COPY--Examples
The following command copies a file and ensures that an end-of-file
character is at the end of the copied file:
copy memo.doc letter.doc /a
To copy the NOTE.TXT file from the current drive and directory to the
directory MYNOTES, and to prevent MS-DOS from prompting you before
overwriting the destination file (if it already exists), type the following
command:
copy note.txt mynotes /y
To copy a file named ROBIN.TYP from the current drive and directory to an
existing directory named BIRDS that is located on drive C, type the
following command:
copy robin.typ c:\birds
If the BIRDS directory doesn't exist, MS-DOS copies the file ROBIN.TYP into
a file named BIRDS that is located in the root directory on the disk in
drive C.
To copy several files into one file, list any number of files as source
parameters on the COPY command line. Separate filenames with a plus sign (+)
and specify a filename for the resulting combined file, as the following
example shows:
copy mar89.rpt + apr89.rpt + may89.rpt report
This command combines the files named MAR89.RPT, APR89.RPT, and MAY89.RPT
from the current drive and directory and places them in a file named REPORT
in the current directory on the current drive. When files are combined, the
destination file is created with the current date and time. If you omit
destination, MS-DOS combines the files and stores them under the name of the
first specified file. For example, if a file named REPORT already exists,
you can use the following command to combine all four files in REPORT:
copy report + mar89.rpt + apr89.rpt + may89.rpt
You can also combine several files into one by using wildcards, as the
following example shows:
copy *.txt combin.doc
This command combines all files in the current directory on the current
drive that have the extension .TXT into one file named COMBIN.DOC, also in
the current directory on the current drive.
If you want to combine several binary files into one by using wildcards,
include the /B switch, as the following example shows:
copy /b *.exe combin.exe
This prevents MS-DOS from treating CTRL+Z as an end-of-file character.
CAUTION: If you combine binary files, the resulting file might not be
usable due to internal formatting.
In the following example, COPY combines each file that has a .TXT extension
with its corresponding .REF file. The result is a file with the same
filename but with a .DOC extension. Thus, COPY combines FILE1.TXT with
FILE1.REF to form FILE1.DOC. Then COPY combines FILE2.TXT with FILE2.REF to
form FILE2.DOC, and so on.
copy *.txt + *.ref *.doc
The following COPY command combines first all files with the .TXT extension,
then all files with the .REF extension into one file named COMBIN.DOC:
copy *.txt + *.ref combin.doc
Copying information from the keyboard
The following COPY command copies what you type at the keyboard to the
OUTPUT.TXT file:
copy con output.txt
After you type this command and press ENTER, MS-DOS copies everything you
type to the file OUTPUT.TXT. When you are finished typing, press CTRL+Z to
indicate that you want to end the file. The CTRL+Z character will appear on
the screen as "Z". You can also end a COPY CON command by pressing the F6
key. When you press F6, it generates the CTRL+Z character, which appears on
the screen as Z.
The following example copies information from the keyboard to the printer
connected to LPT1:
copy con lpt1
@rem: create test files:
@echo test 2j> c:\2j.txt
@echo test 4j> c:\4j.txt
@goto batch
Christoph Basedau wrote:
Is it a general feature/bug* that within for-loops the append-redirecting
doesnt work:
SNIP...
for %%t in (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9) do if exist %%tj.txt type %%tj.txt >>join.txt
Notes about your syntax:
Whatever the file exist or not, DOS always see the ASCII 62 characters ">>".
It is normal, that some special characters as redirection: "<", ">" and "|",
always is seen by DOS. The method to disable such a character is to use GOTO
commands or to prefix those with double colons "::". Even the REM command is
ignored. Thereby, "IF EXIST f DEL f", is sometimes substituted with "REM>f".
:BATCH
@echo off %[-- the "" below: 27 = ASCII(Escape) --]%
choice /n/c:123'''''' 1. doesn't work, 2 or 3. works:
for %%v in (1 2 3 EOF: ) do if errorlevel %%v goto %%v
:1 doesn't work:
if exist \join del \join
for %%t in (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9) do if exist \%%tj.txt type\%%tj.txt>>\join
rem. works: for %%t in (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9) do type\%%tj.txt>>\join
goto END
:2 same as above, except it works:
rem >c:\join.txt
for %%t in (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9) do if exist c:\%%tj.txt copy c:\join.txt +
c:\%%tj.txt c:\join.txt
goto END
:3 suppress output to the screen and do not add an EOF character:
ctty nul
rem >c:\join.txt
copy c:\join.txt+c:\?j.txt /B c:\join.txt
ctty con
:END
if exist c:\?j.txt erase c:\?j.txt
for %%v in (echo pause cls) do %%v.
:: The COPY command uses the default switch /A on any text files.
:: The /B switch avoiding an EOF character: ^Z, (ASCII value 26).
:: Note: "if errorlevel 10" is the same as: "if errorlevel EOF:".
:: This very special syntax, is something I discovered last
:: year. It's an errorlevel checking feature, I like to use
:: in my programs. This feature has from DOS 2.0 and above,
:: always been available.
:: Benny Pedersen,
:: PS.: If you want a briefer answer? Use
:: @rem erase any content> \join.txt
:: @copy \join.txt+\?j.txt \join.txt
:: @if exist \?j.txt erase/p \?j.txt
:EOF
Copy *.HTM but not *.HTML
A batch example for Win98:
@% Hide *.HTML files: % attrib +h *.html
@% Create a folder X: % xcopy nul X\>nul
@% Copy *.HTM into X: % copy /-y *.htm X
@% Unhide HTML files: % attrib -h *.html
Links:
Copying a file from drive A to A.
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