- Small "all-in-one" batch utility for file management.

* * * *

The design of DO is unique- not quite a command-line utility but not a dedicated file manager. DO is best described as an interactive multi-purpose batch utility. DO's interface is essentially a command line with a help screen. The user must still type in commands, but the syntax and options are visible at all times. The functions include: find text, file&directory size, attrib, time, copy, move, rename, delete, xcopy, prune, and wipe. Some of these functions are already built into DOS, but DO presents the user with additional options and the syntax is simplified for batch jobs. Some options are unique to DO (e..g., recursive file operations, change the time and date stamp of one or more files). The output of DO is formatted nicely and can be saved to a file. I don't use DO often - but it is an outstanding little program and is well suited to laptop users.

download do21.zip


DU- Comprehensive, multi-purpose c- line file management util.

unrated

DU (not to be confused with the UNIX command of the same name) is a general purpose file utility which performs an extremely broad range of functions. The length of the option list may overwhelm the novice user, but it is impressive. If you're looking for a "do-all" c-line file management program, DU may fulfill your needs. DU defies a short description and I have yet to try most of it's features. One of the true strengths of this program is its support of enhanced wildcards (with limitations). Principal operations supported:

Limitations:

Author: Dirk Hartkopf. Germany. (1997)

download du_inst.exe (101K, ARJ SFX)


Fileutils (GNU)- Collection of Unix file utilities for DOS (DJGPP).

unrated [added 9-13-98]

An up-to-date, all-in-one file toolkit ported from the Unix world. Separately zipped documentation helpful. Support Win9x long filenames. Requires 386+ and a DPMI provider under plain DOS (cwsdpmi). (1997).

Note: Some programs (e.g., chgrp and chown) are no-ops on DOS systems.

Concise summary of contents:

download fil316b.zip (1 MB, binaries only)

download fil316d.zip (311K, docs- html, texi, ps, dvi)


SYNCDIR- Synchronize source and target directories.

unrated [updated 9-20-98]

Useful for synchronizing files between drives, computers. "...the maximum number of files in either the source or destination directories (not combined) lies somewhere between 45,000 and 300,000, depending upon the average length of the path to the file." Author: K. York. (1998)

Format: Syncdir src [dst] flags
/a            add files
/c            copy files
/d[d]         delete files
/u            update files
/f[acdu]      force add, copy, delete, update
/r            recurse into subdirectories
/v            verbose mode
/q            quiet mode
/n            no action
/[+][!][name] log actions & errors to [name]
              [+] for append, [!] for errors only
              default name: syncdir.log
/i...         begin include file list
/x...         begin exclude file list
/b            execute in both directions

16 & 32-bit (Win9x/ NT only) versions included. Some options (/g /t /v) not operable in 16-bit version.

download syncdr31.zip (146K)


MAKTST- Create dummy test files for program evaluation.

unrated [added 7-4-98]

A very useful tool if you wish to test the capabilities of file handling programs (e.g., renamers, file managers). Allows customization of number, naming, and sizing of files. Author: Gordon Haff/ Bit Masons Consulting. (1991)

usage:

MAKTST /NUM=number /BEG=StartNum /END=EndNum /SIZE=FileSize /NAME=file.ext

Notes: Slow at creating very large files.

download mktst100.zip (36K)


File Splitters

FCUT- Split files by size/parts; rejoin with COPY /B.

* * * *

FCUT includes options to split files into parts or user-defined sizes. Files split by FCUT can be rejoined with the copy /b command in DOS/ OS/2 or the cat command in Unix. Author: Y.F. Gamzun (1996). Suggested by Lars-Erik Sandberg.

USAGE: fcut [/p# or /s#] </o#,/b#,/e#,/h,/?> [input file] <output file>
/p# -- total number of pieces (1 to 999)
/s# -- size of a piece in byte, Kbyte or Mbyte (> 0) 1K = 1024, 1M = 1024K = 1048576
/o# -- the only piece to be made (1 to 999)
/b# -- beginning offset of input file (inclusive) (>= 0)
/e# -- ending offset of input file (exclusive) (> 0)
/h -- display this help message
/? -- display this help message
input file -- file to be cut
output file -- the product file name (default is 'filepart')

download fcut10.zip (30K; DOS and OS/2 executables.)


More...


[ Go to Top | Front Page ]

© 1994-1999. Rich Green