Batch File to Selectively Copy Files To an Identical Folder Tree - batch-file

Question

I have 2 identical folder trees, let's call them C:\First and C:\Second, with many subfolders. C:\First has many XML files in many sub and sub-sub folders. C:\Second just has the folder tree created.
I want to go through all XML files in C:\First\* and put it in it's equivalent place in C:\Second.
But first I want to check if a file with the same name exists in the C:\Current folder (no subfolders there), in which case I will copy the one from C:\Current to the proper sub-sub-sub folder in C:\Second.
In other words, I want to copy the whole structure and files from C:\First to C:\Second but I want to take the latest version that may or may not exist in C:\Current. And, in C:\Current there are many files I don't care about.
Example:
C:\Current has these files:
a.xml
b.xml
1.xml
c.xml
d.xml
e.xml
2.xml
f.xml
g.xml
3.xml
In C:\First I have a.xml, b.xml, c.xml, d.xml, e.xml, f.xml, g.xml spread out in its sub-folders.
I hope I'm not being too confusing...

Answer 1

When a problem is properly stated, the same problem description may serve as specifications to write the program. In your case, you have this description:
I want to go through all XML files in C:\First* and put it in it's
equivalent place in C:\Second.
But first I want to check if a file with the same name exists in the
C:\Current folder
The "But first" doesn't serve to write a program. You just need to write the first things in first place! For example:
I want to go through all XML files in C:\First*. I want to check if a
file with the same name exists in the C:\Current folder in which case
I will copy the one from C:\Current to the proper sub-sub-sub folder
in C:\Second. Otherwise put the file from C:\First in it's equivalent
place in C:\Second.
The pseudo-code below is an example of how your original problem description may be translated into a program:
rem I have 2 identical folder trees, let's call them C:\First and C:\Second, with many subfolders.
rem C:\First has many XML files in many sub and sub-sub folders. C:\Second just has the folder tree created.
rem I want to go through all XML files in C:\First\*
for /R inside C:\First with all *.XML files do (
rem But first I want to check if a file with the same name exists in the C:\Current folder (no subfolders there)
if exist "C:\Current folder\place here just the name of the file from the for command" (
rem in which case I will copy the one from C:\Current to the proper sub-sub-sub folder in C:\Second.
set properFolder=place here the sub-sub-sub folder from the for command
set properFolder=change "C:\First" by "C:\Second" in properFolder
copy "C:\Current folder\just the name" "!properFolder!"
) else (
rem ... and put it in it's equivalent place in C:\Second.
set properFolder=place here the sub-sub-sub folder from the for command
set properFolder=change "C:\First" by "C:\Second" in properFolder
copy "the file from for command" "!properFolder!"
)
)
If you analyze this code you will realize that the lines that get properFolder are the same in both parts, so a simpler method would be to get properFolder just one time before the if command.
You may use this pseudo-code as starting point to write your Batch file.