Batch or script to check for blank files - Please help

[antonhoward]

Hi,
I need a script that I can run as a scheduled task to show me any blank (empty) files in a particular folder.
Ideally the script can check a folder for the empty files and if there are any it will list them in an e-mail to me or on-screen if that's not possible.
Can anyone help, I'm a newbie with this.

Thanks
Anton

[todouble22]

i know how frustrating it can be to not get any response . I am testing a few things out . have you reference the home page at all?  http://www.computerhope.com/forhlp.htm  this link has some helpful info.  there has to be something with creating a list with files that have zero file size.  I know how to do it for varying file extensions now I just need to figure out how to filter through to list the ones that have zero bytes. 

[BillRichardson]

C:\batch>type empty2.bat
@echo off

Code:
dir  /x *.*  |  find " 0 "  >  zerotxt.txt

for /f "tokens=5 delims= " %%i in (zerotxt.txt) do ECHO  "%%i"

rem for /f "tokens=5 delims= " %%i in (zerotxt.txt) do del /F  "%%i"

rem remove the rem from above  when satisfied  list is correct
C:\batch>

Warning:  Be very careful with search and delete  from root down:  /s
cd \
dir  /X / s *.*  |  find " 0 "  >  zerotxt.txt

[todouble22]

C:\batch>type empty2.bat
@echo off

Code:
dir  /x *.*  |  find " 0 "  >  zerotxt.txt

for /f "tokens=5 delims= " %%i in (zerotxt.txt) do ECHO  "%%i"

rem for /f "tokens=5 delims= " %%i in (zerotxt.txt) do del /F  "%%i"

rem remove the rem from above  when satisfied  list is correct
C:\batch>

Warning:  Be very careful with search and delete  from root down:  /s
cd \
dir  /X / s *.*  |  find " 0 "  >  zerotxt.txt

could you possible explain this a lil bit?

[BillRichardson]

"Would you  explain the code"?

C:\batch>type empty2.bat

Code: [Select]

@echo off


dir  /x *.*  |  find " 0 "  >  zerotxt.txt

rem dir *.*  will list all files in current directory
rem The output is piped ( sent ) to find to list only lines with zero bytes
rem the output of find is is redirected ( > ) to a file ( zerotx.txt )

for /f "tokens=5 delims= " %%i in (zerotxt.txt) do ECHO  "%%i"

rem the above for is a test to verify list is correct

rem for /f "tokens=5 delims= " %%i in (zerotxt.txt) do del /F  "%%i"

rem the above for will delete files with zero bytes ( your must remove the leading "rem"

rem remove the rem from above  when satisfied  list is correct
rem C:\batch>

rem Warning:  Be very careful with search and delete  from root down:  /s
rem cd \
rem dir  /X / s *.*  |  find " 0 "  >  zerotxt.txt

[ghostdog74]

you can find the size of files using %~zI and checking against 0. although piping dir output to find with " 0 " is one way, files with names like "file 0 name.txt" will five you false positive.

[Salmon Trout]

although piping dir output to find with " 0 " is one way, files with names like "file 0 name.txt" will five you false positive.

Using Dir /x *.* | find "0", as suggested by Bill Richardson, will actually find every file with a zero anywhere in the date, time, size or name! That means every file created since Jan 1st 2000, as well as many before that.

14/04/2008  04:01           250,048              ntldr

I need hardly point out that this is not a very good way of selecting files to delete.

[ghostdog74]

actually, the find pattern he posted has space, " 0 " and not "0".

[Salmon Trout]

actually, the find pattern he posted has space, " 0 " and not "0".

So it does. Er... sorry, Bill!

[antonhoward]

Blimey, I think I'm in over my head.
I'm more familiar with Vb Script if anyone can give me an example of some code that can locate the files.
I do need the script to e-mail me if a blank file is found though, rather than delete it.
The reason is that if there is a blank file, it means something is broken and I need to fix it.
I need something automatic that can check this for me as a manual process will soon be forgotten.
Thanks
Anton

[BillRichardson]

I do need the script to e-mail me if a blank file is found though, rather than delete it.

I have not tested or used the following (bill ):

http://www.computerhope.com/forum/index.php?topic=62553.0

http://www.blat.net/


http://www.robvanderwoude.com/email.php


To use this type of command in batch files we need to:

•precede the string with the START command
•replace every single percent sign ( % ) by double percent signs ( %% )
•"escape" ampersands ( & ) with carets ( ˆ )
•limit the length of the mailto string to the maximum allowable command line length minus 6 (leaving a maximum of 121 characters for MS-DOS, or 249 characters for Windows NT 4/Windows 2000, or 2035 for Windows XP)
 

Examples:
 


START mailto:[email protected]?subject=Test%%20messageˆ&[email protected]ˆ&body=Hi,%%0D%%0A%%0D%%0AThis%%20is%%20an%%20automatically%%20created%%20message.%%0D%%0A%%0D%%0ABye

This command will create a message to [email protected], with a carbon copy to [email protected], with the words "Test message" in the subject field.
The message itself will consist of the following text:

Hi,

This is an automatically created  message.

Bye
 

[antonhoward]

Ok great,
I have now got a batch script that creates a text file with the files listed that are empty.
And i have an example of how to send an e-mail with a batch script.
Can someone help me to get my batch script to e-mail the body of my text file as the subject.

It's linking the two ideas together where I'm getting stumped.

Thanks
Anton

[todouble22]

i tried this and i still cant get it to find files with zero bytes?   

[antonhoward]

i tried this and i still cant get it to find files with zero bytes?  

todouble22

 I hope this is not too obvious but you need to make sure the batch script is in the folder you are searching.
Regards

[todouble22]

todouble22

 I hope this is not too obvious but you need to make sure the batch script is in the folder you are searching.
Regards

I was attempting it just through dos and not creating a batch for it just yet.  I wanted to see how it functioned before I created it.  but yes I am aware that the batch file needs to be in the folder that it is to be in the desired folder.  thank you.  i'll keep playing with it