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How to print a list of files in a folder

R

rodeman

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 1, 2008
14
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I've got a folder full of files. I'd like to be able to print the folder view so I have a printout of all the files in that folder. Is it possible to do something like this?

I know I can take screen shots and then print the image. But I'm looking more for a straight printout of the file names.

Thanks,
John
 
rodeman - You can print a list of files in your folder by navigating to it through terminal.

Open Terminal, navigate to the folder your files are in and then use the following command: ls -l

After your files are listed, select them with your mouse and then on the Menu Bar click Shell and Print Selection.

To see what the print output will look like, preview the print or print to PDF.

Let me know if you have additional questions.
 
Latro,

Thanks for the reply. I'm a pretty novice MAC user. Been on PCs all my life and just started with a MAC about 8 months ago. I've never used the terminal before and I don't know how to navigate to that folder. Can you give me some guidance there too.

Thanks
 
I think you can drag and drop the folder in question into Terminal.

(I.E., Let's say you want the list of files in the Documents folder.)

In terminal, type in ls -l, drag the (Documents) folder and press enter. It will look like this:

ls -l /Users/YourName/Documents


Update: In case you want to learn more about this command, check this site out.
 
MarkMS is correct in that you can drag the folder you want to list from Finder into Terminal.

If you want to do it by command line prompts:

ls - lists current directory and folders
cd <nameOfFolder> - moves you to the folder you just called
cd .. - moves you up a folder

So if I open Terminal and I'm looking at my home directory but I want to move to my Desktop I'd enter: cd Desktop

to move back to my home directory I'd enter: cd ..
 
alternative using Automator

As an alternative to the solution described above, I would propose using Automator, especially if this is a task you will want to repeat regularly on various folders.

With automator, you can easily build a little "program" to make that...

Here is how to do it:
1. Start automator
2. Select FINDER in the left "Library" column
3. Drag and drop from the right "action" column the following actions:
- Ask for finder items (make sure you select the type "Folders" in the options)
- Get folder contents
- Print finder items or maybe better New text file

If you use it often on various folders, you can make it an app. and put in your Dock.

Good luck!
 
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One really simple way to do this is the following:

1) Open TextEdit (or, I assume, any text application).

2) Navigate to the folder in question with your Finder.

3) Select a file within said folder and press command A to select all.

4) Press command C to copy.

5) Return to TextEdit and hold down command, option, and shift, and then hit V to paste and match style.

Voilà. There's your list.
 
UNIX lineprinter printing.

Easiest way from the console is navigate to the directory where the files are and pipe `ls` with whatever options you want to `lp`, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lp_(Unix), it took a little while on my new HP printer. Not sure why but I've never used it on OS X, only Solaris and other UNIX systems but it works.

ls -l | lp

That's it, it will print the same output as `ls -l` or whatever options you use. No copy or paste or opening of other apps, no print status thou. You'd have to use `lpq` to look at what is in queue to print. I doubt you'll use it enough to care too much about antique UNIX command line printing :D Anyway there are lots of books on UNIX and Mac OS and free stuff online as well.

I personally like `ls -lrt`. That will show you the long listing sorted by modified time in reverse order, so newest last.
 
rodeman said:
Been on PCs all my life and just started with a MAC about 8 months ago. I've never used the terminal before and I don't know how to navigate to that folder.
Click to expand...

Use that magnifying glass at the top left of your screen, called the Spotlight. It's super powerful, and if you've had trouble using Vista or 7's rip off of this feature, just know that this version, as with most Apple versions, actually works and works well. You can search for files, folders, applications, pictures, and even search for words that may be IN a document or PDF. I navigate most of my files directly from here.
 
Excellent simple way to Print Files

Tks a lot bibliophile1974 - A maneira mais simples de imprimir nomes de arquivos no finder no OSX

bibliophile1974 said:
One really simple way to do this is the following:

1) Open TextEdit (or, I assume, any text application).
Abra o text Edit (editor de texto no MAC) ou outro editor de texto qualquer

2) Navigate to the folder in question with your Finder.
No finder, abra o folder em que estão os arquivos

3) Select a file within said folder and press command A to select all.
maçã + A para selecionar todos ou selecione os desejados

4) Press command C to copy.
maçã C para copiar

5) Return to TextEdit and hold down command, option, and shift, and then hit V to paste and match style.
Volte ao editor de textos e pressionando option, e shift, aperte V para colar

Voilà. There's your list.
Click to expand...
 
bibliophile1974 said:
One really simple way to do this is the following:

1) Open TextEdit (or, I assume, any text application).

2) Navigate to the folder in question with your Finder.

3) Select a file within said folder and press command A to select all.

4) Press command C to copy.

5) Return to TextEdit and hold down command, option, and shift, and then hit V to paste and match style.

Voilà. There's your list.
Click to expand...

OMG! Thank you so much! You saved me a lot of time there! :D
 
bibliophile1974 said:
One really simple way to do this is the following:

1) Open TextEdit (or, I assume, any text application).

2) Navigate to the folder in question with your Finder.

3) Select a file within said folder and press command A to select all.

4) Press command C to copy.

5) Return to TextEdit and hold down command, option, and shift, and then hit V to paste and match style.

Voilà. There's your list.
Click to expand...


Damn this was the best way of getting the list going. Great info thanks.
 
How to print a list of files in a folder

While copying and pasting works, if you want a formatted listing (i.e., each sub-folder and contents indented), this is better and at least as easy:

  1. Open a new window in TextWrangler -- other text editors might work but TextEdit did not as it only copied the folder's path. TextWrangler is the freeware version of BBEdit and is available for downloading here: <http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/download.html>
  2. Navigate to the folder you want in the Finder.
  3. Drag that folder to the TextWrangler window.
  4. You'll have a formatted listing of all the contents of that folder, including all sub-folders and their contents.
 
How to print a list of files in a folder

bibliophile1974 said:
One really simple way to do this is the following:

1) Open TextEdit (or, I assume, any text application).

2) Navigate to the folder in question with your Finder.

3) Select a file within said folder and press command A to select all.

4) Press command C to copy.

5) Return to TextEdit and hold down command, option, and shift, and then hit V to paste and match style.

Voilà. There's your list.
Click to expand...

This worked for me thank you!
 
bibliophile1974 said:
One really simple way to do this is the following:

1) Open TextEdit (or, I assume, any text application).

2) Navigate to the folder in question with your Finder.

3) Select a file within said folder and press command A to select all.

4) Press command C to copy.

5) Return to TextEdit and hold down command, option, and shift, and then hit V to paste and match style.

Voilà. There's your list.
Click to expand...

Excellent, thanks!
 
Thanks but that only gives me a filename list but no stats that go along with the files (size, date). My objective is a list of filenames, sizes, and dates created which I get when I drag the folder name to my printer icon and save as a .pdf.
 
bibliophile1974 - You are a genius. What a simple way to accomplish what I have always wanted to do!! :)
 
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