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Number   :  4535
Date     :  2003-05-05
Author   :  daverunda
Subject  :  (no subject)
Size(KB) :  2


I have a batch file that uses XXCOPY to create a folder named %DATE% 
on my D: drive and copy the contents of my C:\DATA folder into the D:\
%DATE% folder. This system works great except that after a while I 
need to purge some of these old backup folders. I asked Kan if I can 
use XXCOPY to delete old folders on my D: drive based on the folder 
creation date. His reply is as follows: 

"First of all, currently, XXCOPY does not use the timestamp
of a directory (except for /LTREE --- list-directory without
copy). The date-related features are primarily for
comparison of the timestamp of individual files rather
than the timestamp of the parent directory...[however] you may take 
advantage of the fact that (I assume) if you create a directory
on certain date, the files that are copied into the
directory should have their file-creation date that is
closely related to when the directory is made.
Based on this fact, you may successfully select those
files: xxcopy \src\ /rmdir /db#10 /fc

Here, the /FC switch makes the /db#10 (10 days or
older) to be compared using the creation date
(the time when the file was copied into the directory).

Although this may not exactly what you had in mind,
unless you manipulate the contents of the files
after the directory (such as \4-10-03\) was created,
the creation-date comparison should work well."

I tried Kan's suggestion and it works great with one exception: it 
deletes ALL empty folders, not just he ones that qualify (indirectly) 
via the DB#10. An empty folder that was created on the backup media 
5 days ago will be deleted even though I'm using the DB#10 
parameter. If ever I have to restore one of my D:\%DATE% folders to 
the C:\DATA, the restored folder will not be identical to that which 
was backed up in that the empty folders will be missing...in certain 
circumstances this could cause problems. Is there a work-around for 
this within XXCOPY? If not, could I combine XXCOPY with some other 
method (e.g. some batch file routine maybe) that would produce the 
desired results?



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