I am attempting to create a Batch file that will automaticly create sub-directories based on file type and move the files there. So far I have this, but it freezes after i type in my directory, any ideas? @ECHO OFF TITLE Folder Sorter COLOR 09 SET 1=0 SET 2=0 SET 3=0 SET 4=0 SET /p dir=What folder? CD %dir% PAUSE REM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :start SET /a 1=%1%+1 IF %1%==37 ( SET 1=1 SET /a 2=%2%+1 ) IF %2%==37 ( SET 2=1 SET /a 3=%3%+1 ) IF %3%==37 ( SET 3=1 SET /a 4=%4%+1 ) IF %4%==37 EXIT PAUSE REM~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IF %1%==0 SET a= IF %1%==1 SET a=a IF %1%==2 SET a=b IF %1%==3 SET a=c IF %1%==4 SET a=d IF %1%==5 SET a=e IF %1%==6 SET a=f IF %1%==7 SET a=g IF %1%==8 SET a=h IF %1%==9 SET a=i IF %1%==10 SET a=j IF %1%==11 SET a=k IF %1%==12 SET a=l IF %1%==13 SET a=m IF %1%==14 SET a=n IF %1%==15 SET a=o IF %1%==16 SET a=p IF %1%==17 SET a=q IF %1%==18 SET a=r IF %1%==19 SET a=s IF %1%==20 SET a=t IF %1%==21 SET a=u IF %1%==22 SET a=v IF %1%==23 SET a=w IF %1%==24 SET a=x IF %1%==25 SET a=y IF %1%==26 SET a=z IF %1%==27 SET a=0 IF %1%==28 SET a=1 IF %1%==29 SET a=2 IF %1%==30 SET a=3 IF %1%==31 SET a=4 IF %1%==32 SET a=5 IF %1%==33 SET a=6 IF %1%==34 SET a=7 IF %1%==35 SET a=8 IF %1%==36 SET a=9 PAUSE REM~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IF %2%==0 SET b= IF %2%==1 SET b=a IF %2%==2 SET b=b IF %2%==3 SET b=c IF %2%==4 SET b=d IF %2%==5 SET b=e IF %2%==6 SET b=f IF %2%==7 SET b=g IF %2%==8 SET b=h IF %2%==9 SET b=i IF %2%==10 SET b=j IF %2%==11 SET b=k IF %2%==12 SET b=l IF %2%==13 SET b=m IF %2%==14 SET b=n IF %2%==15 SET b=o IF %2%==16 SET b=p IF %2%==17 SET b=q IF %2%==18 SET b=r IF %2%==19 SET b=s IF %2%==20 SET b=t IF %2%==21 SET b=u IF %2%==22 SET b=v IF %2%==23 SET b=w IF %2%==24 SET b=x IF %2%==25 SET b=y IF %2%==26 SET b=z IF %2%==27 SET b=0 IF %2%==28 SET b=1 IF %2%==29 SET b=2 IF %2%==30 SET b=3 IF %2%==31 SET b=4 IF %2%==32 SET b=5 IF %2%==33 SET b=6 IF %2%==34 SET b=7 IF %2%==35 SET b=8 IF %2%==36 SET b=9 PAUSE REM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IF %3%==0 SET c= IF %3%==1 SET c=a IF %3%==2 SET c=b IF %3%==3 SET c=c IF %3%==4 SET c=d IF %3%==5 SET c=e IF %3%==6 SET c=f IF %3%==7 SET c=g IF %3%==8 SET c=h IF %3%==9 SET c=i IF %3%==10 SET c=j IF %3%==11 SET c=k IF %3%==12 SET c=l IF %3%==13 SET c=m IF %3%==14 SET c=n IF %3%==15 SET c=o IF %3%==16 SET c=p IF %3%==17 SET c=q IF %3%==18 SET c=r IF %3%==19 SET c=s IF %3%==20 SET c=t IF %3%==21 SET c=u IF %3%==22 SET c=v IF %3%==23 SET c=w IF %3%==24 SET c=x IF %3%==25 SET c=y IF %3%==26 SET c=z IF %3%==27 SET c=0 IF %3%==28 SET c=1 IF %3%==29 SET c=2 IF %3%==30 SET c=3 IF %3%==31 SET c=4 IF %3%==32 SET c=5 IF %3%==33 SET c=6 IF %3%==34 SET c=7 IF %3%==35 SET c=8 IF %3%==36 SET c=9 PAUSE REM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IF %4%==0 SET d= IF %4%==1 SET d=a IF %4%==2 SET d=b IF %4%==3 SET d=c IF %4%==4 SET d=d IF %4%==5 SET d=e IF %4%==6 SET d=f IF %4%==7 SET d=g IF %4%==8 SET d=h IF %4%==9 SET d=i IF %4%==10 SET d=j IF %4%==11 SET d=k IF %4%==12 SET d=l IF %4%==13 SET d=m IF %4%==14 SET d=n IF %4%==15 SET d=o IF %4%==16 SET d=p IF %4%==17 SET d=q IF %4%==18 SET d=r IF %4%==19 SET d=s IF %4%==20 SET d=t IF %4%==21 SET d=u IF %4%==22 SET d=v IF %4%==23 SET d=w IF %4%==24 SET d=x IF %4%==25 SET d=y IF %4%==26 SET d=z IF %4%==27 SET d=0 IF %4%==28 SET d=1 IF %4%==29 SET d=2 IF %4%==30 SET d=3 IF %4%==31 SET d=4 IF %4%==32 SET d=5 IF %4%==33 SET d=6 IF %4%==34 SET d=7 IF %4%==35 SET d=8 IF %4%==36 SET d=9 PAUSE REM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IF EXIST *.%a%%b%%c%%d% ( MD %a%%b%%c%%d% MOVE *.%a%%%%3%%4% %a%%b%%c%%d% ) GOTO start

I don't know why it freezes, but one thing I can advise is to avoid having variables named 1, 2 etc. That's because %1, %2 etc are the batch file's command-line arguments. So when you say %1% it doesn't look at the variable, it looks at the first command-line argument and adds a % at the end.

That might be it Ill see.... thank you it was that and the fact that set /a doesnt like numeric variables. Dear lord this takes a looong time :D I only Batch if possible, 2000 more lines of code, oh well.

I was thinking about whether the above batch file is too long.... and on the line of optimising it with subroutines, and I encountered one problem. set alpha=abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789 for /l %%I in (1,1,37) do set d=%alpha:~%%I,1% which of course does not work. It does not like another environment variable or FOR variable inside an "Environment variable substitution" Is that how it is or am I missing something? -- Holla.

To Holla, You need to do setlocal enabledelayedexpansion set alpha=abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789 for /l %%I in (0,1,36) do ( set d=!alpha:~%%I,1! echo d=!d! )

Thanks klint for that quick reply. BatchFreak, I think all you need is this: It will be fast too: @echo off setlocal enabledelayedexpansion for %%a in (*.*) do ( set dirname=%%~xa md !dirname:~1! 2> nul move *%%~xa !dirname:~1! ) endlocal :Just ignore the error message about duplicate directory (when you have more than one file with same extension) -- Holla.