I would like to use a batch file to copy files in a folder to a backup folder (OLD) within, on a Windows server. And I want to do this for multiple folders.
So for example, I have multiple folders, named like this:
C:\A01
C:\A02
C:\A03
...
C:\A50
I will nickname them here as A##.
Each folder has hundreds of files.
Then each year before updating them, I copy those files into a backup folder called OLD, for each A##, so I have a backup of last year's files. Then I copy in new files into C:\A##, in another manual process, individually.
So there will be folders like:
C:\A01\OLD
C:\A02\OLD
C:\A03\OLD
...
C:\A50\OLD
When I do the copy, to the OLD folder, I keep the most recent version of each file. But then the files that I later manually copy in will overwrite in the C:\A## folder and be this year's files, while C:\A##\OLD will contain last year's files.
How can I script this so it will copy all the files for each C:\A## folder into their respective \OLD folder?
I assume I would use a variable for the path I want to copy from and to.
I could use Robocopy or Xcopy.
in a script file
#echo off
cd c:\
for /f "usebackq delims=:" %%a IN (`dir /AD /B ^| FINDSTR /I /R "A[0-9]*"`) DO (
#mkdir "%%a\OLD"
xcopy "%%a\*.*" "%%a\OLD\" /ECIFHRY /D
)
it copy only the updated files (/D) to the OLD subfolder.
if you want to mantain ACLs of the files, use /ECIFHRKOXY
I suggest you to test it in a test folder, that you can generate with this commands directly in the shell
#mkdir c:\test76
cd c:\test76
For /L %a IN (1,1,10) DO #mkdir A%a && echo "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog">A%a\file.txt
I have to create an script to copy files from a folder structure to other.
My source folder structure is similar to this:
-RootFolder
--ParentFolder1
--SubParentFolder1
--ToCopy
/*Here are the files to copy*/
--SubParentFolder2
--ParentFolder2
--OtherSubParentFolder
--ToCopy
/*Here are the files to copy*/
--ParentFolder3
--OtherSubParentFolder2
I want to copy the files that are in the "ToCopy" folders, into another folder, with this structure:
Destination folder structure:
--TargetDirectory
--SubParentFolder1
//Here the files that were in the ToCopy folder inside the SubParentsFolder1
--OtherSubParentFolder
//Here the files that were in the ToCopy folder inside the OtherSubParentFolder
Notice that I use the name of the "ToCopy" parent folder in the destination subfolders.
I know how I would do this with code (like C#), but I am at a lost on how to achieve it with a Batch file. Is it even possible? Or I would need to use something like powershell?
How can I copy my files following the structure I described?
I think, this should work...
$Folder= gci -path "d:\pstest" -recurse -Filter "ToCopy" | where { $_.psiscontainer }
Foreach ($Foldername in $Folder) {
$Destinationfolder=$Foldername.Parent
copy-item $Foldername.fullname -Destination "d:\Outputfolder\$Destinationfolder" -recurse
}
Hi to follow is a script I hacked away (via help from stack overflow), that reads the files from a txt document, then requests destination folder input and also src folder name it then just goes and recursively copies all the files to the new folder without keeping the old subfolder structure.
I will update this in future with the link to the person that I got the base template from for the admin area, but to keep in mind once you click that Batch can run as though it was a php script then everything makes sense. Took me whole day to research every command and alternative on SS64.com
Major thing to note is the pushd "%~dp0" this I use to make sure batch always uses my current directory as root.
As said I will do a proper write up on this and further stream lining since I am using it actively for moving files during a woocommerce shop update. P.S. the text file name should be entered without the .txt extention and every file name should start on a new line. Also if the destination directory does not exist it will create it. Use excel maybe to list the names then for renaming could output to new column and compile the batch rename command copy to new batch run first batch to fetch files and second batch to rename to preferred title, I do it in steps to keep my sanity.
Sorry was just a example of how I use it, but yes go ahead and enjoy hope this works for you.
#echo off
CLS
setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
REM Changes root path to relative of current bat folder
pushd "%~dp0"
REM finds files in provided .txt file and copies them to destination directory
REM CHECK FOR ADMIN RIGHTS
COPY /b/y NUL %WINDIR%\06CF2EB6-94E6-4a60-91D8-AB945AE8CF38 >NUL 2>&1
IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO:NONADMIN
DEL %WINDIR%\06CF2EB6-94E6-4a60-91D8-AB945AE8CF38 >NUL 2>&1
:ADMIN
REM GOT ADMIN RIGHTS
COLOR 1F
ECHO Hi, %USERNAME%!
