Solved How can I create a list of folders in WORD without retyping them all?

[Tatanna]

I have many folders with names of clients and would occasionally like to print a list but without retyping them I can't seem to do that. I also have photos that I would like a physical list of but again without retyping them all.
Any ideas?

 

[Dave Atkin]

Using DIR command in CMD to list folders.

Hello, this is a little bit of a crude way of doing it but it will work.

Click Start>Run. Type 'cmd'. In the command prompt change the directory to the folder you want by typing 'cd /D FOLDERLOCATION' and click enter. An example: 'cd /D C:\Folders'.

Then type 'dir' and press enter.

This will list the folder names as well as a few other bits of information. Right click within the command prompt and select mark. Highlight the text and click enter to copy. Then paste into word.

Another command is 'dir > C:\Folders.txt'. This will save the information on your C: Drive in a text file called folders.txt.

Simply open the txt file with notepad and copy the contents into word. You will probably have to remove some of the other information like folder size.

I hope this helps.


Dave

 

[Ztruker]

If you use dir /b then you get just the filename.ext and no other info.

 

[Dave Atkin]

Ztruker is correct. I couldnt remember what the switch was .

Dave

 

[Tatanna]

Thank you both for your suggestions but there is something I am not understanding. My system is Italian running Windows 7. I click 'start' there is a box for searching to find a file. No 'RUN'. I entered your second suggestion in the box 'dir>C:\Folders.txt' and a list came up. It didn't save automatically as I assumed it would so I went to repeat the action, this time an abbreviated list of folders came up in the 'START' box not on the full screen.
So I tried your first suggestion. Typing 'cmd' into the search box brought up a small black screen with C:\Users\MY NAME> but when I entered the folder name it wouldn't give me access.
What am I doing wrong?

 

[badger906]

Click start/windows Type "run" in the box and it will find the "run" application at the top, open that and then type CMD to enter command prompt

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

 

[SundRance]

You can click your way to the folder in question in Windows Explorer as well, Shift + Right Click the folder and choose Open command window here. Then use "dir /b > list.txt" to create a Notebook text file containing your list.

Best Wishes,
Rªnce

 

[Tatanna]

I must be really stupid! I do what you say and it works but then what. The command window opens I type in the command at the end of the string showing, I hit enter and it simply repeats the initial string on the line below. It won't do anything else.

 

[Ztruker]

To open a Run window, press the Windows key (next to the left Ctrl key) and the R key together.

To enable Run: Enable Run Command on Windows 7 or Vista Start Menu

or ... ( I love giving choices), click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt.
If you need an elevated Command Prompt, right click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator instead of left clicking on it.

 

[Tatanna]

I love the Windows key and 'R' key together. That was easy. Now I am getting a message that says it will not give me access.
The BIG problem is that you all assume I KNOW stuff, (and I don't )
I have a 30 photos in a file,... User>MYNAME>Images>CLIENT ALBUMS>SMITH
I need to make a list of the names of these photos without retyping them. Can I? If so HOW?
I have 16 FOLDERS in Raccolte>Immagini>Immagini>MY PARISH ALBUMS>Colle San Magno>
I need to make a list of the FOLDERS without retyping.

 

[SundRance]

Use Windows Explorer to navigate to C:\User\UserNAME\Images\.

Right click CLIENT ALBUMS with the shift key pressed (Shift + Right Mouse Click) and choose Open command window here.

At the command prompt type dir /b > list.txt.

That will create a txt file with the names of all of your files.

Double click the list.txt file (It should open in Notepad). Select all of the text and use Edit menu, Copy. Open the file you with to copy the information to and use Edit menu, Paste to enter the data.

Note: when you created the list, you also created a file called list.txt, and THAT FILE will be listed to. You may wish to edit the name of that file out of your list.

Hope this helps. Best Wishes,
Rªnce

 

[Dave Atkin]

Put speachmarks aropund your folder path. Ie: dir /b "C:\Users\MYNAME\My Pictures\CLIENT ALBUMS\SMITH"

Windows cmd doesnt like spaces



Dave

 

[essenbe]

It probably didn't give you access because you didn't right click on command prompt and select 'run as administrator. Then give administrator permission when it asks.

 

[BisVal]

Use the free program FileDir - it's portable and very useful .

 

[flogit]

What about this little bit of software.

Karen's Directory Printer

 

[Tatanna]

Well, I did say I didn't know 'stuff'. Today I found the 'lists' several of them as I kept trying to create them. I didn't realize it would file them automatically. Now all I have to do is remember which of your suggestions worked for me. Thanks everyone.

 

[Tatanna]

If there are other dummy's out there who have not yet figured it out, do this.
Open the folder you want a list of the contents of in Windows Explorer,
Shift + Right Click the folder on the left of the screen and choose Open command window here. Then use "dir /b > list.txt" at the end of the string to create a Notebook text file containing your list.
The list will instantly appear in the folder.
Amazing. Thanks everyone.

 

[SundRance]

Glad you got it to work. The old command prompt is still mightier than the mouse.

Best Wishes,
Rªnce

 

[Ztruker]

Follow the 3rd paragraph of my previous response to open an Elevated Command Prompt. You will be at C:\Users\MYNAME.

Once there, type cd "Images\CLIENT ALBUMS\SMITH" and press Enter. (need the double quotes as shown).
Type dir /b > list.txt and press enter. This puts the output of the dir command into the file called list.txt.

To look at it, type notepad list.txt and press Enter, or use Windows Explorer/My Computer to navigate to that folder and double click on list.txt which will open it in a Notepad window.

Ooops, never mind, I see you got it figured out.

 

[antmcg]

you need to elevate the cmd box, as described above go through the process until you find cmd.exe
then right click run as administrator, then follow the advice given to get the required output