Batch Select Random File

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CWoodward January 17, 2007 at 22:44:45 Pacific
Specs: Windows XP Home Edition, Intel Celleron

Hi. I'm trying to create a batch program that displays a random thought of the day everytime I turn on my computer. The only part of the program I can't figure out is how to select a random thought. I have multiple .txt files in a directory (C:\thoughts). How do I get a batch file to randomly select one of those files and echo its contents?

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Mechanix2Go January 18, 2007 at 01:56:58 Pacific

XP has a built-in RANDOM var so if your files are numbered, let's say, 10 to 99 you can use:
echo type C:\thoughts\%random:~-2%.txt

=====================================
If at first you don't succeed, you're about average.
M2

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CWoodward January 18, 2007 at 23:34:45 Pacific

Thanks M2, but that wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a file that didn't require me to number the filenames, or make sure that I have a certain amount. After much sitting and thinking, I finally came up with a suitable solution
==DisplayRandomFile.bat==
@ECHO OFF
IF EXIST Files.txt DEL Files.txt
IF EXIST OutFile.txt DEL OutFile.txt
FOR /F %%F IN ('"DIR /B *.txt | FIND /V /C "::""') DO SET /A Number=(%Random% %%%%F)
SET DONE==N
IF %Number%==0 GOTO No_Skip
FOR /F "SKIP=%Number%" %%D IN ('"DIR /B *.txt | FIND /V "::""') DO ECHO %%D >>Files.txt
FOR /F "TOKENS=*" %%L IN (Files.txt) DO CALL :1 %%L
GOTO Next
:1
IF %DONE%==Y GOTO :eof
ECHO %*>OutFile.txt
SET DONE=Y
GOTO :eof

:No_Skip
FOR /F %%D IN ('"DIR /B *.txt | FIND /V "::""') DO ECHO %%D>>Files.txt
FOR /F "TOKENS=*" %%L IN (Files.txt) DO CALL :2 %%L
GOTO Next
:2
IF %DONE%==Y GOTO :eof
ECHO %*>OutFile.txt
SET DONE=Y
GOTO :eof
:Next
FOR /F %%Z IN (OutFile.txt) DO SET File=%%Z
ECHO TYPE C:\Thoughts\%File%
IF EXIST OutFile.txt DEL OutFile.txt
IF EXIST Files.txt DEL Files.txt
==DisplayRandomFile.bat==
Credit for the part of the script that gets the 1st line from the file "Files.txt" goes to M2 from his solution to one of my previous problems.

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Mechanix2Go January 19, 2007 at 02:55:18 Pacific

Hi CWoodward,
Good work. I'll study your code. Here's what I came up with. It's got some rough edges but it 'works'. Thanks for the kind remarks.
::== randtxt.bat
@echo off
setLocal EnableDelayedExpansion
for /f %%A in ('dir /b c:\thoughts\*.txt^|find /v /c "\"') do set C=%%A
:loop
set R=!random:~-1!
if !R! gtr !C! goto :loop
if !R! equ 0 goto :loop
for /f "tokens=*" %%A in ('dir /b c:\thoughts\*.txt') do (
set /a N+=1
if !N! equ !R! echo type %%A && goto :eof
)
goto :eof
:: DONE

=====================================
If at first you don't succeed, you're about average.
M2