help needed to copy files and manage duplicate file errors

[jgsprenger]

Hello,
I'm trying to copy files to a folder structure based on DateTimeOriginal  (/%Y/%m/%d) while preserving the original filename, however, I know i have some duplicate filenames in some subfolders of the original folder.  I can't seem to get the command line working to have the duplicate file appear in the folder with the append a copy number.


exiftool -o %f%-c.%e "-directory<FileModifyDate" "-directory<CreateDate" "-directory<DateTimeOriginal" -d e:/temp/%Y/%m/%d -r .

Code Select Expand


Error: 'e:/temp/2001/07/07/DCP01595-1.JPG' already exists - ./DCP01595.JPG
Error: 'e:/temp/2001/07/07/DCP01596-1.JPG' already exists - ./DCP01596.JPG
Error: 'e:/temp/2001/07/07/DCP01597-1.JPG' already exists - ./DCP01597.JPG
Error: 'e:/temp/2001/07/07/DCP01603-1.JPG' already exists - ./DCP01603.JPG
   16 directories scanned
   64 directories created
    0 image files updated
  834 image files copied
   82 files weren't updated due to errors



I just get one copy of the file, with the -1 appended.??

[StarGeek]

Move your -o arguments into the date format string (doubling the percent signs), use Filename instead of Directory, and provide a dummy argument for the -o (outfile) option (see the first paragraph there).

So try something like this.  Test it first because I have not tested it.
exiftool -o . "-Filename<FileModifyDate" "-Filename<CreateDate" "-Filename<DateTimeOriginal" -d e:/temp/%Y/%m/%d/%%f%%-c.%%e -r .

[jgsprenger]

thanks for you comments...

I have tried that exact form of command line and end up with a single image file in a folder with the same name... so something is not quite right...?

[StarGeek]

Here's the output I get with the starting and ending directory structure.

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C:\>tree /f Y:\!temp\mmm
Folder PATH listing for volume DrivePool
Volume serial number is 00000029 3881:4F27
Y:\!TEMP\MMM
│   mmm.rar
│   
├───Source
│   │   Test-NoDate.jpg
│   │   
│   ├───01
│   │       Test-DateTimeOriginal.jpg
│   │       
│   └───02
│           Test-CreateDate.jpg
│           Test-DateTimeOriginal.jpg
│           
└───Target

C:\>exiftool -o . "-Filename<FileModifyDate" "-Filename<CreateDate" "-Filename<DateTimeOriginal" -d "Y:\!temp\mmm\Target/%Y/%m/%d/%%f%%-c.%%e" -r Y:\!temp\mmm\Source
    3 directories scanned
    3 directories created
    4 image files copied

C:\>tree /f Y:\!temp\mmm
Folder PATH listing for volume DrivePool
Volume serial number is 00000029 3881:4F27
Y:\!TEMP\MMM
│   mmm.rar
│   
├───Source
│   │   Test-NoDate.jpg
│   │   
│   ├───01
│   │       Test-DateTimeOriginal.jpg
│   │       
│   └───02
│           Test-CreateDate.jpg
│           Test-DateTimeOriginal.jpg
│           
└───Target
    ├───2010
    │   └───12
    │       └───12
    │               Test-DateTimeOriginal-1.jpg
    │               Test-DateTimeOriginal.jpg
    │               
    └───2020
        └───01
            ├───01
            │       Test-CreateDate.jpg
            │       
            └───29
                    Test-NoDate.jpg

The only way I found to get single images in a folder with the same name was to keep Directory instead of changing to Filename.

[jgsprenger]

dang, I see what I did wrong... thanks for sorting it out for me... i didnt realize that there was different effects from using -directory vs -filename

i thought you needed to use directory to generate the folders, i see now that filename will support folder creation too...

just starting to get the hang of difference in descriptions now...

thanks again!

[StarGeek]

i see now that filename will support folder creation too...

Yep, see third paragraph under Writing "FileName" and "Directory" tags.