ECHO Please wait...
set /p DEST_DIR="Copy files to:"%=%
set /p SEARCH_DIR="Copy files from:"%=%
#echo.
#echo Please check folder name for accuracy.
#echo Copy files to: %DEST_DIR%
#echo Copy files from: %SEARCH_DIR%
set /p CORRECT_FOLDERS="Are these correct? (please check spelling) y/n:"
if '%CORRECT_FOLDERS%'=='y' GOTO:YES_ANSWER
if '%CORRECT_FOLDERS%'=='n' GOTO:NO_ANSWER
COLOR 2F
ECHO.
PAUSE
GOTO:EOF
:NONADMIN
REM NO ADMIN RIGHTS
COLOR 4F
ECHO.
ECHO PLEASE RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR
ECHO.
pause
GOTO:EOF
:YES_ANSWER
#echo.
#echo you answered yes
#echo.
if exist %DEST_DIR% GOTO:READ_DATA
if not exist %DEST_DIR% md %DEST_DIR%&GOTO:READ_DATA
PAUSE
:NO_ANSWER
#echo.
#echo you answered no
set /p TRY_AGAIN="Try again? y/n:"
if '%TRY_AGAIN%'=='y' GOTO:YES_ANSWER
if '%TRY_AGAIN%'=='n' GOTO:EXIT_PROGRAM
PAUSE
:EXIT_PROGRAM
#echo.
#echo "So Sorry"
PAUSE
GOTO:EOF
:READ_DATA
#echo.
set /p GET_FILENAMES="What is the name of the text file your filenames are stored in?"%=%
if exist %GET_FILENAMES%.txt #echo We will now read and copy the files for you, have some coffee might take awhile & GOTO:WRITE_DATA
if not exist %GET_FILENAMES%.txt #echo Filename does not match, please type only the name without .txt extention & GOTO:READ_DATA
PAUSE
:WRITE_DATA
#echo.
#echo reading file name...
for /f "usebackq delims=" %%a in ("%GET_FILENAMES%.txt") do (
for /r "%SEARCH_DIR%" %%b in ("%%a*") do (
#echo Copy Started...
copy "%%b" "%DEST_DIR%\%%~nxb"
)
)
#echo Copy finished, please review actions. Lekker Man.
PAUSE``
I have a little structure like this:
[ ] root
|
+---- text.txt
+-[ ] folder
+-[ ] copy
Now I'd like to copy all contents (including folder and its possible contents) of root into copy with Xcopy.
How would I do that?
If you really want to do as you ask, you could do it this way:
xcopy root root\copy /E
However, I would not advise that, because you would be making copies of copies since copy is a folder under root.
I would advise a different structure whereby copy is at the same level as root, and you could:
xcopy root root_copy /E
The documentation can be found at various places, depending on your operating system, such as:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/289483
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb491035.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/xcopy.mspx?mfr=true
Here's what I typically use:
xcopy src dest /Q /H /E /I /Y
/Q - Does not display file names while copying.
/H - Copies hidden and system files also.
/E - Copies directories and subdirectories, including empty ones. Same as /S /E. May be used to modify /T.
/I - If destination does not exist and copying more than one file, assumes that destination must be a directory.
/Y - Suppresses prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an existing destination file.
I'm sending commands to a remote computer in order to have it copy a file.
I want the file to be copied, but not to overwrite the previous file with the same name (if it exists).
I also need the command to run without any prompts (xcopy likes to prompt whether the target name I've specified is file or directory, and it will also prompt about overwriting a file).
I have good results with xcopy /d.
It will copy NEWER files, and since we can assume that existing files have same time-stamp, you will copy only files that don't exist.
just in case anyone else finds this:
robocopy x:\sourcefolder Y:\destfolder /s /e /r:0 /z
much better than xcopy, even gives you a table at the end informing of any failed or skipped files. Doesn't prompt to not overwrite.
Well, there's a certain remedy! It has helped me with saving much of my effort and time on Win10 while writing a setup for our product demo.
Just try to use piping:
#ECHO N|COPY /-Y SourceFiles Destination
As an example I used this piece of code so that I would have a clean gentle quiet and safe copy!
