Moving Text files

use File::Find;

# Recurse down the directory tree, calling the 'wanted'
# function whenever something is found.
find(\&wanted, 'c:\ord\ixx\data\log');

sub wanted {
    # Select the files required
    if (/^[a-z]{4,}/i) {
        # (xcopy used because it automatically creates all the necessary directories)
        system "xcopy \"$File::Find::name\" c:\\data\\ /i/f/y";
    }
    else {print "Rejecting $File::Find::name\n";}
}

use File::Copy;
foreach (glob(qq{C:/ORD/IXX/DATA/LOG/ABCD*})) {
  copy($_,qq{C:/DATA/});
}

Tobias

Hi all, thanks for your help so far but still having a few probs:

Jim: when I ran your version I got the following errorsScalar found where operator expected aT line 5, near "opendir(DIR, "$source_dir"
  (Might be a runaway multi-line "" string starting on line 3)

String found where operator expected at line 12, near "system(""
  (Might be a runaway multi-line "" string starting on line 5)
        (Missing semicolon on previous line?)

Bareword found where operator expected at line 12, near "system("copy"

Scalar found where operator expected at line 12, near "${source_dir}$file"
        (Missing operator before $file?)

Scalar found where operator expected at line 12, near "$file $dest_dir"
        (Missing operator before $dest_dir?)

String found where operator expected at line 12, at end of line
        (Missing semicolon on previous line?)

syntax error at line 5, near "opendir(DIR, "$source_dir "

Can't find string terminator '"' anywhere before EOF at line 12.

PC_USER321: Your version seems to run OK but it rejects every file.  The actual string I'm looking for is "CNTL" and it's always the first 4 characters in the file.

Tobias: Your version doesn't return any errors but doesn't seem to do anything?

Any ideas?  Thanks.

Did I get your path right? C:/ORD/IXX/DATA/LOG/ABCD* ???

Add the print line below to see, if it's trying to copy something:

use File::Copy;
foreach (glob(qq{C:/ORD/IXX/DATA/LOG/ABCD*})) {
 print "Copying $_ ...\n";
 copy($_,qq{C:/DATA/});
}

Hope this helps
  Tobias

Tobias, thanks for you comment.  The path is right and I've added the print line - exactly as you've printed it - but nothing happens it doesn't even print anything?

Can you comment on what the code is actually doing, to help me work out what's going on?

Thanks.

1: use File::Copy;
2: foreach (glob(qq{C:/ORD/IXX/DATA/LOG/ABCD*})) {
3:   print "Copying $_ ...\n";
4:   copy($_,qq{C:/DATA/});
5: }

Line 1: will pull in the module File::Copy, which contains platform independent functions to move/copy files.
Line 2: The glob() instructions will try to use the globbing function and enumerate all files that match the pattern "C:/ORD/IXX/DATA/LOG/ABCD*"; qq{} is just another of quoting characters (like putting them in "..."); glob() is supposed to return an array of filenames; and foreach() will set $_ to each individual filename that glob() returned;
Line 3: is supposed to print the current filename
Line 4: should invoke File::Copy's copy() function to copy the current filename ($_) to the destination directory (C:/DATA/).

I suspect something is wrong with your glob() function. Can you tell us what version of perl you use?
Can you also tell us what the following script prints for you?

print join("\n",glob(qq{*}));

Thanks
  Tobias

Hi Tobias,

thanks again for your help, the version I'm using is 5.6.1 for Win32.  When I run the print script it prints a list of all folders (but not sub-folders) and documents (including extensions)in the root of my personal drive on our network.

I'm logging off now - I'll check for your reply first thing in the morning.

Thanks, Rosie.

That's mighty weird Rosie - however here's another suggestion:

use File::Copy;
foreach (glob(qq{C:\\ORD\\IXX\\DATA\\LOG\\ABCD*})) {
print "Copying $_ ...\n";
copy($_,qq{C:\\DATA\\});
}

And if this still does not work, can you tell me what this line in perl prints:

print join("\n",glob(qq{C:\\ORD\\IXX\\DATA\\LOG\\ABCD*}));

Thanks
  Tobias
 

use File::Find;
use File::Copy;

# Recurse down the directory tree, calling the 'wanted'
# function whenever something is found.
find(\&wanted, 'c:\ord\ixx\data\log');

sub wanted {
    # Select the files required
    unless (-d) {
        if (/^[a-z]{4,}/i) {
            $Source = $File::Find::name;
            copy $File::Find::name, "c:/data/";
        }
    }
}

How about:

#!/bin/perl
$somevar = `copy C:\ORD\IXX\DATA\LOG\ABCD* C:\DATA\`;


Okay, okay.  Not really perl, but runs with the perl command ;)

dill

Oops, I don't go down the directory tree though.

dill

Sorry, included a useless line and no comments.
Use this:

use File::Find;
use File::Copy;

# Recurse down the directory tree, calling the 'wanted'
# function whenever something is found.
find(\&wanted, 'c:\ord\ixx\data\log');

sub wanted {
    # Select the files required
    unless (-d) {                   # Ignore directories
        if (/^[a-z]{4,}/i) {      # Check that file starts with 4 letters.
            copy $File::Find::name, "c:/data/";
        }
    }
}

rosieg - my code does not traverse into sub-directories. Only saw that in your question now. Sorry. PC_User321's suggestion should work for you.

If the script needs to create the directory c:\data
add       mkdir "c:/data/";
before the 'find' command.

PC_User321, thanks for you comments I've tested it but it's not working.  Just a thought, do you not need to open the file first in order to read the first four letters?  Could this be why it's not working?

Thanks, Rosie.

Thanks for your help everyone, PC_User321; I'll give it a try and let you know.

>> I'll give it a try and let you know.

How is it going?
Any more help required?

Rosie,

You said that jim's code gives you a bunch of errors.  I think the errors are because you need to double up the back slashe. i.e.  replace the first 2 lines with these:

$source_dir = "C:\\ORD\\IXX\\DATA\\LOG";
$dest_dir = "C:\\DATA\\";

The errors that you got were because when there is only 1 back slash befor the final " in the definition for $dest_dir, Perl thinks that you want to include the final " in your value for $dest_dir.  The double slashes should fix that.

Mayur