Ubuntu – How to copy one file to multiple filenames

Copying files from a source- into a target directory, adding the containg folder's name to the file

The script below will copy files recursively from a source directory into a flat directory, adding the name of the (direct) superior directory to the file's name. The directory's name will be inserted before possible extension on the file, exacvtly like your example.

The script

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import os
import sys
import shutil

for root, dirs, files in os.walk(sys.argv[1]):
    for f in files:
        # split off the superior directory's name
        dirname = root.split("/")[-1]
        # define file+path, possible extension position
        src = os.path.join(root, f); spl = f.rfind(".")
        # defining new filename
        newname = f[:spl]+"_"+dirname + f[spl:] if spl != -1 else f+"_"+dirname
        # copy the file into the new directory
        shutil.copyfile(src, os.path.join(sys.argv[2], newname))

How to use

1. Copy the script intyo an empty file, save it as copyandrename.py

2. Run it with the source- and target directories as arguments:

   python3 /path/to/copyandrename.py <source_directory> <target_directory>
   

   My test command was e.g.

   python3 '/home/jacob/Bureaublad/pscript_4.py' '/home/jacob/Bureaublad/testmap' '/home/jacob/Bureaublad/target'
   

As always, please test on a sample first!

Use rsync instead of cp:

rsync -Rr ./Desktop/ ./Desktop/sub/

Let's test it out:

$ cd /tmp
$ mkdir -p Desktop/sub
$ touch Desktop/a-file
$ ls -F Desktop
a-file sub/
$ cp ./Desktop ./Desktop/sub
cp: cannot copy a directory, './Desktop', into itself, './Desktop/sub/Desktop'

However rsync will work fine:

$ rsync -Rr ./Desktop/ ./Desktop/sub/
$ ls -F Desktop/sub/
Desktop/