#FOR /D %%F in ("FooPath") DO #(
#ECHO N|COPY /-Y ^"%%~npdxF\*.*^" ^"GooPath^" 3>NUL 2>NUL >NUL
)
where obviously FooPath is the source and GooPath is the destination.
Enjoy!
(main source: https://ss64.com/nt/copy.html)
Following command copy files and folder but not override file if already exist.
xcopy "*.*" "C:\test\" /s /y /d
No way to make it NOT overwrite as far as I know. but /Y will make it overwrite. and /I will get rid of the file/dict prompt. See xcopy /? for all options
You can also use the replace command. It has two modes: to add files that don't exist there or replace files that do exist. You want the previous mode:
replace <path1> <path2> /A
I had to copy AND rename files, so I got the prompt about creating a file or a directory.
This is the, rather "hackish" way I did it:
ECHO F | XCOPY /D "C:\install\dummy\dummy.pdf" "C:\Archive\fffc810e-f01a-47e8-a000-5903fc56f0ec.pdf"
XCOPY will use the "F" to indicate it should create the target as a file:
C:\install>ECHO F | XCOPY /D "C:\install\dummy\dummy.html" "C:\Archive\aa77cd6e-1d19-4eb4-b2a8-3f8fe60daf00.html"
Does C:\Archive\aa77cd6e-1d19-4eb4-b2a8-3f8fe60daf00.html specify a file name or directory name on the target
(F = file, D = directory)? F
C:\install\dummy\dummy.html
1 File(s) copied
I've also verified this command leaves existing files alone. (You should too :-)
This seems pretty simple and maybe I'm just overlooking the proper flag, but how would I, in one command, copy a file from one directory to another and rename it in the destination directory? Here's my command:
if exist "bin\development\whee.config.example"
if not exist "TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\whee.config"
xcopy "bin\development\whee.config.example"
"TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\whee.config"
It prompts me with the following every time:
Does TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\whee.config specify a file name
or directory name on the target (F = file, D = directory)?
I want to suppress this prompt; the answer is always F.
I use
echo f | xcopy /f /y srcfile destfile
to get around it.
Don't use the xcopy, use copy instead, it doesn't have this issue.
xcopy is generally used when performing recursive copies of multiple files/folders, or when you need the verification/prompting features it offers. For single file copies, the copy command works just fine.
Another option is to use a destination wildcard. Note that this only works if the source and destination filenames will be the same, so while this doesn't solve the OP's specific example, I thought it was worth sharing.
For example:
xcopy /y "bin\development\whee.config.example" "TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\*"
will create a copy of the file "whee.config.example" in the destination directory without prompting for file or directory.
Update: As mentioned by #chapluck:
You can change "* " to "[newFileName].*". It persists file extension but allows to rename. Or more hacky: "[newFileName].[newExt]*" to change extension
There is some sort of undocumented feature in XCOPY. you can use:
xcopy "bin\development\whee.config.example" "c:\mybackup\TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\whee.config*"
i tested it just today. :-)
Just go to http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb491035.aspx
Here's what the MAIN ISSUE is "... If Destination does not contain an existing directory and does not end with a backslash (), the following message appears: ...
Does destination specify a file name
or directory name on the target
(F = file, D = directory)?
You can suppress this message by using the /i command-line option, which causes xcopy to assume that the destination is a directory if the source is more than one file or a directory.
Took me a while, but all it takes is RTFM.
So, there is a simple fix for this. It is admittedly awkward, but it works.
xcopy will not prompt to find out if the destination is a directory or file IF the new file(filename) already exists. If you precede your xcopy command with a simple echo to the new filename, it will overwrite the empty file. Example
echo.>newfile.txt
xcopy oldfile.txt newfile.txt /Y
I met same issue when try to copy file with new name only if file does not exist in destination or exist (with new name), but is older. The solution is to add * char at end of destination file name. Example:
xcopy "C:\src\whee.config.txt" "C:\dest\bee.config.txt*" /D /Y
This is from Bills answer.
Just to be really clear for others.
