PATools XL Toolbox

since 1999

File Manager


Help and Documentation

 

To use the File Manager, simply highlight your selected cells containing file and/or folder names, select your options and click 'Run'.

You should first watch the video above, and then try it with the demo workbook, which you can open from the File Manager screen.

Be very careful - you could end up permanently changing or deleting files/folders on your disk with no Undo.

We recommend, whenever possible, that you work on copy files and folders in a temporary location (eg on your c drive), and then put these back once you have checked them.


Important

For all activities except 'Delete...' and 'Create folders' you must choose a cell or range of cells from within one column, and in one contigious block (ie a group of cells next to each other).

  • For 'Create', each selected cell should contain the full path and name for the file or folder to be created. When creating files, empty files will be created by default, but you can specify text contents to be inserted from the cell immediately to the right of each selected cell.
  • For 'Delete', only the selected cells will be evaluated. (Note this software uses Windows permanent deletion ie the file is NOT moved to the Recycle Bin.)
  • For 'Copy', 'Move' and 'Rename', each cell should contain the source path and file/folder name, with the new destination file/folder name specified in the cell immediately to the right of each one. If the adjacent cell to the right is left blank then the previous destination will be used. If you do not specify a path for the destination then the path of the source will be assumed.
  • For 'Rename' the path (if specified) must be the same as the original file

'Colour cells on results' shows you at a glance whether each cell completed or not:

  • GREEN means it completed successfully
  • YELLOW means if failed due to the source (perhaps not existing or being mistyped)
  • ORANGE means the destination failed (perhaps the folder path could not be created due to rights or incorrect format eg c:/abc should be c:\abc)
  • RED means both of the above passed but Windows failed in the selected operation
  • BLUE means the operation did not complete because the user chose No when prompted

You can get more information on failures from the run results.

Manually reset all colours by clicking the link.


Zip files

You can create empty zip files using 'Create files' - simply set the filenames to end in .zip

To copy or move files and folders into zip files, set the destination filenames to end with .zip (and the source items of course must not).

Our software uses Windows native software to work with zip files.

 

 

back to top of page