Score:7

Ubuntu

How can I copy files from many subdirectories to another directory while preserving directory structure?

KansaiRobot

10/24/23, 11:48 AM

I have a directory containing many similar subdirectories Each of these subdirectories have some files I am interested in and some that I am not.

I want to copy:

FROM: two particular files: file1.txt file2.json from every subdirectory

TO: a different location

But making the subdirectories in that location

For example If I have

base
|_folder_00000001
|         |_-file1.txt
|         |_ file2.json
|         |_some_other_things_I_dont_need
|         |_some_other_folder_I_dont_need
|
|_folder_00000002
|         |_-file1.txt
|         |_ file2.json
|         |_some_other_things_I_dont_need
|         |_some_other_folder_I_dont_need
|
|_folder_00000003
|         |_-file1.txt
|         |_ file2.json
|         |_some_other_things_I_dont_need
|         |_some_other_folder_I_dont_need
|
|_folder_00000004
|         |_-file1.txt
|         |_ file2.json
|         |_some_other_things_I_dont_need
|         |_some_other_folder_I_dont_need
|

I want to copy this to another location but excluding the "some other things and folders I dont need"

target
|_folder_00000001
|         |_-file1.txt
|         |_ file2.json
|         
|
|_folder_00000002
|         |_-file1.txt
|         |_ file2.json
|             |
|_folder_00000003
|         |_-file1.txt
|         |_ file2.json
|             |
|_folder_00000004
|         |_-file1.txt
|         |_ file2.json
|

How can I do this from the bash terminal?

1668

2 + 7

command-line

bash

David

10/24/23, 11:57 AM

Please post the script you have already written. Then from there someone may be able to see what errors it may contain.

Robbie Goodwin

10/24/23, 9:29 PM

Can you say what "copy a couple of files from all directories making those directories" means?

Peter Cordes

10/24/23, 11:42 PM

@RobbieGoodwin: They did provide a clear example of desired result. I too found that description in words to be very unclear, so it's a good thing the example is clear. Not sure how I'd describe it concisely; perhaps "copy directory structure, keeping only some of the files"?

B.Kaatz

10/27/23, 11:01 PM

@muru This isn't exactly the same as that other post. That other post was just asking how to combine creating a directory to copy the source file into while copying the source file. This post is about copying multiple files from mulitple directories into a different location, preserving the source directory structure in the new location.

Robbie Goodwin

11/19/23, 5:55 PM

@PeterCordes Thanks and I, too, see "copy directory structure, keeping only some of the files" as a reasonable, but not a necessary conclusion. Don't you think people whose descriptions in words seem unclear, also generally produce unclear code and that the two should normally be taken together?

Peter Cordes

11/19/23, 10:37 PM

@RobbieGoodwin: Maybe I was biased by seeing answers exist to confirm my interpretation of the question, maybe even an accepted answer. But there isn't any "code" here, just a directory structure. And I think the only interpretation of the words that's compatible with both the words and the example is the one I and answerers took. It's not a bad thing to ask for clarification of the wording, that the example is correct, though.

Robbie Goodwin

11/20/23, 11:45 AM

@Peter Cordes Thanks and I see there's nothing there but a directory structure with no room any lack of clarity… and here, don't you think the very wording "|_some_other_things_I_dont_need" itself works like code? Still, I'm sorry I failed to notice how closely patterned this particular structure is, which pretty-much nullifies everything I said. Duh!

Score:9

Ubuntu

pLumo

10/24/23, 12:12 PM

You can use cp with --parents:

cd base
cp -v --parents */file1.txt */file2.json ../target/

+ 3

KansaiRobot

10/24/23, 12:24 PM

I tried it. This is *almost* what I wanted. the only thing is that this creates base inside target. Is there a way to have all the subdirectories under target? (no base in the middle)

pLumo

10/24/23, 12:28 PM

sure, fixed this

Raffa

10/24/23, 12:31 PM

+1 for simplicity :-)

Score:0

Ubuntu

B.Kaatz

10/25/23, 1:19 AM

Is there some pattern to the files you want to copy?

From the example, if we take the "-file1.txt" and the "file2.json" as the files you want copied to the new directory structure, it can be done this way, I should think:

rsync -av --include="*/" --include="*-file1.txt" --include="*file2.json" --exclude="*" /src/dir/  /dest/dir/

I hope that helps.

+ 1

KansaiRobot

10/28/23, 6:03 AM

Thanks! I like `rsync`, I have been extremely busy so could not try the solution, but I will.

Elon Musk

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