How do I link files?

[Dzomlija]

Before I start, maybe if I explain how it works with Internet Explorer, you'd get a clearer idea of what I want.



With Internet Explorer, when I save a web page to disk, there are four options:

1. Web page, complete
2. Web Archive, single file
3. Web page, HTML only
4. Text File

If I choose the first option, "Web page, complete", then a file is saved, and a folder is created containg additional resources like images. For example, if I save a web page, this is what I get in Windows Explorer:

​

Now, if I delete the file named "Shockwave II - Discogs Search.htm", then the folder "Shockwave II - Discogs Search_files" gets deleted also, even if it wasn't selected to begin with. This is expected behavior, and is what I want.

NOW to my question.

The media center attached to my TV gets it's media over the network (via normal file sharing, not Media Player streamed). When using the Media Center for videos, it looks for three files: Videos, Images and Text, like this:

Final Destination 1.avi
Final Destination 1.jpg
Final Destination 1.txt

It uses the JPG file to display a thumbnail preview of the video, and the TXT file that can be used to display such things as movie creaits, description, etc. The actual JPG and TXT files are filtered out of the actual file list, and are not visible, even if the hidden attribute is not set.

Now, to make the Windows Explorer view look the same, I've set the hidden attribute for the JPG and TXT files, so that they do not show in the list of Windows Explorer. The trouble is, sometimes when I move my videos to other folders, I forget to unhide hidden files first, and I therefore don't copy the hidden JPG and TXT files.

What I want to know is this:

Is there a way for me to "link" the associated JPG and TXT files to the AVI within Windows Explorer so that if I move or delete one of them, then others go with it, even if they are not selected?

And I really don't want to have to unhide hidden files every time, or to permanently have hidden files visible.

Even if I need to use the command line to do it, I'd really appreciate any tips anyone can give me...

 

[Kirsch]

IF you move the .htm file in the first example, does the folder move with it?

I dont think you can do this, short of organizing them all in their own separate folders

 

[Dwarf]

Hi Peter,

Probably through a batch file. Here's a rough flow chart (no coding yet):

Enter filename & source path
Assign variables: v1=filename.avi, v2=filename.jpg, v3=filename.txt
Question: Move, Copy or Delete (M/C/D)?
Reply=M: goto move
Reply=C :goto copy
Reply=D: goto delete
goto question
move: call copy1
delete: delete from source v1, v2, v3
exit
copy: call copy1
exit
copy1: Enter destination path
Read v1 from source & write to destination
Read v2 from source & write to destination
Read v3 from source & write to destination
return

Hopefully this should give you some ideas. It just needs translating into actual working code.

 

[Dzomlija]

IF you move the .htm file in the first example, does the folder move with it?

I dont think you can do this, short of organizing them all in their own separate folders

Yes it does

 

[Dzomlija]

Hi Peter,

Probably through a batch file. Here's a rough flow chart (no coding yet):

Enter filename & source path
Assign variables: v1=filename.avi, v2=filename.jpg, v3=filename.txt
Question: Move, Copy or Delete (M/C/D)?
Reply=M: goto move
Reply=C :goto copy
Reply=D: goto delete
goto question
move: call copy1
delete: delete from source v1, v2, v3
exit
copy: call copy1
exit
copy1: Enter destination path
Read v1 from source & write to destination
Read v2 from source & write to destination
Read v3 from source & write to destination
return

Hopefully this should give you some ideas. It just needs translating into actual working code.

I suppose this could work, but what I'm really looking for is a way to link the 3 individual files, so that if I use Cut & Paste from within Windows Explorer, then all 3 files get moved instead of only just the one selected file.

And I've never really been very good at creating Explorer extensions, so even if my compiler could create 64-bit DLLs, I'm afraid I'm out of options unless I can find out how Internet Explorer tags an HTM file as "beloning" to a folder, and vice-versa, so that I can apply the same to my video files...