Button macro to select all but some specific files/folders?

Help & Support
1

Hi,

Is it possible to write a button macro that will select all but some specific files and folders? In other words, I want to do the equivalent of a "Select All", then deselect the files and folders I want excluded.

I do this regularly after I run my PC's System Update utility; it leaves temporary files and folders around and I want to be able to select all files and folders except, for example, "Folder 1", "Folder 2", "File1.ext", and "File2.ext".

Is this possible? If so, I'm obviously not a macro expert, so can you provide some guidance?

My objective would be to delete all the files and folders I have selected.

Thanks!

2

Play around with a pattern match like:

select ~(folder1|folder2|file1.ext|file2.ext)

However, I couldn't for the life of me get it to work with spaces in the name of each "don't match" item... I tried various double-quote placements to no avail. But this is a start I suppose as it works with items without spaces. Shouldn't be too hard to make work with spaces...

3

Just put the whole pattern in quotes to handle spaces, same with any other argument:

select "~(folder 1|folder 2|file 1.ext|file 2.ext)"
4

Great! Thanks!!! :thumbsup:

5

[quote="leo"]Just put the whole pattern in quotes to handle spaces, same with any other argument:

select "~(folder 1|folder 2|file 1.ext|file 2.ext)"

Crap... I had tried that (or so I thought)... but I think it was in the midst of that weird off-screen toolbar menu item issue I reported, so I guess it wasn't actually in effect when I "thought" I tired it. Woopsy!