Creating directory names in a batch file

I have a batch file located on the desktop (XP Pro) that deletes all folders called C:\backup ", creates a new folder called "C:\backup" and copies files from around the hard-drive into it, ready for the user to write to a CD for backup purposes.

I have done it this way to make it easy for the user to copy all her files to one place. She is comfortable with using a CD-writer but not much else.

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to name the folder by date or something else, so that each backup she does can be stored on the same cd, as they are only about 20mb in total, or maybe there is a better way to accomplish the whole thing. It needs to be something as simple as clicking on a desktop icon and writing one folder to a cd.

I have tried "md c:\%date% ", but it tells me the syntax in wrong.

Thanks

 

If you are in a batch file, you need to double up the percentage characters. So %%date%%

However, I still don't think this will work as easily as that. I have an automated batch file at work that backs up a network folder and wanted to do the same as you. I ended up using GAWK to generate a date stamp. I will try and remember to post the bit of batch coding I used to do it tomorrow from work.

However, if you want to try yourself, I think this page (AWK Scripts: Date and Time) is where I got the information I used to create my batch script.

 

Try something like

echo.|date|find "Current" >cu##ent.bat
echo set date=%%4> current.bat
call cu##ent.bat
del cu??ent.bat > nul
mkdir \%date%

 

I remember the problem with using %%date%% now. You end up with something along the lines of "Wed 18/08/04" (UK date format). Putting forward slashes into a file name creates an invalid file name.

This is what I used:

• set format=set datetime\075\045d\045m\045Y\045H\045M

• gawk "BEGIN{Format = \ "%format%\ ";print strftime( Format, systime() )}" > }{.bat

• call }{

• del }{.bat

If you put this in your batch file it will create a variable called %datetime%. This has the format ddmmyyyyHHMM. All numbers, with no punctuation. The advantage of including the hours and minutes, is that if the function is used more than once in a single day you get a new folder name for each instance. So:

• mkdir foldername%datetime%

Would create a folder called "foldername180820040131" at the time of writing.

To do this you will need a Windows version of GAWK. You also need to have GAWK in your system path. For example by using something like this (at a command prompt - you should only have to do this once):

• set path=%path%, "c:\program files\gawk\gawk306x\gnu\bin\ "

There are a number of versions of GAWK ported for Windows. Here for example