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[Petter1979]

hehe made around 15 tests, with diffrent switches.

[Data]

well I knew there were better combo's but I was glad I could point a possible direction that doesn't require much effort.

[Petter1979]

Yeah thanks Data for the original idea

[Kon-Tiki]

What's the /A:A /D /O:G do?

[Titan]

"Dir /?" perhaps?

[Kon-Tiki]

Meh, too lazy :bleh:

[Unknown Hero]

Can someone explaind order by order what does it mean!?!?!?!?

/s?
/v?
/a?
/$&$//"#$/$")=(/"=!%/)???

@Kon-Tiki
Thanks, I got it! :tnx:

[Eagle of Fire]

DIR [DRIVE:][PATH][NAME OF FILE] [/A[[:]ATTRIBUTE]] [/B] [/C] [/D] [/L] [/N] [/O[[:]SORT]] [/P] [/Q] [/S] [/T[[:]TIME]] [/W] [/X] [/4]

 * * [DRIVE:][PATH][NAME OF FILE]
 * * * * *Selection of a specific drive, directory or file to be listed

 * * /A * * Shows the files which attribute are specified.
 * * * * *attributes * * D * * Directory * * R * * Read Only
 * * * * * * * * * * * * H * * Hidden * * * *A * * Archive
 * * * * * * * * * * * * S * * System * * * *- * * Negation prefix

DOS used those attribute flags to know which files were what. For example, an hidden file would not be see under the normal DIR command. Read only could not be overwritten, and files with the Directory flag were directories. The negation prefixe helped sort the files which were NOT the specified attribute.

 * * /B * * Use the shortened format (only file names).
 * * /C * * Use the thousands comma when showing the files size. This is on by 
 * * * * * * * * default, use /-C to deactivate this option.
 * * /D * * Shows the files on 5 columns, all sorted by columns.

This is extremely usefull. Instead of showing the related informations of each files on only one column, DIR will show you all the files it can in one screen in several columns. Extremely powerfull with /P. The difference with /W comes with the fact that the files will be sorted alphabetically from first to last in the first collumn, then DIR will continue in the second column. the /W option sort the files from left to right instead.

 * * /L * * Use lowercases.
 * * /N * * New format on long list where the file names are sorted to the right.

This seems to be a new setting. My DIR use this option by default, but then what would you expect since I only booted WinXP command prompt? If you want to see how it was looking like in the old days, type DIR/-N and see.

 * * /O * * Shows the files with a specific sort.
 * * * * *SORT * N * * Name (alphabetical order) * * * * *S * * Size (increasing)
 * * * * * * * * E * * Extention (alphabetical order) * * D * * Date and time (chronological)
 * * * * * * * * G * * Directories listed first * * * * * - * * Negation prefix
 * * /P * * Pause after a whole screen of information

This is extremely usefull. If you ever get into a directory which have more files than lines on your screen (would you use /D or not) then using /P will pause the DIR command and ask you to hit a key whenever there is no more space left to write on the screen. Back in the old days you could always hit the Pause (english sp?) button but even then it was hazardous and you often had to start over again if you missed the file you were searching for.

 * * /Q * * Shows the name of the owner of the file

Clueless about this one. Never used it. My best bet would be that when you purchased a file or a software, the most influencal producers began to add a line in their files to know from which corporation it was coming from. Like when you started some games it told you from who it has been made and sometimes you had personified messages when the program returned to DOS. Can't help you more on this one.

 * * /S * * Subrecurse (sp?) directory.

Instead of only listing the files on the current directory, DIR will search all the visible directories and backtrace them all, listing all the files it encounter along with their original location. Very annoying if you do that in C:\ on a big HD . Overall a very powerfull option.

 * * /T * * Time sorting option
 * * * * *TIME * * C * * Created [i](sort files by date and time of first writting)[/i]
 * * * * * * * * * A * * Accessed [i](sort files by last time accessed (or used))[/i]
 * * * * * * * * * W * * Writted [i](sort files by last time written (or overwritten)[/i]
 * * /W * * Shows the results on 5 columns

This is extremely usefull. Instead of showing the related informations of each files on only one column, DIR will show you all the files it can in one screen in several columns. Extremely powerfull with /P. The difference with /D comes with the fact that the files will be sorted alphabetically from left to right on each line, then DIR will continue to the next line. The /D option sort the files from columns to columns instead.

 * * /X * * Shows short names in 8.3 car. format.

Seems to be another Windows modification. Using this flag allow you to see files with only 8 characters long, plus 3 characters for the extention. In OLD DOS, no files could have more than 8 characters plus 3 for the extention. Windows 95 changed that, that's why you can see the ~'s if you use that option since DOS could not read those files correctly innitially.

 * * /4 * * Shows the date flag of files on 4 digit

The reason of the infamous 2K bug was that the PC never been innitially intended to work pass year 2000. It was probably left out as an easier way to code or bring the code data size down since space was really an issue at the beginning, so the date year format always been 2 digit (for example 94 for 1994) until recently when the hype about the 2K bug began to appear. It was really a needed upgrade, and you can expect all modern computers to use 4 digit date format now.

I have left the most obvious commands alone, and commented on those I thought would be usefull to. My comments always refer to the last flag listed above the comment.

Hope that helps! :angel:

[Petter1979]

Originally posted by Kon-Tiki@Dec 28 2004, 07:03 PM
What's the /A:A /D /O:G do?

/A:A Files ready for archiving, (I avoid it listing directories inside directories)

/D = files are list sorted by column.

/O = List by files in sorted order, :G = Group directories first


cant really give a better explanation since english is not my native language. But i used this site to make the command:
http://www.computerhope.com/dirhlp.htm#01

DIR /S /A:A /D /O:G > blah.txt

tried using it on a game i had:

DIR F:\LORDS2 /S /A:A /D /O:G > test11.txt

here is the result:
http://www.upit.dk/u/test11.txt

[Petter1979]

Hehe Eagle you were faster than me