Batch file to move files based on name w/o creating new folders

Question

I need to move files from a directory to another directory based on the files name. The files are in the format of 12345 123456.pdf where the 2 string lengths can vary. There will always be a space between them though and they are always PDF files.

The destination directory is the SAME NAME as the first string of the filename (ex. 10003075 3000101012.pdf destination directory would be 10003075).

If the destination directory does not exist I DO NOT want it created. The file should be left in the initial directory.

The file structure is as such:

Main Folder
  |
  Destination Directories
  Files waiting to be moved Directory
    |
    Batch file

So the Batch file would have to check the directory it is in for pdf files, then check the directory above it for the directory corresponding to the first string in the file name, then move that file to that directory only if it exists else leave the file where it is.

I have worked with some suggestions on stackoverflow but everything I have seen will either make the directory or move the file to the main directory if the directory is not there.

Does it have to be batch, why not powershell? – Chief Wiggum Jan 20 '15 at 00:16 — Chief Wiggum, Jan 20 '15 at 00:16
@JamesBlond: I have never used powershell. – ScottJamesSDF Jan 20 '15 at 00:29 — ScottJamesSDF, Jan 20 '15 at 00:29

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 20 '15 at 01:58

@ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL
SET "sourcedir=U:\sourcedir\t w o"
PUSHD "%sourcedir%"
FOR /f "tokens=1*delims= " %%a IN (
 'dir /b /a-d "* *.pdf" '
 ) DO (
 IF EXIST "..\%%a\." (ECHO(MOVE "%%a %%b" "..\%%a\") ELSE (ECHO(Leave "%%a %%b")
)
popd

GOTO :EOF

You would need to change the setting of sourcedir to suit your circumstances. Assigning it to %~dp0 is a possibility.

Given (partial dir /a:d of %sourcedir%)

20/01/2015  09:49    <DIR>          one
20/01/2015  09:49    <DIR>          t w o
20/01/2015  09:50    <DIR>          1232
20/01/2015  09:50    <DIR>          1234

and dir of source of pdfs:

Directory of u:\sourcedir\t w o

20/01/2015  09:50                 0 dum myfile2.pdf
20/01/2015  09:50                 0 1231 54321.pdf
20/01/2015  09:50                 0 1232 54321.pdf
20/01/2015  09:50                 0 1233 54321.pdf
20/01/2015  09:50                 0 1234 54321.pdf
20/01/2015  09:50                 0 1235 54321.pdf
               6 File(s)              0 bytes

This yields

Leave "dum myfile2.pdf"
Leave "1231 54321.pdf"
MOVE "1232 54321.pdf" "..\1232\"
Leave "1233 54321.pdf"
MOVE "1234 54321.pdf" "..\1234\"
Leave "1235 54321.pdf"

The required MOVE commands are merely ECHOed for testing purposes. After you've verified that the commands are correct, change ECHO(MOVE to MOVE to actually move the files. Append >nul to suppress report messages (eg. 1 file moved)

The Leave message and its associated else clause would of course be optional.

Thank you very much Magoo. This is exactly what I was in need of and much simpler then where I was going. I would like to edit your instructions near the end. I had to change (ECHO(MOVE to (MOVE and (ECHO(Leave to (Leave. Removing the ( before MOVE and Leave cause an error. Again, thank you and amazing work. — ScottJamesSDF, Jan 20 '15 at 17:10

Batch file to move files based on name w/o creating new folders

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