There have been occasions where I want a list of filenames in a directory, sometimes to use as a checklist as I worked with the files. I remember a few times I actually took screenshots of a Windows Explorer window in various stages of scrolling and printed those out. I also remember a few times where I hand wrote the names on a sheet of paper.
So Here’s a DOS prompt method:
1) Drop to DOS prompt (Start->Run; cmd)
2) Change to the directory you wish to get a text-based file listing (via cd commands)
3) Run “dir *.* /b >>fileListing.txt“
/b puts the directory listing into “Bare Mode”– it will only show the filenames and you won’t see dates modified and file sizes and all that jazz. The >>fileListing.txt tells it to place the results in a text file named, you’ve guessed it, “fileListing.txt” That file will be in the same directory you are querying. You open it up and howdy ho, there are the file names in text format. You can paste them in Excel, print them out, email them or whatever suits you.
Isn’t it funny when things in Windows make you miss DOS? You have to wonder who the brilliant mind at Microsoft was who thought “nah, nobody will ever want to print a file listing…”
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