Getting short (8.3) names?

This follows on from my post earlier, 'Clickable shortcut to local
file?', as I have made progress on this.

For many years on my XP PC I used a very neat and little known tip to
get short names (DOS 8.3 format) onto the clipboard. I simply pressed
the Ctrl key while selecting Send To Clipboard as Name. I could then
paste the short name into my text editor, TextPad, from where I could
open the file directly. Avoiding opening up my browser and pasting the
full name into its address box, or other methods. Very handy in How
To... notes, tutorials, etc.

My new PC runs Windows 10 and File Explorer (Classic Shell) still
allows me to use 'Send To Clipboard as Name'. But it first opens
this dialog, which is a minor inconvenience:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...hortName-1.jpg

Is there some way I could avoid this step please? I'd like to be able
to paste the result immediately. Those two options I've enabled - they
were disabled by default - do 'stick', so I close the dialog
immediately anyway.

But that's trivial. There appears to be a more serious problem. It may
well apply to earlier Windows versions too. Namely that this doesn't
work for any drive other than my OS drive!

And for me that's true for ALL the several other solutions I've seen,
such as using VBS. And also using Dir /X from a command prompt. Every
page I've read says this lists the short names for the current folder.
Not here it doesn't. Only works for C:

For D: all of these methods show the FULL name, not the 8.3 short
name. I'm no programmer or techie, so maybe the reason is
embarrassingly obvious?

Is there really no way to get short names for files that are on my 4
TB data HD?

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[snip]

I responded with something that can possibly explain your issue on "D:
drive" in alt.msdos.batch.nt...

You should've crossposted.

Regards,

--
! _\|/_ Sylvain /
! (o o) Memberavid-Suzuki-Fdn/EFF/Red+Cross/SPCA/Planetary-Society
oO-( )-Oo Ewoks make better burgers!

Terry Pinnell wrote:

This follows on from my post earlier, 'Clickable shortcut to local
file?', as I have made progress on this.

For many years on my XP PC I used a very neat and little known tip to
get short names (DOS 8.3 format) onto the clipboard. I simply pressed
the Ctrl key while selecting Send To Clipboard as Name. I could then
paste the short name into my text editor, TextPad, from where I could
open the file directly. Avoiding opening up my browser and pasting the
full name into its address box, or other methods. Very handy in How
To... notes, tutorials, etc.

My new PC runs Windows 10 and File Explorer (Classic Shell) still
allows me to use 'Send To Clipboard as Name'. But it first opens
this dialog, which is a minor inconvenience:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...hortName-1.jpg

Is there some way I could avoid this step please? I'd like to be able
to paste the result immediately. Those two options I've enabled - they
were disabled by default - do 'stick', so I close the dialog
immediately anyway.

But that's trivial. There appears to be a more serious problem. It may
well apply to earlier Windows versions too. Namely that this doesn't
work for any drive other than my OS drive!

And for me that's true for ALL the several other solutions I've seen,
such as using VBS. And also using Dir /X from a command prompt. Every
page I've read says this lists the short names for the current folder.
Not here it doesn't. Only works for C:

For D: all of these methods show the FULL name, not the 8.3 short
name. I'm no programmer or techie, so maybe the reason is
embarrassingly obvious?

Is there really no way to get short names for files that are on my 4
TB data HD?

To close off this thread, here's my eventual solution and the steps
leading to it in some detail.

Here's my summary, using the file
C:\Test Folder\Here is another long filename

Path Copy Short Path returns C:\TESTFO~1\HEREIS~1.TXT
That doesn't work as it stands but my macro converts it to the format
I've been using for years:
file:///C:/TESTFO~1/HEREIS~1.TXT
So I could use it just as before, by selecting the file in File
Explorer and activating my macro's hotkey. I could then paste directly
into TextPad.

That would also be true of Bullzip Short Path.

As described earlier, up till now #5 was the only method which
delivers the required format directly, i.e. with no need for my macro.
That wasn't even true for the method I was using in XP for years
(which I think came from the PowerToys package BTW). Note that now the
macro is written, there is a positive advantage in using it, because
it fully automates the procedure.

However, I was pleased to find that Path Copy Internet Path also
works, now that the spaces have been replaced by %20.It delivers

file://C:/Test%20Folder/Here%20is%20another%20long%20filename.txt

I can open that from a TextPad file just like the earlier format.
And as well as not needing my macro (unless I decide to do so to get
fast hotkey operation) it has the significant advantage that, unlike
every other method, it works on ALL my D: files. Not just those after
switching on 8Dot3 as described before.

The older file
D:\Test\This is a long name with spaces
gives this result:

file://D:/Test/This%20is%20a%20long%20name%20with%20spaces.txt
which woks correctly in TextPad.

So that's the emergent winner!