Copying files using Powershell > problems with destination directory

One thing I forgot to mention:  all the files in g:\test are directories  . What difference, if any , does this make?

It works the 1st time and then it's not allowing you to copy because the folders are already there.


$sourcefolder = "D:\test"
$destinationfolder = "\\CHIAPASV5\nf"
$maxitems = 2
Get-Childitem -Path $sourcefolder -Recurse | Select-Object -First $maxitems  | Copy-Item -Destination $destinationFolder
So what's the point to copy all from Source to Destination?

IF so I'd recommend you to use my robocopy like script
https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Copy-Files-from-folderA-to-29710ef9

Copy-Item does only copy files, no folders. It expects the target folders to exist already.

Since it has been mentioned: why not use RoboCopy?

robocopy g:\test \\Computer100\MovieX /s /r:1 /w:1

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which will copy only if changed or not yet copied over, and hence can be stopped and restarted at any time.

Hello Jose Gabriel Ortega Castro:  
So the script below will copy folders?
Get-Childitem -Path $sourcefolder -Recurse | Select-Object -First $maxitems  | Copy-Item -Destination $destinationFolder

I am a  novice at using Powershell.  The Powershell book I have says Copy-item will only copy the contents of one folder to another folder
So, to copy a folder from one drive to another I have to use Move-item?

Hello Qlemo:  I have many files to copy.  If I try to copy them all it would take many hours.  For various reasons I need to copy a limited number of directories and files copied at  any one time.  What argument can I use to tell Robocopy to copy X number of files and then stop?

Thank you for providing a robocopy script.  If robocopy is copying files and folders and I need to stop it, what is the best way to  stop it?  If I stop robocopy while it is copying a file, how to make sure robocopy does not leave a partially copied file at the destination folder?

Do I just  terminate the robocopy process or is there a better way to stop robocopy?

What is the target of copying only a few files selected arbitrarily? RoboCopy can'T do that.

You need to kill robocopy (e.g. with Ctrl-C) to stop it. It will not leave fragments of files, unless the connection to the destination is interrupted somehow.

In regard of Copy-Item versus Move-Item: They both act on files (as said), not folders. The difference is that Move-Item removes the source.

Hello Qlemo:  
Please tell me what Powershell command will copy folders.

If the C drive contains a folder called c:\stuff   and c:\stuff contains files and folders, what Powershell command will copy all the files and folders in c:\stuff to c:\newfilelocation?

Thank you.

There is no PS cmdlet copying folders. That is one reason why Jose created a robocopy-like script.

Sorry, but I have to intervene here:

---

PowerShell can of course copy directories, since at least version 2.0

---

See below for a sample run.

Anyway, I can reproduce that exact error when either the remote computer or the share does not exist. In other words: your destination is incorrect.
Check the target computer name and the share you want to use, and correct it.
This includes the necessary changes to copy directories including their contents:

$sourcefolder = "g:\test"
$destinationfolder = "\\Computer100\MovieX"
$maxitems = 2
Get-Childitem -Path $sourcefolder -Directory |
	Select-Object -First $maxitems |
	Copy-Item -Destination $destinationFolder -Recurse -Verbose

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Now to PowerShell and its ability to copy directories: Yes, PowerShell can copy directories. Would be pretty embarrassing if it couldn't.
The -Recurse argument must be used, otherwise PS will do exactly what it's been told: copy the folder only, without content.

PS C:\> "$($PSVersionTable.PSVersion)"
2.0
PS C:\> gci C:\Temp\Source -Recurse | select -expa FullName
C:\Temp\Source\Sub
C:\Temp\Source\Sub\File.txt
PS C:\> gci C:\Temp\Target -Recurse | select -expa FullName
gci : Cannot find path 'C:\Temp\Target' because it does not exist.
At line:1 char:4
+ gci <<<<  C:\Temp\Target -Recurse | select -expa FullName
    + CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (C:\Temp\Target:String) [Get-ChildItem], ItemNotFoundException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : PathNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetChildItemCommand

