[SOLVED] how to use find with exec to copy files into another location?

BW-userx · 10-08-2016, 02:34 PM

I got this far

Code:

[userx@Voided NTFS750]$ find /media/userxtra/userx/ -type f -iname "MyFIle*.mp4" -exec cp -v {}

but I am not sure how to write the source destination and leave it the same name

normally it is just

Code:

cp -v /home/user/someDirectory/"H*.mp4" /destination/

[userx@Voided NTFS750]$ find /media/userxtra/userx/ -type f -iname "MyFIle*.mp4" -exec cp -v {}
find: missing argument to `-exec'
[/code]

Code:

[userx@Voided NTFS750]$ find /media/userxtra/userx/ -type f -iname "MyFIle*.mp4" -exec cp -v {} \
>

Code:

[userx@Voided NTFS750]$ find /media/userxtra/userx/ -type f -iname "MyFIle*.mp4" -exec cp -v {} /run/media/userx/NTFS750/+
find: missing argument to `-exec'

timl · 10-08-2016, 03:43 PM

Have you tried:

Quote:

find /media/userxtra/userx/ -type f -iname "MyFIle*.mp4" -exec cp -v {} /run/media/userx/NTFS750/ \;

I tried something similar and it worked on my system

Quote:

[tim@comedian ~]$ find /mnt/doco/Docs/Resume -maxdepth 1 -type f -mtime -1 -exec cp {} /mnt/doco/Docs/Resume/oldy/
find: missing argument to `-exec'
[tim@comedian ~]$ find /mnt/doco/Docs/Resume -maxdepth 1 -type f -mtime -1 -exec cp {} /mnt/doco/Docs/Resume/oldy/ \
> ^C
[tim@comedian ~]$ find /mnt/doco/Docs/Resume -maxdepth 1 -type f -mtime -1 -exec cp {} /mnt/doco/Docs/Resume/oldy/ \;
[tim@comedian ~]$

HTH

goumba · 10-08-2016, 03:48 PM

When you use exec, you must end with either \; or \+. This is the missing argument find was complaining about above.

\; will run the specified command for each result of find.
\+ ("append") will run the specified command once, placing all results into one command line argument, which can run into command line length restrictions. If you think you may be dealing with long file names, use the former.

To demonstrate the above,

Code:

anthony@miranda:~/tmp$ cat > showme.sh << exit
#!/usr/bin/env bash

echo "arguments: x   \${@}   x"
exit
anthony@miranda:~/tmp$ touch {0..9}.file
anthony@miranda:~/tmp$ find -type f -print
./1.file
./6.file
./5.file
./4.file
./7.file
./8.file
./3.file
./9.file
./2.file
./0.file
anthony@miranda:~/tmp$ find -type f -exec ./showme.sh "{}" \;
arguments: x   ./1.file   x
arguments: x   ./6.file   x
arguments: x   ./5.file   x
arguments: x   ./4.file   x
arguments: x   ./7.file   x
arguments: x   ./8.file   x
arguments: x   ./3.file   x
arguments: x   ./9.file   x
arguments: x   ./2.file   x
arguments: x   ./0.file   x
anthony@miranda:~/tmp$ find -type f -exec ./showme.sh "{}" \+
arguments: x   ./1.file ./6.file ./5.file ./4.file ./7.file ./8.file ./3.file ./9.file ./2.file ./0.file   x

So, your command should be:

Code:

find /media/userxtra/userx/ -type f -iname "MyFIle*.mp4" -exec cp -v {} \;

BW-userx · 10-08-2016, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timl

Have you tried:

I tried something similar and it worked on my system

HTH

I 'll try that i think i did, but too I was already cd into the destination dive in term
plus the word similar indicates what? just different file types or command?

BW-userx · 10-08-2016, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goumba

When you use exec, you must end with either \; or \+. This is the missing argument find was complaining about above.

\; will run the specified command for each result of find.
\+ will run the specified command once, which can run into command line length restrictions. If you think you may be dealing with long file names, use the former.

To demonstrate the above,

Code:

anthony@miranda:~/tmp$ touch {0..9}.file
anthony@miranda:~/tmp$ find -type f -print
./1.file
./6.file
./5.file
./4.file
./7.file
./8.file
./3.file
./9.file
./2.file
./0.file
anthony@miranda:~/tmp$ find -type f -exec echo "{}" \;
./1.file
./6.file
./5.file
./4.file
./7.file
./8.file
./3.file
./9.file
./2.file
./0.file
anthony@miranda:~/tmp$ find -type f -exec echo "{}" \+
./1.file ./6.file ./5.file ./4.file ./7.file ./8.file ./3.file ./9.file ./2.file ./0.file

So, your command should be:

Code:

find /media/userxtra/userx/ -type f -iname "MyFIle*.mp4" -exec cp -v {} \;

the escape and end semi-colon i'll try that too.

BW-userx · 10-08-2016, 04:00 PM

@timl @goumba thanks it was the

Code:

\;

that was missing for the most part, minus actual destination if I wasn't already there in term .. thanks

nope I just ran it again without the destination and it complained had to put it back in even though I was already there.

goumba · 10-08-2016, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BW-userx

@timl @goumba thanks it was the

Code:

\;

that was missing for the most part, minus actual destination if I wasn't already there in term .. thanks

nope I just ran it again without the destination and it complained had to put it back in even though I was already there.

cp always wants the destination, this isn't MS-DOS/Windows. If you're already in the directory, you use . (a single dot).

BW-userx · 10-08-2016, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goumba

cp always wants the destination, this isn't MS-DOS/Windows. If you're already in the directory, you use . (a single dot).

I must be getting altimers but I can't remember

LinuxIsCool2use · 10-08-2016, 07:33 PM

@ OP

I use this '{}' '+' when using find. The '{}' can handle filenames with spaces and/or other odd characters in the filenames.

Code:

find  <source-path> -type f -iname <pattern to match> cp -v -t <destination-path> '{}' '+'

-t target directory and -v is verbose

Also, this works as well

Code:

find  <source-path> -type f -iname <pattern to match> -print0 | xargs -0 cp -v -t <destination-path>

The -print0 will handle spaces and odd characters in filenames.