If you are copying ONE file from one place to another AND you want the full directory structure to be created, use the following command:
xcopy "C:\Data\Images\2013\08\12\85e4a707-2672-481b-92fb-67ecff20c96b.jpg" "C:\Target Data\\Images\2013\08\12\85e4a707-2672-481b-92fb-67ecff20c96b.jpg\"
Yes, put a backslash at the end of the file name and it will NOT ask you if it's a file or directory. Because there is only ONE file in the source, it will assume it's a file.
xcopy src dest /I
REM This assumes dest is a folder and will create it, if it doesnt exists
XCOPY with * at the end of the target to copy files whether they exist or not in destination
XCOPY with \ at the end of the target to copy folders and contents whether exist or not in destination
Alternatively
RoboForm SOURCE DEST FILE for files
RoboForm SOURCE DEST for folders
I had a similar issue and both robocopy and xcopy did not help, as I wanted to suppress the comments and use a different destination filename. I found
type filename.txt > destfolder\destfilename.txt
working as per my requirements.
Back to the original question:
xcopy "bin\development\whee.config.example" "TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\whee.config"
could be done with two commands eg:
mkdir "c:\mybackup\TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\whee.config\.."
xcopy "bin\development\whee.config.example" "c:\mybackup\TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\whee.config\"
By simply appending "\.." to the path of the destination file the destination directory is created if it not already exists. In this case
"c:\mybackup\TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\"
which is the parent directory of
the non-existing directory
"c:\mybackup\TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\whee.config\.."
At least for WIN7 mkdir does not care if the directory
"c:\mybackup\TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\whee.config\"
really exists.
The right thing to do if you wanna copy just file and change it's name at destination is :
xcopy /f /y "bin\development\example.exe"
"TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\NewName.exe*"
And it's Gonna work fine
I suggest robocopy instead of copy or xcopy. Used as command or in GUI on clients or servers. Tolerant of network pauses and you can choose to ignore file attributes when copying of copy by file attributes. Oh, and it supports multi-core machines so files are copied much faster in "parallel" with each other instead of sequentially. robocopy can be found on MS TechNet.
For duplicating large files, xopy with /J switch is a good choice. In this case, simply pipe an F for file or a D for directory. Also, you can save jobs in an array for future references. For example:
$MyScriptBlock = {
Param ($SOURCE, $DESTINATION)
'F' | XCOPY $SOURCE $DESTINATION /J/Y
#DESTINATION IS FILE, COPY WITHOUT PROMPT IN DIRECT BUFFER MODE
}
JOBS +=START-JOB -SCRIPTBLOCK $MyScriptBlock -ARGUMENTLIST $SOURCE,$DESTIBNATION
$JOBS | WAIT-JOB | REMOVE-JOB
Thanks to Chand with a bit modifications:
https://stackoverflow.com/users/3705330/chand
Place an asterisk(*) at the end of the destination path to skip the dispute of D and F.
Example:
xcopy "compressedOutput.xml" "../../Execute
Scripts/APIAutomation/Libraries/rerunlastfailedbuild.xml*"
Use copy instead of xcopy when copying files.
e.g.
copy "bin\development\whee.config.example"
"TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\whee.config"
Work Around, use ReName... and Name it some Cryptic Name, then ReName it to its Proper Name
C:
CD "C:\Users\Public\Documents\My Web Sites\AngelFire~Zoe\"
XCopy /D /I /V /Y "C:\Users\Public\Documents\My Web Sites\HostGator ~ ZoeBeans\cop.htm"
Ren "cop.htm" "christ-our-passover.htm"
xcopy will allow you to copy a single file into a specifed folder it just wont allow you to define a destination name. If you require the destination name just rename it before you copy it.
ren "bin\development\whee.config.example" whee.config
xcopy /R/Y "bin\development\whee.config"
"TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\"
When working with single files , I use both commands.
To copy a file to another existing directory, use copy
copy srcPath\srcFile existingDir\newFile
To copy an existing file to and create new directories, use xcopy
xcopy srcPath\srcFile newDirectoryPath\newFile
To suppress the xcopy 'file or directory' prompt, echo in the response. So for a file copy echo in f.
echo f | xcopy srcPath\srcFile newDirectoryPath\newFile
Note flag /y works in both commands to suppress the confirmation to overwrite the existing destination file.
MS Docs: copy, xcopy
Since you're not actually changing the filename, you can take out the filename from the destination and there will be no questions.
xcopy bin\development\whee.config.example TestConnectionExternal\bin\Debug\ /Y
This approach works well when the destination directory is guaranteed to exist, and when the source may equally be a file or directory.
You cannot specify that it's always a file. If you don't need xcopy's other features, why not just use regular copy?
Does xxxxxxxxxxxx specify a file name
or directory name on the target
(F = file, D = directory)? D
if a File : (echo F)
if a Directory (echo D)