How to? Append files in multiple subfolders using copy?

[Rick Reinckens]

Is it possible to append text files in different subfolders into a single file using copy without using a detailed looping approach?

Basically, I have this setup:

\2018\Sep
..\01
..\02
(etc ...)

About 20 of the subfolders contain a file with a standard name: PMT_2018-09-DD.txt where DD is the day.

I want to combine those into a single file.

I tried copy /s {pattern} F:\temp\target.txt but that copied the whole directory structure, etc., rather than appending.

 

[Charles Dye]

Wow; you may have found an actual use for GLOBAL. Those are rare....

(Remember that you need to change to the top-level directory before using GLOBAL, e.g. with PUSHD.)

 

[vefatica]

This worked.

v:\> type 1.txt
1

v:\> type rtt\2.txt
2

v:\> copy /b 1.txt+rtt\2.txt 3.txt
V:\1.txt => V:\3.txt
V:\rtt\2.txt =>> V:\3.txt
     2 files copied

v:\> type 3.txt
1
2

So did this.

v:\> type 1.txt
1

v:\> type rtt\2.txt
2

v:\> copy /b 1.txt+rtt\2.txt
V:\rtt\2.txt =>> V:\1.txt
     1 file copied

v:\> type 1.txt
1
2

 

[vefatica]

GLOBAL together with file concatenation should work. Here's a very simple example. It seems that GLOBAL would benefit from an option to process only proper subdirectories (that is, to skip the top, current directory).

v:\sep> tree /f v:\sep

V:\sep
├──1
│  └  1.log
├──2
│  └  2.log
├──3
│  └  3.log
├──4
│  └  4.log
└──5
   └  5.log

v:\sep> do i=1 to 5 ( dir /m /k %i\%i.log )
2018-11-19  13:30               3  1.log
2018-11-19  13:30               3  2.log
2018-11-19  13:30               3  3.log
2018-11-19  13:30               3  4.log
2018-11-19  13:30               3  5.log

v:\sep> touch /c sep.log & global /iq if %_cwd ne v:\sep copy /b v:\sep\sep.log+*.log v:\sep\sep.log
2018-11-19 13:46:13.668  V:\sep\sep.log
V:\sep\1\1.log =>> V:\sep\sep.log
     1 file copied
V:\sep\2\2.log =>> V:\sep\sep.log
     1 file copied
V:\sep\3\3.log =>> V:\sep\sep.log
     1 file copied
V:\sep\4\4.log =>> V:\sep\sep.log
     1 file copied
V:\sep\5\5.log =>> V:\sep\sep.log
     1 file copied

v:\sep> dir /m /k /h
2018-11-19  13:30         <DIR>    1
2018-11-19  13:30         <DIR>    2
2018-11-19  13:30         <DIR>    3
2018-11-19  13:30         <DIR>    4
2018-11-19  13:30         <DIR>    5
2018-11-19  13:46              15  sep.log

 

[vefatica]

FWIW,

do subdir in /a:d * ...

can be made to act like a (1-deep) GLOBAL and you don't have to worry about the top level.

 

[Charles Dye]

FWIW,

do subdir in /a:d * ...

can be made to act like a (1-deep) GLOBAL and you don't have to worry about the top level.

Oh, that's much nicer than GLOBAL. And you can add a /S if you need to recurse deeper.

 

[vefatica]

Yes, but Rick wanted to do it "without using a detailed looping approach ". Even GLOBAL is a "loop" but the missing details can make it hard to use.

 

[Rick Reinckens]

Thanks! If forgot that the "names" of the files to be concatenated can include paths. This works:

copy .\*\PMT_20??-??-??.txt "F:\Temp\All_Pmts.txt"

 

[AnrDaemon]

Be warned that the order of concatenation is not necessarily alphabetical.