Re: Open a folder

[blue_cowdawg]

but I am struggling to open a folder using Perl.

Dear Monk,
First, excuse the professor in me, let me make a minor correction to the terminology you are using. What you refer to as a "folder" is actually a directory and Perl provides a wonderful function for reading directories. Here is some sample code to help you along your way:

#!/usr/bin/perl -w 
use strict;
my $dirname="/path/to/the/directory";
opendir(DIR,$dirname) or die "$dirname:$!";
while (my $entry=readdir(DIR)){
      next if $entry eq '.';
      next if $entry eq '..';
      next if -d $entry;  # see notes below
     | do something with this...
}
exit(0);

the -d $entry is to prevent you from attempting to do something unintended with a subdirectory under the desired directory. After you get past all the next logic (which could have been combined in one statement) you then add your code to actually do something with the file names you would get as a result of the rest of the code.

If you want to recursively operate on that directory here is an example of that code well modified:

#!/usr/bin/perl -w 
use strict;
workTheDirectory("/path/to/the/directory");

exit(0);
#
# 
sub workTheDirectory {
     my $dirname=shift;
     opendir(DIR,$dirname) or die "$dirname:$!";
     while (my $entry=readdir(DIR)){
        next if $entry eq '.';
        next if $entry eq '..';
        if ( -d $entry ) { 
           my $newdir = $dirname . "/" . $entry; #grow the path
           workTheDirectory($newdir);
        }
     | This is a file...
     | work it.
  
     }
     return;
}

Clear as mud?

[Dr Manhattan]

Hi, thank you for the help. I am not completely sure what your code is does, but the

next if $entry eq '.';
next if $entry eq '..';

did help. I have combined your code with something of another user to come up with this:

#!/usr/bin/perl -w

use strict;
use warnings;

open (Output, ">Output.txt") or die "Can't open";

my $tmp_dir= 'C:\Users\ZB\Desktop\Text Files';
opendir (DIR, $tmp_dir) or die $!;

while (my $file_name = readdir(DIR))
{
    next if $file_name eq '.';
    next if $file_name eq '..';
    print "$file_name\n";
}

close (Output)
closedir(DIR);

All it does is print all the file names in my directory as output(so at least I am on the right path). However I want to iterate through each text file and do some basic calculations(all in 1 sub) within each file. Any ideas?

[ww]

see perldoc -f push and Tutorials (below the text explaining how to/when to post a new tut) or Super Search re iterating through arrays.

IOW, collect all the relevant $file_name entries into an array; at that point, iterating thru the individual files requires only that you attempt to inform yourself thru study of the references above.

Update: Of course (/me says belatedly), you'll need to consider executing your script from an appropriate directory or troubling yourself to learn about perldoc -f chdir, perldoc cwd, etc.

[blue_cowdawg]

However I want to iterate through each text file and do some basic calculations(all in 1 sub) within each file.

Add the sub to your code thusly:

|  in your while loop invoke:
        process_file($tmp_dir,$file);
| and then after your loop

sub process_file {
   my($path,$node)=@_;

   my $fname = $path . '\' . $node;
   open FIN,"<$fname" or die "$fname:$!";
   while (my $line=<FIN>){
       chomp $line;
       |  do something here. 
   }
}

[Dr Manhattan]

Hi blue cowdawg

I tried this:

#!/usr/bin/perl -w

use strict;
use warnings;

my $dir = 'C:\Users\ZB\Desktop\Text Files';
opendir (DIR, $dir) or die $!;

while (my $file = readdir(DIR))
{
    next if $file eq '.';
    next if $file eq '..';
    &countWords($dir, $file);    #call sub
}

sub countWords
{
    my $line = @_;        #receive file as input
    my @array = split(/ /, $line);
    print "$#array\n";
}

closedir(DIR);

It is the same thing as earlier, I just added a small sub which is supposed to parse each file into an array, count the words and print the output(total words). Did I call the sub correctly? And does the sub receive the file correctly? When I run the script it gives the same answer(total words) for each text file, which is incorrect.

Thank you

[BillKSmith]

The advantage of your "correction" is clear. However, note that "folder" is the correct terminology for that structure in windows. The OP has consistently explained the problem from an application view.

[ww]

BillKSmith
Correct terminology, perhaps, if you buy (hook, line and sinker) M$'s (non-standard) terminology as an acceptable standard.

[blue_cowdawg]

"folder" is the correct terminology for that structure in windows.

The term "folder" is correct for any GUI environment that represents directories as such. At the system level where I live it's a directory.