Rename Textfile by String within textfile

[Alexandra]

Hi,

I have a folder with hundreds of text files. Each text file contains a row with a date. I want to rename the text file with the date contained in this text file. Example: Suppose I have 2 textfiles, then one text file would contain a row like this:

DATE 1 February 2008

and the other would contain a row like this:

DATE 2 February 2008

The rows are not necessarily at the same position (e.g. it's not always the third row) All text files have in common that the date line starts with "Date". Right now the textfiles are named by numbers. How can I rename each text file by the date given within this file? In the above example, I want textfile 1 to be "1February2 008" and textfile 2 "2February2 008"

Thank you very much for your help!
Alexandra

[debasisdas]

You can follow these steps.

1.Read the content of the file
2.Create a file by that name.
3.Copy the content to the new file.
4.Delte the old file.

You have to use FileSystemObjec t for the purpose.

[jamesd0142]

I fancied giving this a go also:

Came up with this which works:

sure you can edit it to suit:

[code=vbnet]


Imports System.IO
Public Class Form1

Dim date1 As String
Dim j As String
Dim i As Integer
Dim pos As Integer

Private Sub Button1_Click(B yVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArg s) Handles Button1.Click
DeleteAllSubFol ders("c:\a")
End Sub

Private Sub DeleteAllSubFol ders(ByVal StartPath As String)
Dim myfolder As DirectoryInfo = New DirectoryInfo(S tartPath)
Dim mySubfolders() As FileInfo = myfolder.GetFil es()
Dim strFiles() As FileInfo = myfolder.GetFil es()

For Each myItem As FileInfo In strFiles
'myItem.Delete( )
'open File
Dim a As String = StartPath & "\" & myItem.ToString

'read File
Dim EntireLine1 As String
Dim oFile1 As System.IO.File
Dim oRead1 As System.IO.Strea mReader
If System.IO.File. Exists(a) = True Then
oRead1 = oFile1.OpenText (a)
EntireLine1 = oRead1.ReadToEn d
oRead1.Close() 'test line
End If
Dim b As String = "2008" 'vbCrLf
'find date
date1 = EntireLine1.Sub string(EntireLi ne1.IndexOf("DA TE"), EntireLine1.Ind exOf(b)) ', EntireLine1.Ind exOf("2008"))

'function cuts of the end of the line where it finds a return character or line feed...
For i = 1 To Len(date1)
j = Mid(date1, i, 1)
If a = vbCr Or a = vbLf Then
Exit For
End If
Next
date1 = Mid(date1, 6, i - 7)

'rename File
If System.IO.File. Exists(a) = True Then
System.IO.File. Move(a, StartPath & "\" & RTrim(date1) & ".txt")
End If

Next

End Sub
End Class
[/code]

[WinblowsME]

Backup before you do a test run.

[CODE=vb]
' VBA

Sub Test()
Dim source_path As String

source_path = "C:\Documen ts and Settings\Winblo wsME\Desktop\Te mp"

Call Rename_Files(so urce_path)
End Sub

Private Sub Rename_Files(so urce_path As String)
Dim regex As Object, file_name As String, curr_date As String

Set regex = CreateObject("V BScript.RegExp" )

regex.Pattern = "\\*$"
source_path = regex.Replace(s ource_path, "\")

file_name = Dir(source_path & "*.txt")

Do While file_name <> ""
curr_date = Get_Date(source _path & file_name)

If curr_date <> "" Then
Debug.Print source_path & file_name & "->" & source_path & curr_date & ".txt"

'Name source_path & file_name As source_path & curr_date & ".txt"
End If

file_name = Dir
Loop
End Sub

Private Function Get_Date(file_n ame As String) As String
Dim regex As Object, curr_line As String, curr_date As String

Set regex = CreateObject("V BScript.RegExp" )

regex.Pattern = "^ *DATE *[0-9]{1,2} *.* *[0-9]{4}"
curr_line = ""
curr_date = ""

Open file_name For Input As #1
Do While Not EOF(1)
Line Input #1, curr_line

If regex.Test(curr _line) Then
curr_date = curr_line
curr_date = Replace(curr_li ne, "DATE ", "")
curr_date = Replace(curr_li ne, " ", "")
Exit Do
End If
Loop
Close #1

Get_Date = curr_date
End Function[/CODE]

[Killer42]

You can follow these steps. ...

• Far too wasteful to copy everything - just rename them. (What if the files are huge? What if you don't have enough space to copy?)
• You do not have to use FSO, there are a number of methods which can be used.

Alexandra, I don't think you told us what version of VB you're using.

Winnie, pretty sure you've got a bug in lines 48-50.

[Robbie]

Winnie, pretty sure you've got a bug in lines 48-50.

Yes, curr_line on lines 49 and 50 should be curr_date (since curr_date became curr_line on line 48). Line 49 removes "DATE ", then line 50 removes any spaces, probably in case there was a space before "DATE " which he doesn't want to exist.

What sounds dodgy to me though is this removal of any and all spaces; what if there are meant to be spaces? If you want to remove only the space to the left of "DATE ", you could use Mid() to see if it's a space, and then combine 2 Mid()s to piece the first and second half of the line (of the text file) together, on either side of the space which you want to leave out.

[WinblowsME]

Sorry, lines 49 and 50 should be curr_date. It was a last second change that I've overlooked.