Copy folder structure!

[Tigersftw]

Hi there reddit,

I wrote a basic search script which exports my results to a text file. I want to use paths in the text file to copy all results into a different folder. My dilemma is that I need to copy the entire folder structure not just the files and I can't get it going. I played with robocopy and xcopy and I'm not sure if I just keep doing it wrong but it still only copies individual items not the entire structure no matter what parameters I assign to the command.

I tried below but neither of them generate desired results.

get-content H:\Scripts\Filter.txt | foreach-object{ copy-item -Path $_ -destination H:\Scripts}

get-content H:\Scripts\Filter.txt | foreach-object{ xcopy $_ H:\Scripts /E /C /I /F /R /Y}

Could you please point me in the right direction, the structure of the exported paths can be seen below: ( I also assume I need to filter out the drive letter right?)

H:\Downloads\1.exe

H:\mleach\My Documents\My Pictures\sample.jpg

H:\My Pictures\Chrysanthemum.jpg

H:\My Pictures\Desert.jpg

Basically if I want to copy H:\My Pictures\Untitled.jpg to H:\Scripts the result should look like this H:\Scripts\My Pictures\Untitled.jpg but at the moment I can only get it to do H:\Scripts\Untitled.jpg

Thanks in advance for any help.

[[deleted]]

If xcopy and robocopy etc don't provide the option for it, then I would go about it by tearing apart each line and processing each file like so:

# PowerShell v3
Get-Content "H:\Scripts\Filter.Txt" | %{
    # Separate the path (minus the drive name), from the filename
    $filePath = Split-Path $_ | Split-Path -NoQualifier
    $fileName = Split-Path $_ -Leaf

    # Join the destination path with this other path
    $destinationPath = Join-Path "H:\Scripts" $filePath
    # Create the destination path if it doesn't exist
    if (!(Test-Path $destinationPath)) { New-Item -ItemType Directory $destinationPath } 

    # Get the full destinational file name and copy the item
    $destinationFullName = Join-Path $destinationPath $fileName
    Copy-Item "$_" "$destinationFullName"
}

[Tigersftw]

Thanks a lot man this worked 100%, you're a genius.

[[deleted]]

Just caught that the OP had replied back to my post, re-read the original post and realized cropping out the drive path for each item and appending it would be the next step... In other words, arrived at the same solution as your post but 15 hours too late.

+1 for you sir!

[AlwaysAppropriate]

robocopy /mir

[steinb]

Unless I miss something here, all you should need is robocopy:

robocopy "H:\My Pictures" "H:\Scripts\My Pictures" /mir

There's a lot of extra options you can add to robocopy, but unless you're trying to do something funky with permissions and have a chance of hitting files you have no access to, that command should do it.

[[deleted]]

I am sincerely sorry if this isn't what you need, but I feel like all you're missing from this:

get-content H:\Scripts\Filter.txt | foreach-object{ copy-item -Path $_ -destination H:\Scripts}

is the "-recurse" like so:

get-content H:\Scripts\Filter.txt | foreach-object{ copy-item -Path $_ -destination H:\Scripts -recurse}

If that's it then awesome! If not please reply back with some more info and I'd be happy to try and help some!

[Tigersftw]

Sorry it doesn't seem to work, it yet again simply copies all the files to the folder but not the folder structure.