Script to create shortcuts enmasse

[Harry Putnam]

I wanted to create a large number of shortcuts that point to quicktime
*.mov files, having no experience in windows various scripting
languages but being quite familiar with unix shell scripting I just
figured it would be fairly easy to script the creation of shortcuts.

Combing the google hits I'm beginning to think it is a major
undertaking. Or at least not for the faint of heart, if done with
batch file or inf file.

Anyone here know how this can be done without a lot of preparation or
study? Maybe some gui tool that does it, but I'd rather see a simple
script that can do that.

 

[David Candy]

There's lots of ways of doing it.

These convert mov (apple, an MS subsidary) files to Windows files. My digital camera only records in mov.

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Of course a standard windows computer cannot play mov files. It requires software to be installed (I hate quicktime - a program designed to force windows users to become familar with a Mac UI).

As to scripting how's it supposed to work. Where are the shortcuts going, where are the silly unusuable mov files (or of you convert, the usuable avi files - if you want me to see them they better be AVI)?

There are decisions to be made on how best to do this. There are many ways.

 

[Harry Putnam]

There's lots of ways of doing it.

These convert mov (apple, an MS subsidary) files to Windows
files. My digital camera only records in mov.

I wasn't really interested in converting these files, they are for
personal and family use, and we all have quicktime. I like that you
can do minor editing right from the player.

As to scripting how's it supposed to work. Where are the shortcuts
going, where are the silly unusuable mov files (or of you convert,
the usuable avi files - if you want me to see them they better be
AVI)?

I see you are an *.avi fan. They are much more versatile but would
take much more room than the *.movs. For me, it was a simple
matter. The videos were *.mov to start with so I'm not putting time
into converting and such.

The general plan was to have a file hierarchy that resembles a table
of contents, so that a user who wanted to deal direct with the vids
could find there way around with no html or other guides.

Main_topic1
| | => etc
cat1 cat2

where vids concerning cat1 would be found on the file system at:
main_topic1/cat1/vid1 vid2 vid3 .... vidN
/cat2/vid1 vid2 vid3 ....
main_topic2/cat1/vid1 vid2 vid3 ... vidN
/cat2/vid1 vid2 vid3

The videos arent't really numbered, they wear names that reflect the
content. All several hundred are unique.

Then for most users I wanted to use an html guide and a pool of all
the vids (shortcuts really) at:
BIGMain/all_vids

that are really just shortcuts to those in the file
structure.

The big pool is to provide simple addressing for the lengthy html page
that will present the topics and provide links to start the associated
vids.

All vids can use a simple
<a href="BIGMain/all_vids/name.mov"></a>

And `BIGMain/all_vids' will remain the same for all of them.

With name.mov being a shortcut to those in the file hierarchy.

Creating the needed hierarchy and the 350 shortcut links (*.lnk) could
be scripted in any of the unix shell languages in 15 to 20 line of
code with for loops and iteration. Only there they would be symlinks
which is not understood by win XP filesystem.

So, I was looking for a way to do that on windows XP. More than likely
it will come up a number of times over the next mnths.

For now I've done it by hand by dragging and dropping with right mouse
but believe there is a better way... possibly involving scripting.

 

[David Candy]

For a start Windows does have symbolic links. Just noone uses them as the Windows shell is object not file based. We have shell equiv of symbolic links (shortcuts as the most obvious but there are many types plus we have virtual folders).

There are no tools in Windows to make symbolic links (but they are in the resource kit for file based people). We call them reparse points. They work just like Unix's and exist because they exist in Unix and NT/2000/XP can run unix type programs (and you can install your unix script tools too if you want - but windows may not be able to access Unix files and vice versa (they both ensure legal naming of files so you have to choose names legal to both). NTFS is platform neutral.

Prior to XP NT shipped with Posix. Posix was removed in XP but a more unix complete sub system was released. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/sfu/

I still don't quite understand the actions you want to take. But there are programs that make shortcuts (they seem to have disappeared from current resource kit but search for shortcut.exe as it was in all the older ones - I certainly have many copies of many versions of it). You can use for loops as a command script language (type for /? or For in help).

I would use VBS but as I said I don't really understand what EXACTLY you are doing.

I was just making sure that just because Cannon or someone said use mov that you don't HAVE to. Also none of the windows tools work with mov files. But I was just making sure you knew and the consequences (eg need external software).

My first thought is why not select all movies then right mouse drag where you want the shortcuts to be and choose Make Shortcut. Use Search to gather all your mov files in one list. Then just Drag n Drop the shortcuts where you want.

If your shortcuts are prefaced Shortcut To (and you don't like this) renaming the "Shortcut to" out of three shortcuts will prevent Shortcut To being prefaced in future.

But I don't get the value of html links and shortcuts. I can't see why you'd use both means. One or the other, but both?

 

[Harry Putnam]

"David Candy" <.> writes:


[...] Snipped a very informative and full recounting including links
etc. [Many many thanks David]

But I don't get the value of html links and shortcuts. I can't see
why you'd use both means. One or the other, but both?

Probably just that I don't really know what I'm doing here. I'm not
very experienced with html and really don't have a clue how web people
currently are handling this kind of stuff. Probably much better ways.

I'm just creating a homeboy data dvd that walks people thru a lengthy
series of *.mov, and wanted a way to make the hand written html page a
little easier on my weak typing skills.

Thanks for taking the time to post that treasure trove of info. I
thought there probably was scripting possibilities I knew nothing
about.

I had gotten the wrong notion that unix style symlinks would not work
on xp somewhere but I see now this works fine.

I do have the Uwin tools, created by David Korn of unix `Korn shell'
fame installed, so its really a breakthru for me to know I can use
standard unix commands for this.

I see now what misled me is the fact that if I mount the NTFS via
samba and do this from a unix shell on my main desktop machine which
runs linux, it won't allow me to create symlinks, saying its not
supported.

However if I do the same thing from WinXP machine using Uwin Korn
shell it works just fine. So apparently the unix side is the weak
sister in this equation.

Thanks again...

 

[Harry Putnam]

"David Candy" <.> writes:


[...]

My first thought is why not select all movies then right mouse drag
where you want the shortcuts to be and choose Make Shortcut. Use
Search to gather all your mov files in one list. Then just Drag n
Drop the shortcuts where you want.

It may be something smelly in my technique but what I'm finding is that
windows created shortcuts. ( select and drag with right mouse
choosing `Create shortcuts here') does not work at all for html.

I mean not so far as using the result in an 'a href' anchor statement.
I'm finding, only the real file will work in an anchor (on windows).

For example: if you create a directory : C:\work\.
And in C:\work you put a shortcut of an image... say my.jpg.

Leaving the real my.jpg is in C:\, and the shortcut in C:\work.

Now if you make an html page that says:

<html> <head>
<title>test</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>See my jpeg <a href="my.jpg"> HERE </a></h1>

</body> </html>

And name it C:\work\index.html. Then type into your browser address
box `file://C:/work/index.html'. Does it work when you hit the link?
(It doesn't for me)
Now change the anchor to read:
<a href="../my.jpg">

That is, point it at the real file and re source `index.html'
Now does it work?
(It does for me)

Here, it doesn't work on the shortcut but does on the real file.

Now moving this whole proceedure to linux, perform the same steps
using the standard `ln -s <souce> <symlink>' command in linux to
create a symlink and it works either way. That is, the anchor can
point to the symlink and still work.

Do you get differnet results on windows XP?