DOS Batch command to process 1 file at a time?

Question

I am trying to execute a certain task where i am required to read files (one at a time) from a folder which can have undefined number of files. I need to be able to MOVE the first file in the folder to a new location and then execute another task with another batch file.The main aim is to read one files at a time instead of doing a \\*.* which will read all files at once.Any help would be appreciated !Thanks

Answer 1

To process one file at a time in a DOS batch script, you can use a loop to iterate through the files in the folder and execute your desired tasks on each file. Here's a basic example of how you can achieve this:

```batch

@echo off

setlocal enabledelayedexpansion

set "sourceFolder=C:\Path\To\Source\Folder"

set "destinationFolder=C:\Path\To\Destination\Folder"

for %%F in ("%sourceFolder%\*.*") do (

set "currentFile=%%~nF%%~xF"

echo Processing: !currentFile!

rem Move the current file to the destination folder

move "%%F" "%destinationFolder%\!currentFile!"

rem Execute another batch file with the current file as an argument

call AnotherBatchFile.bat "!currentFile!"

)

endlocal

```

In this example:

1. Replace `"C:\Path\To\Source\Folder"` with the actual path of your source folder.

2. Replace `"C:\Path\To\Destination\Folder"` with the actual path of your destination folder.

3. The loop iterates through each file in the source folder using `for %%F in ("%sourceFolder%\*.*")`.

4. Inside the loop:

- `%%~nF` extracts the name of the current file (without extension).

- `%%~xF` extracts the extension of the current file.

- `!currentFile!` is a delayed-expanded variable holding the current file's name and extension.

- The `move` command moves the current file to the destination folder.

- The `call` command executes another batch file named `AnotherBatchFile.bat`, passing the current file as an argument.

Adjust the paths, file extensions, and tasks to match your requirements.

Note that this example processes files one by one and then moves them to the destination folder. After the loop completes, you can continue executing tasks in the `AnotherBatchFile.bat` script using the file passed as an argument.