Downloading file from server over FTP - windows

Question

I need to download a file that is placed in a folder called abc_20140221_123456 in server1 over ftp to my local directory. The problem is that the last six characters of the folder name are not fixed. For example today the folder may be called abc_20140221_123456 and tomorrow it might be called abc_20140221_234567. I am having problems in writing an automation batch script to do the same.
Here's the script I am working on:
#echo off
setlocal
set buildDate=%DATE:~0,10%
set dateStr=%buildDate:~6,4%%buildDate:~3,2%%buildDate:~0,2%
set folderName=abc_%dateStr%_
echo open server1>>file.tmp
echo username>>file.tmp
echo password>>file.tmp
echo prompt>> file.tmp
echo binary>>file.tmp
echo lcd E:\>>file.tmp
:: Not sure how to cd to abc_20140221_* from here
echo get filename.txt>>file.tmp
echo y>>file.tmp
echo disconnect>>file.tmp
echo bye>>file.tmp
ftp -i -s:file.tmp
pause
I know that I can loop through directories using for like this:
for /d %%d in (' %path%/*%folderName%* ') do (
echo get filename.txt>>file.tmp
echo y>>file.tmp
)
But "for" doesn't work inside ftp>.
Any help is highly appreciated. Thanks.

Answer 1

I am assuming that for a given date there is only one abc_YYYYMMDD_nnnnnn directory.
#echo off
setlocal
set buildDate=%DATE:~0,10%
set dateStr=%buildDate:~6,4%%buildDate:~3,2%%buildDate:~0,2%
set folderName=abc_%dateStr%_
set root=E:
echo open server1>file.tmp
echo username>>file.tmp
echo password>>file.tmp
echo prompt>> file.tmp
echo binary>>file.tmp
for /D %%D in (%root%\%foldername%??????) do set target=%%D
echo lcd %target%>>file.tmp
echo get filename.txt>>file.tmp
echo y>>file.tmp
echo disconnect>>file.tmp
echo bye>>file.tmp
ftp -i -s:file.tmp
pause
I set root to E:\ based on your original script - you can change it to whatever the actual parent directory is. I also changed
echo open server1>>file.tmp
to
echo open server1>file.tmp
so it creates a new temp file. Otherwise, it will keep appending to file.tmp each time the script runs. If that is what you want, or if you are generating a unique script file name each time and were just using file.tmp as a placeholder, ignore that change and use >> as before.
If there is more than one folder for a given day, I believe this script will use whichever one comes up last when the wildcards are expanded. I did not test this out, however.