Post by drcard on Jan 2, 2022 8:05:26 GMT -5
Combine Multiple CSV (Binary) Files
What
Command to combine multiple CSV or other binary files into one file.
Why
If you have a large number of .csv (or .txt) files and want to combine them into a single file to make all the data in all the files available in a single file, manually pasting them into a single file may be a daunting task that is human error prone. A simple command can accomplish this error free. Another reason to combine .csv files is that it is part of a method to combine Excel files.
How
Step 1
Place all the .csv files you wish to combine into a folder and place the folder where you want to store it. Use File Explorer to go to this folder and highlight it. On the Home tab of the ribbon, click Copy Path in the Clipboard group to copy the Path of the highlighted folder.
Step 2
Open a Command Prompt (type cmd in Start Menu Search bar and press Enter key). You must change directory of the prompt to the folder that has the .csv files you wish to combine.
If the folder is on your C:\ drive: enter the following command at the prompt replacing a space for the underscore(_) and pressing the Enter key:
cd_Path to Folder Enter the Path to folder by pressing Crtl + V to paste you copied earlier.
If the folder is on a different drive: enter the following command at the prompt replacing a space for each underscore(_) and pressing the Enter key:
cd_/d_Path to Folder Enter the Path to folder by pressing Crtl + V to paste you copied earlier.
This should bring the prompt to the folder containing the .csv files.
Step 3
At the prompt for the folder, enter the following command replacing each underscore(_) with a space and pressing the Enter key.
copy_*.csv_Combine.csv
Depending on how many and how large the files are it may take a while. The Command prompt will show each file as it is combined. When finish the prompt will return as it was before the command was entered. All the files will be in the Combine.csv file, which has been added to that folder.
Comments
This works only on binary files such as .txt, .csv, .bat, or .reg and doesn’t work for more complex files like photos, video, or Word documents. To combine .txt files, replace .txt for .csv in the above command.
Excel single page workbook files can be combined by saving the files as .csv files, combine as above, open the combined csv files in Excel and save as an Excel workbook.
This makes a good note keeping log for a project or class. Save notes in .txt format as separate files (don’t have to keep up with a large file to add to). When finish with the project or class, use the combine feature above to put all notes into one txt document.
WOW! Just realized this was my 500th post and I'm still a bad typist.
What
Command to combine multiple CSV or other binary files into one file.
Why
If you have a large number of .csv (or .txt) files and want to combine them into a single file to make all the data in all the files available in a single file, manually pasting them into a single file may be a daunting task that is human error prone. A simple command can accomplish this error free. Another reason to combine .csv files is that it is part of a method to combine Excel files.
How
Step 1
Place all the .csv files you wish to combine into a folder and place the folder where you want to store it. Use File Explorer to go to this folder and highlight it. On the Home tab of the ribbon, click Copy Path in the Clipboard group to copy the Path of the highlighted folder.
Step 2
Open a Command Prompt (type cmd in Start Menu Search bar and press Enter key). You must change directory of the prompt to the folder that has the .csv files you wish to combine.
If the folder is on your C:\ drive: enter the following command at the prompt replacing a space for the underscore(_) and pressing the Enter key:
cd_Path to Folder Enter the Path to folder by pressing Crtl + V to paste you copied earlier.
If the folder is on a different drive: enter the following command at the prompt replacing a space for each underscore(_) and pressing the Enter key:
cd_/d_Path to Folder Enter the Path to folder by pressing Crtl + V to paste you copied earlier.
This should bring the prompt to the folder containing the .csv files.
Step 3
At the prompt for the folder, enter the following command replacing each underscore(_) with a space and pressing the Enter key.
copy_*.csv_Combine.csv
Depending on how many and how large the files are it may take a while. The Command prompt will show each file as it is combined. When finish the prompt will return as it was before the command was entered. All the files will be in the Combine.csv file, which has been added to that folder.
Comments
This works only on binary files such as .txt, .csv, .bat, or .reg and doesn’t work for more complex files like photos, video, or Word documents. To combine .txt files, replace .txt for .csv in the above command.
Excel single page workbook files can be combined by saving the files as .csv files, combine as above, open the combined csv files in Excel and save as an Excel workbook.
This makes a good note keeping log for a project or class. Save notes in .txt format as separate files (don’t have to keep up with a large file to add to). When finish with the project or class, use the combine feature above to put all notes into one txt document.
WOW! Just realized this was my 500th post and I'm still a bad typist.