building a faux file tree representation? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

sandeep · 12-20-2004, 05:07 PM

I've been trying to do something, and haven't been able to find a footing to even research it.

I am backing up some stuff on my pc onto DVDs. Pictures, videos, just random stuff that I have on my pc that is long overdue for a backup.

What I was looking to do was build fake directories with files but with zero data. That way when I wanted to look for something on a dvd, I can just search the directories, and be directed to where it is exactly on dvd.

So basically I'm looking to replicate a bunch of folders, and subfolders, except have the files with 0 data (but retaining the file names and extensions).

I guess I could just do this manually, but I'm certain there there is some sort of software to help me along.

I know there are virii that do this, except they make the new clone files each a virus, and "hide" the real files. This is what I'm basing my thought process on as far as software existing to do it.

Any help would be appreciated, even if they're just suggestions on keywords I can try to google. I've been coming up with nothing so far, hence my plea to you all

wolf · 12-20-2004, 06:08 PM

not sure of any software to automatically create empty folders, is it that bad to create them manually?

Moskie · 12-20-2004, 06:20 PM

I'm not quite interested in writing one myself, but a script using "ls -R" (which would recursively output the contents of a directory along with the contents of its subdirectories), then using that output with the "touch" command, would do the trick for you. "touch" updates the date/time a file was last updated, and if the file doens't exist, it creates it for you with no data in it.

These are linux commands, but cygwin has the same commands built in. Might not be the answer you're looking for, but it could be a start.

cyrnel · 12-20-2004, 06:34 PM

Sandeep, try one of the many disk cataloging programs. They might not solve the problem exactly as you're thinking but they automate the process nicely. Try:

http://www.nonags.com/nonags/diskcat.html

or

http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0....search=+Go%21+

sandeep · 12-20-2004, 07:54 PM

cyrnel, I didn't even consider using a program that actually index the files. I'll go through some of those tonight. Hopefully there is something that manages it as a catalogue, but also outputs an html or xml file that I can search through without the actual app. Thanks for the tip.

And Wolf, creating the folders wouldn't be so bad at all, but what would get rather tedious is making each file as a blank dummy one. The model that I'm trying to use here needs the actual file names so they can be searched.

As far as building a batch utility myself, I think that is going to be the last resort for me. However, if I do, I think I'll wait until I've done some more research, incase there is anything else I wanted to implement.

All of the comments are appreciated. And any more would be great.

cyrnel · 12-20-2004, 08:15 PM

Yep, oodles of variations on the theme. Some just dump to a flatfile while others integrate with RDBs. I'm sure you'll find something useful and free among those listings.

12-20-2004, 05:07 PM	#1 (permalink)
sandeep Insane	building a faux file tree representation? I've been trying to do something, and haven't been able to find a footing to even research it. I am backing up some stuff on my pc onto DVDs. Pictures, videos, just random stuff that I have on my pc that is long overdue for a backup. What I was looking to do was build fake directories with files but with zero data. That way when I wanted to look for something on a dvd, I can just search the directories, and be directed to where it is exactly on dvd. So basically I'm looking to replicate a bunch of folders, and subfolders, except have the files with 0 data (but retaining the file names and extensions). I guess I could just do this manually, but I'm certain there there is some sort of software to help me along. I know there are virii that do this, except they make the new clone files each a virus, and "hide" the real files. This is what I'm basing my thought process on as far as software existing to do it. Any help would be appreciated, even if they're just suggestions on keywords I can try to google. I've been coming up with nothing so far, hence my plea to you all Last edited by sandeep; 12-20-2004 at 05:09 PM..

12-20-2004, 06:08 PM	#2 (permalink)
wolf Ravenous Location: Right Behind You	not sure of any software to automatically create empty folders, is it that bad to create them manually? __________________ Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as Gods. Cats have never forgotten this.

12-20-2004, 06:20 PM	#3 (permalink)
Moskie Pure Chewing Satisfaction Location: can i use bbcode [i]here[/i]?	I'm not quite interested in writing one myself, but a script using "ls -R" (which would recursively output the contents of a directory along with the contents of its subdirectories), then using that output with the "touch" command, would do the trick for you. "touch" updates the date/time a file was last updated, and if the file doens't exist, it creates it for you with no data in it. These are linux commands, but cygwin has the same commands built in. Might not be the answer you're looking for, but it could be a start. __________________ Greetings and salutations.

12-20-2004, 06:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	Sandeep, try one of the many disk cataloging programs. They might not solve the problem exactly as you're thinking but they automate the process nicely. Try: http://www.nonags.com/nonags/diskcat.html or http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0....search=+Go%21+

12-20-2004, 07:54 PM	#5 (permalink)
sandeep Insane	cyrnel, I didn't even consider using a program that actually index the files. I'll go through some of those tonight. Hopefully there is something that manages it as a catalogue, but also outputs an html or xml file that I can search through without the actual app. Thanks for the tip. And Wolf, creating the folders wouldn't be so bad at all, but what would get rather tedious is making each file as a blank dummy one. The model that I'm trying to use here needs the actual file names so they can be searched. As far as building a batch utility myself, I think that is going to be the last resort for me. However, if I do, I think I'll wait until I've done some more research, incase there is anything else I wanted to implement. All of the comments are appreciated. And any more would be great.

12-20-2004, 08:15 PM	#6 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	Yep, oodles of variations on the theme. Some just dump to a flatfile while others integrate with RDBs. I'm sure you'll find something useful and free among those listings.