CODEWITHSUNDEEP
batch-filecopyxcopy
user1189644
user1189644

Reputation: 21

Batch: Copy files from txt file into one folder

I am attempting to create a batch file to copy several files listed in a text file to a new folder. I have found several threads relating to this, but I can still not get the batch to work properly. The problem I am encountering is that the files listed in the txt are all in different source locations and have different extensions. The list reads, for example:

C:\Users\Foo\Pictures\Photographs\September\P1030944.jpg
C:\Users\Foo\Videos\Art\Movies\Class\movie.avi
C:\Users\Foo\Music\Jazz\20051.mp3
...etc

All the copy commands I could find have to list either the source directory i.e.

set src_folder=c:\whatever\
set dst_folder=c:\foo
for /f %%i in (File-list.txt) DO xcopy /S/E/U "%src_folder%\%%i" "%dst_folder%"

or the extension i.e.

for /R c:\source %f in (*.xml) do copy "%f" x:\destination\

but I need it to gather that information from the list itself.
If it helps I know that there are only files of a possible 39 different specific extensions in the txt (*.jpg *.gif *.png ... *.xhtml *.xht)

Any help/ideas?

Upvotes: 2

Views: 36548

Answers (3)

geoji
geoji

Reputation: 759

I have found that the easiest way to do this is to use a powershell script.

$Files = Get-Content File-list.txt
$Dest = "C:\output"

foreach ($File in $Files) {
  Copy-Item $File $Dest
}

If you need to run it from a batch file, paste the above script to file named CopyFiles.ps1 and add the following command to your batch file

powershell -executionpolicy bypass -file .\CopyFiles.ps1

Since, powershell is included by default on Windows7 and newer, this method is as easy as doing the same with batch commands only.

Upvotes: -1

Gottfried
Gottfried

Reputation: 1

One sample which worked for me...

Replace my directories C:\whatever and C:\temp\svn with yours...

assuming that your filelist is named antidump_list.txt and located under C:\temp\svn\

> set src_folder=C:\whatever
> set dst_folder=C:\temp\svn
> for /f %%i in (C:\temp\svn\antidump_list.txt) DO copy "%src_folder%\%%i" "%dst_folder%\%%i"

Regards,

Gottfried

Upvotes: 0

PA.
PA.

Reputation: 29339

Start reading HELP FOR and then try the following at the command prompt

FOR /F %a in (input.txt) DO @ECHO COPY %a c:\newfolder\%~nxa

you can see that %a gets expanded to the actual line in the input file, and that %~nxa is a way to extract the name and the extension from the file.

After careful testing, move the command to your BAT file, replace %a to%%a, and remove the ECHO command

@echo off
SET destfolder=c:\newfolder 
FOR /F "delims=" %%a IN (input.txt) DO COPY "%%a" "%destfolder%\%%~nxa"

notice the wraping of the names with quotes "; and the inclusion of the "delims=" option; both are needed in case filenames contain blanks.

Finally be careful with possible name duplicates in the destination folder. If that is possible, you need to find an strategy to cope with such collisions. But this can be the subject of another SO question, can't it?

Upvotes: 5

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