Error extracting video metadata for file "E:\$$ Tuts\This is the end\9. Yeah Right.mp4": The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect. (os error 123)

[deadcoder0904]

I have the following deno script that calculates total watch time of videos in a folder in hours, minutes, & seconds:

// Import required Deno modules
import { walk } from 'https://deno.land/std/fs/mod.ts'
import { exec } from 'https://deno.land/x/exec/mod.ts'
import * as path from 'https://deno.land/std/path/mod.ts'

// Function to calculate total watch time
async function calculateTotalWatchTime(folderPath: string): Promise<number[]> {
	let totalDurationInSeconds = 0

	// Iterate through files in the folder and its subfolders
	for await (const entry of walk(folderPath, { includeDirs: false })) {
		try {
			// Check if the entry is a regular file and a video file
			if (entry.isFile && isVideoFile(entry.name)) {
				// Resolve the full path using Deno's path module
				const realPath = path.resolve(folderPath, entry.name)

				// Extract video duration using ffprobe with sexagesimal option
				const videoMetadata = await extractVideoMetadata(realPath)
				console.log({ videoMetadata })

				// Accumulate the duration in seconds
				totalDurationInSeconds += parseDurationToSeconds(videoMetadata.duration)
			}
		} catch (err) {
			console.error(`Error processing file "${entry.name}": ${err.message}`)
		}
	}

	// Convert total duration to hours, minutes, and seconds
	const hours = Math.floor(totalDurationInSeconds / 3600)
	const minutes = Math.floor((totalDurationInSeconds % 3600) / 60)
	const seconds = totalDurationInSeconds % 60

	return [hours, minutes, seconds]
}

// Function to check if the file is a video file
function isVideoFile(fileName: string): boolean {
	return /\.(mp4|mkv|ts|webm)$/i.test(fileName)
}

// Function to extract video metadata using ffprobe with sexagesimal option
async function extractVideoMetadata(
	filePath: string,
): Promise<{ duration: number }> {
	// Run FFmpeg command to get video duration
	const cmd = [
		'ffprobe',
		'-v',
		'error',
		'-show_entries',
		'format=duration',
		'-sexagesimal',
		'-of',
		'default=noprint_wrappers=1:nokey=1',
		filePath,
	]
	const result = await exec(cmd)

	// Parse the duration from the result
	const duration = parseFloat(result.trim())
	return { duration }
}

// Function to parse the duration in sexagesimal format to seconds
function parseDurationToSeconds(duration: string): number {
	const [hours, minutes, seconds] = duration.split(':').map(parseFloat)
	return hours * 3600 + minutes * 60 + seconds
}

// Get folder path from Deno.args
const [folderPath] = Deno.args

// Check if folderPath is provided
if (!folderPath) {
	console.error('Please provide the folder path as an argument.')
	Deno.exit(1)
}

// Calculate and log the total watch time
const totalWatchTime = await calculateTotalWatchTime(folderPath)
console.log(
	`Total watch time: ${totalWatchTime[0]} hours, ${totalWatchTime[1]} minutes, ${totalWatchTime[2]} seconds.`,
)

For some reason, it stopped working. And I have been trying to figure out for many hours but can't find a solution.

This is mostly due to Windows file paths not handling spaces well it seems.

The error is around the ffprobe... it seems to be unable to read the file:

Error processing file "1. Introduction.mp4": The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect. (os error 123)

videoMetadata never seems to be because the program gets stopped beforehand.

How do I handle filepaths in Windows that include spaces? I have asked ChatGPT & Perplexity but both aren't able to solve it.

I run it as:

deno run --allow-run --allow-read .\video-time-calculator.ts '.\This is the end'

[deadcoder0904]

Alright, found the solution.

// Import required Deno modules
import { walk } from 'https://deno.land/std/fs/mod.ts'
import { exec } from 'https://deno.land/x/exec/mod.ts'
import * as path from 'https://deno.land/std/path/mod.ts'

// Function to calculate total watch time
async function calculateTotalWatchTime(folderPath: string): Promise<number[]> {
	let totalDurationInSeconds = 0

	const root = folderPath.replace(/"/g, '') // terminal bug that adds " if it foldername contains / at the end

	// Iterate through files in the folder and its subfolders
	for await (const entry of walk(root, { includeDirs: false })) {
		try {
			// Check if the entry is a regular file and a video file
			if (entry.isFile && isVideoFile(entry.name)) {
				// Resolve the full path using Deno's path module
				const realPath = path.resolve(root, entry.name)

				// Extract video duration using ffprobe with sexagesimal option
				const { duration } = await extractVideoMetadata(entry.path)

				// Accumulate the duration in seconds
				totalDurationInSeconds += parseDurationToSeconds(duration)
			}
		} catch (err) {
			console.error(`Error processing file "${entry.name}": ${err.message}`)
		}
	}

	// Convert total duration to hours, minutes, and seconds
	const hours = Math.floor(totalDurationInSeconds / 3600)
	const minutes = Math.floor((totalDurationInSeconds % 3600) / 60)
	const seconds = totalDurationInSeconds % 60

	return [hours, minutes, seconds]
}

// Function to check if the file is a video file
function isVideoFile(fileName: string): boolean {
	return /\.(mp4|mkv|ts|webm)$/i.test(fileName)
}

// Function to extract video metadata using ffprobe with sexagesimal option
async function extractVideoMetadata(filePath: string): Promise<{
	duration: string
}> {
	// Run FFmpeg command to get video duration
	const cmd = [
		'ffprobe',
		'-v',
		'error',
		'-show_entries',
		'format=duration',
		'-sexagesimal',
		'-of',
		'default=noprint_wrappers=1:nokey=1',
		filePath,
	]
	const process = await Deno.run({ cmd, stdout: 'piped' })
	const decoder = new TextDecoder()

	const output = await process.output()
	const duration = decoder.decode(output)

	return { duration }
}

// Function to parse the duration in sexagesimal format to seconds
function parseDurationToSeconds(duration: string): number {
	const [hours, minutes, seconds] = duration.split(':').map(parseFloat)
	return hours * 3600 + minutes * 60 + seconds
}

// Get folder path from Deno.args
const [folderPath] = Deno.args

// Check if folderPath is provided
if (!folderPath) {
	console.error('Please provide the folder path as an argument.')
	Deno.exit(1)
}

// Calculate and log the total watch time
const [hours, minutes, seconds] = await calculateTotalWatchTime(folderPath)
console.log(
	`Total watch time: ${hours} hours, ${minutes} minutes, ${seconds.toFixed(
		2,
	)} seconds.`,
)