How to? alias to go to the directory that contains a file?

[Rodolfo]

I would like to know how to write an alias that goes to a directory, given a filename that is inside it, with the complete path.
For example, something such as

reach "C:\Program Files\JPSoft\TCMD29\tcstart.btm"

I tried several variants, but none of them works.
For example,

reach=cdd "%@path[%*]"

If I type

reach C:\Program Files\JPSoft\TCMD29\tcstart.btm

I get

TCC: (Sys) The system cannot find the file specified.
 " C:\Program Files\JPSoft\TCMD29\tcstart.btm"

Searching for "expand" in the help it says that I can use CTRL-F, instead it is CTRL-W.
Anyway, if I type

reach C:\Program Files\JPSoft\TCMD29\tcstart.btm

and then I press CTRL-W I get

cdd "%@path[%*]" C:\Program Files\JPSoft\TCMD29\tcstart.btm

How can I write such an alias?
Thank You and regards
Rodolfo Giovanninetti

 

[Joe Caverly]

I do something similar, but not as an alias;

@setlocal
@echo off
iff %# eq 0 then
  input Enter a file mask: %%filemask
else
  *set filemask=%1
endiff

OPTION //ConsolePopupWindows=Yes

iff %@len[%filemask] gt 0 then
  everything /f /s /w %filemask > clip:
  *set kount=%@lines[clip:]
  iff %kount eq -1 then
    echo No files matching %filemask were found.
  else
    iff %kount eq 0 then
      set thefile=%@clip[0]
      defer cdd %@path["%thefile"] > nul
    else
      Gosub DateAndFilename
      iff defined SELECT_LINE then
       set words=%@words["%results"]
       iff %words eq 3 then
         echo %@word[1,"%results"] %@word[2,"%results"]
         set results=%@word[1,"%results"] %@word[2,"%results"]
       else
         set results=%@word[0,%results]
       endiff
       echo %results > clip:
       defer cdd "%@path[%results]"
       defer type clip:
       defer dir %filemask
      endiff
    endiff
else
  echo USAGE: %_batchname file.ext
endiff

OPTION //ConsolePopupWindows=No

endlocal
quit

:DateAndFilename
if exist %temp\c2p.txt del /q %temp\c2p.txt
do kount=0 to %@lines[clip:]
  set theline=%@clip[%kount]
  echo %@filedate["%theline"] %theline >>%temp\c2p.txt
enddo

*set results=%@select[%temp\c2p.txt,1,1,20,80,Select a file from the list,-1]
*set rightmost=%@eval[%@len[%results]-11]
*set results=%@right[%rightmost,%results]
*set results="%results"
Return

Thus, if I want to find the file tcstart.btm;

c2p.btm tcstart.btm

...I am presented with all locations of tcstart.btm, I select the one that I want, and I am taken to the location of the file.

This is not a solution to your post, but sharing this that it may help in your solution.

Joe

 

[Charles Dye]

I would like to know how to write an alias that goes to a directory, given a filename that is inside it, with the complete path.
For example, something such as

reach "C:\Program Files\JPSoft\TCMD29\tcstart.btm"

I tried several variants, but none of them works.
For example,

reach=cdd "%@path[%*]"

If I type

reach C:\Program Files\JPSoft\TCMD29\tcstart.btm

I get

TCC: (Sys) The system cannot find the file specified.
 " C:\Program Files\JPSoft\TCMD29\tcstart.btm"

You just need one tiny change:

C:\>alias reach=`cdd "%@path[%$]"`

C:\>reach C:\Bin\TCmd29\tcstart.btm

C:\Bin\TCmd29>

Use %$ for an alias's parameters, %* for a batch file's parameters.

 

[samintz]

I typically take advantage of Everything Search. For example, I have a folder named: C:\Program Files\LunaSA\CSP\test.
I can type cdd csp\test and I get a pop-up window with all the folders on my PC that contain that. I select it and done.

 

[vefatica]

@Rodolfo, I'm curious. Under what circumstances would this be useful?

I played around with a keystroke plugin that handled <Shift-Enter>. Basically, it checks whether the path part of the current command line is a directory and if it is, CDD there. So, for example, d:\tc29\tcc.exe<Shift-Enter> would CDD to d:\tc29. It works, though it could probably be made more robust.

So I wondered if the same could be done with an autoexecute keystroke (@@key) alias. The answer seems to be no because, as far as I can tell, autoexecute keystroke aliases don't get arguments. So I thought of the following; maybe it will become a suggestion.

Let autoexecute keystroke aliases get, as arguments, the current command_line_in_progress. That could make such aliases more useful (they could refer to %$, %1, ...). If the user didn't want the alias to get arguments, he could prefix the alias with the EraseLine keystroke (Esc) as the help suggests.

Have I overlooked anything? Is that not a good idea? Comments appreciated.

 

[Charles Dye]

Here's another way to do the same thing:

C:\>alias reach=`%$\..\`

C:\>reach C:\Bin\TCmd29\tcstart.btm

C:\Bin\TCmd29>reach "c:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe"

C:\Program Files\Notepad++>

%$ gives us the alias arguments, and adding \..\ to the end makes it an automatic directory change to the parent directory.

 

[vefatica]

Here's another way to do the same thing:

C:\>alias reach=`%$\..\`

%$ gives us the alias arguments, and adding \..\ to the end makes it an automatic directory change to the parent directory.

That requires AutoCDD=Yes (yes/no?).

 

[Charles Dye]

That requires AutoCDD=Yes (yes/no?).

Yes.

(That's been the default since 4DOS, and I don't know why anyone would turn it off. But I suppose someone must have requested the option.)

 

[vefatica]

Yes.

(That's been the default since 4DOS, and I don't know why anyone would turn it off. But I suppose someone must have requested the option.)

Looks like AutoCDD was added 8/2009 (v11). Rex commented that it was by request. And Steve Fabian asked

Why the heck would anybody want to disable this useful feature anyway?

 

[Charles Dye]

Rex commented that it was by request. And Steve Fabian asked

I miss Steve. He was a source of interesting ideas....

 

[Rodolfo]

@Rodolfo, I'm curious. Under what circumstances would this be useful?

...

Sometimes I have the complete path of a file from a graphic interface, and I want to go there from command line.
Thank You Charles and all others for helping me fix this!
Rodolfo