Can batch file affect TC's current dir?

[wanderer]

Lets say a folder's contents are shown in TC. One of the files is a batch. Can it contain a special CD command (i.e. TC-CD) which will change TC's directory?

[Horst.Epp]

Your batch can start TC again with the /o parameter and the path to the new dir you want.
Examples:
%COMMANDER_EXE% /O /L=path_for_left /R=path_for_right
or
%COMMANDER_EXE% /O /S path_for_active path_for_passive

[wanderer]

Nope, thanks for the idea but i don't want to achieve that. Sometimes in some folders i have text files containing info about files in other folders. I thought it would be nice to transform them to batch files to change TC's panel to that folder...

[white]

I thought it would be nice to transform them to batch files to change TC's panel to that folder...

How is Horst.Epp's suggestion not accomplishing that?

[wanderer]

I'd like to somehow execute the batch file and change the folder of the active panel of the current TC instance.

[petermad]

2wanderer

I'd like to somehow execute the batch file and change the folder of the active panel of the current TC instance

And that what the /O parameter accomplishes:

Put:

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%COMMANDER_EXE% /O /S drive:\path

in the first line of your .bat file.

/O If Total Commander is already running, activate it and pass the path(s) in the command line to that instance (overrides the settings in the configuration dialog to have multiple windows).

[beb]

Example #1: an approach based on the loadlist command:
Try this (button for a button bar):

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TOTALCMD#BAR#DATA
loadlist
%P%N
wciconex.dll,0



-1

Explanation:
If a file under cursor (%P%N) contains any valid files/folders you will see a list of them in an active panel ready for further opening/browsing

Edit

Example #2: an approach based on the above-mentioned command (see @petermad's message):

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%COMMANDER_EXE% /O

Let's say we have a text file with a valid file/folder name in it, e.g.
test.txt

Code: Select all

%commander_path%\Language

then let's put a batch command in wincmd.ini:

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[em_test]
cmd=%comspec% /v /c for /f %f in (test.txt) do set folder=%f & %COMMANDER_EXE% /O=!folder!

then let's put it as a button in a button bar:

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TOTALCMD#BAR#DATA
em_test

wciconex.dll


0
10034

then being in a directory of test.txt tap the above button.
Result:
"%commander_path%\Language" folder from "test.txt" will be opened in the Total Commander target panel.

Edit 2

Limitations:

Approach #1: none
All you need just a file under cursor that as you know contains valid files/folders names
Other [than valid file/folders names] data in the file will be ignored (you'll just see a correspondent massage).

Approach #2:

- If the test.txt's file name is unknown you would have to parse it doing something like that:

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cmd=%comspec% /v /c for /f "tokens=* delims=" %f in ('dir /b/a/s ^| find /i ".txt"') do set file=%f & for /f %f in (!file!) do set folder=%f & %COMMANDER_EXE% /O=!folder!

- If the test.txt contains other text data you would have to parse it to extract only valid files/folders names by doing at least something like that (assuming ":\" part is one of a valid files/folders name):

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for /f "tokens=* delims=" %i in ('find ":\" "test.txt"') do echo %i

NB this won't work for the above test.txt content since %commander_path%\Language is swallowing ":\", and only "\" remains available.

- If the test.txt contains more than one valid file/folder name entry, you would rather need somehow to choose which one of them to pass to the Total Commander

[wanderer]

2petermad
2beb

Thank you both the the interesting ideas! I'll try them, and first of all the /O one, which seems most promising.

2Horst.Epp
I just understood that your post was doing just that! Thanks!