PS C:\> Copy-Item C:\Temp\Source -Destination C:\Temp\Target -Recurse -Verbose
VERBOSE: Performing operation "Copy Directory" on Target "Item: C:\Temp\Source Destination: C:\Temp\Target".
VERBOSE: Performing operation "Create Directory" on Target "Destination: C:\Temp\Target".
VERBOSE: Performing operation "Copy Directory" on Target "Item: C:\Temp\Source\Sub Destination: C:\Temp\Target\Sub".
VERBOSE: Performing operation "Create Directory" on Target "Destination: C:\Temp\Target\Sub".
VERBOSE: Performing operation "Copy File" on Target "Item: C:\Temp\Source\Sub\File.txt Destination: C:\Temp\Target\Sub\File.txt".
PS C:\> gci C:\Temp\Target -Recurse | select -expa FullName
C:\Temp\Target\Sub
C:\Temp\Target\Sub\File.txt
PS C:\>

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I stand corrected. Sometimes you are convinced by "alternative facts", but should know better ... To patch things up:

So it is possible to copy folders and complete trees. Back to your request, we can trick PS to do what you want:

$sourcefolder = "g:\test"
$destinationfolder = "\\Computer100\MovieX"
$maxitems = 2
Copy-Item -Recurse -PassThru $sourcefolder -Destination $destinationfolder -Verbose | Select-Object -First $maxitems | Out-Null

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That will create/copy folders/files until the given limit is reached. For folders that is it creates exactly two non-existent folders of the tree, if there are no files to copy up to then.

Assuming you are more after always copying two files, we need to be smarter:

$files = 0
Copy-Item -Recurse -PassThru $sourcefolder -Destination $destinationfolder -Verbose |
  ? { !$_.PsIsContainer } |
  % { if (++$files -ge $maxitems) { break } } |
  Out-Null

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Both work because each object (file or folder) is passed thru the pipeline one by one, so a command stopping further processing of the pipeline stops the whole copy process. 

Hello OBda:  Thank you for the information.  I will work on this as soon as possible.

Thank you both oBdA and Qlemo for your help.  The script is working!!   More questions:
 I changed my script to the following:
$sourcefolder = "g:\test\*"
$destinationfolder = "\\Computer100\MovieX"
$maxitems = 2
Copy-Item -Recurse -PassThru $sourcefolder -Destination $destinationfolder -Verbose | Select-Object -First $maxitems | Out-Null

Using "g:\test\*"    prevents the g:\test folder from copying and only the contents of g:\test now get copied.
======================= Question 1 ===============
The code from oBda

Get-Childitem -Path $sourcefolder -Directory |
   Select-Object -First $maxitems |
   Copy-Item -Destination $destinationFolder -Recurse -Verbose

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puts Get-Childitem at the front of the code above.  In the Copy-item the -Recurse is near the rear of the code.

The code from Qlemo :

Copy-Item -Recurse -PassThru $sourcefolder -Destination $destinationfolder -Verbose | Select-Object -First $maxitems | Out-Null

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does not use Get-Childitem at all.  It puts -Recurse near the start of the code snippet.
What is the determining factor as to where to put the -Recurse parameter?
==================== Question 2 ====================
The code:
Select-Object -First $maxitems
is not working .  All the folders in g:\test are copied to the destination.  What code must I use to limit copying   $maxitems files / folders?

 ===================== Question 3 ======================
The following code displays a directory and the 2 subdirectories:
Get-Childitem -Recurse $sourcefolder | Select-Object -First $maxitems -Verbose

I erased the destination directory and tried this code:

Get-Childitem -Recurse $sourcefolder -Verbose | ForEach-Object {Select-Object -First $maxitems | Copy-Item $destinationfolder}

It does not copy anything.  What must be changed in the code above to copy $maxitems  ?

Thanks to you all for your help.

My Script works on Files and Folders, they create the structure and also preserve the files.

If you read the explanation in here:
https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Copy-Files-from-folderA-to-29710ef9 
There are examples. so please let me know what else would you need to do so?
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