How to move files via batch file but if file already exist move elsewhere? - windows

Question

I am trying to move files to a particular folder
(destination folder), but I do not want to overwrite any
files. Instead, if the file already exist in that particular
folder (destination folder), then move that file in another
folder (overflow folder), but keep folder structure.
I tried with xcopy and robocopy, but It appears that it
can't be done like that.
This is the script I use to move files but not overwrite.
robocopy "C:\DummySourcePath\" "C:\DummyDestantionPath\" /E /XC /XN /XO

Answer 1

Now it looks like your goal is to take a folder or directory and take all contents from this folder (including from sub-directory's) and copy it to one main folder. Any duplicate files you want rather to be sent to an overflow rather then to be overwritten.
If you don't want to overwright any files, an overflow folder will work. However what if there are two duplicate files trying to be dumped into the overflow directory? To get around this, we can simply name {File} to {File}(1), {File}(2), exc. This part of the script was taken from michael_heath on the post - batch script to copy files listed in a txt document and keep duplicates.
Essentially we are using an FOR /R statement along with an IF statement to check if the target directory contains the file or not. If it does, the ELSE will move it to overflow with further anti-overwright protections.
#ECHO OFF
#setlocal enableextensions enabledelayedexpansion
rem | Configure directories
set "source=C:\Source-Directory"
set "target=C:\Target-Directory"
set "overflow=Overflow-Directory"
rem | Scan target directory for a duplicate file name.
rem | If a duplicate was found, run a function to copy it to a overflow directory.
rem | If it already exists in the overflow directory rename it to {Name}(1), {Name}(2), exc.
rem | The overflow {Name}(1) protection was originally scripted by: michael_heath
FOR /R "%source%" %%i in (*.*) do (
If not exist "%target%\%%~nxi" (copy "%%i" "%target%") ELSE (call :index "%%~i" "%overflow%\%%~nxi" "1"))
rem | Run finished code here or end script with "goto :eof"
goto :eof
:index source, overflow, count
setlocal
set /a "cnt=%~3"
if exist "%overflow%\%~n2(%cnt%)%~x2" (
call :index "%~1" "%~2" "%cnt%+1"
) else copy "%~1" "%overflow%\%~n2(%cnt%)%~x2"

Answer 2

#echo off
setlocal
set "source=%cd%\source"
set "target=%cd%\target"
set "overflow=%cd%\overflow"
for /r "%source%" %%A in (*.*) do call :copyfile "%%~A" "move" "report"
2>nul rd "%source%"
exit /b
:copyfile source [, operation [, report]]
setlocal
set "curpath=%~1"
set "operation=%~2"
set "report=%~3"
if defined report echo "%curpath%"
call set "destpath=%%curpath:%source%=%target%%%"
if exist "%destpath%" call set "destpath=%%curpath:%source%=%overflow%%%"
if exist "%destpath%" (
if defined report echo exist in "%destpath%"
exit /b 1
)
if "%operation%" == "copy" (
if defined report echo copy to "%destpath%"
echo f|>nul xcopy "%curpath%" "%destpath%"
) else (
for %%A in ("%destpath%") do (
if not exist "%%~dpA" md "%%~dpA" || (
if defined report echo md failed with "%%~dpA"
exit /b 1
)
)
if defined report (
echo move to "%destpath%"
move "%curpath%" "%destpath%"
) else >nul move "%curpath%" "%destpath%"
for %%A in ("%curpath%") do 2>nul rd "%%~dpA"
)
exit /b 0
move on same partition is a move in the
master file table only.
move to different partition is an actual
copy and delete on successful copy.
copy always does copy.
I implemented both operations and can be set by the
2nd optional argument to the called label of :copyfile
by passing "move" or "copy".
"move" is default if argument is not "copy".
The 3rd optional argument to the label :copyfile
is to output a progress report.
This argument if defined, will echo information
(like paths etc.) about the operation.
The 1st argument to the label :copyfile is the
path to the file to be copied or moved.
The for /r loop recurses the source directory and
calls :copyfile with the path of each file found.
:copyfile will set curpath to the source file and
will set destpath to the path to target, which is
the source path substituted with target path.
If destpath exist, then destpath is set to the path
to overflow, which is the source path substituted
with overflow path. If still destpath exist, then
the label is exited.
The move operation uses rd to remove empty folders
from source.
The copy operation uses xcopy as it makes the
destination folder structure so that md is not used.
The echo f piped to xcopy is to answer the "file
or folder?" prompt.
At end of script, the source folder will be removed
if empty.
Set the source, target and overflow variables
at the top of the script to the actual paths.
View set /? about variable substitution used in
the script. It is used to replace the source
directory path with the another directory path,
to create the destination path.