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Number   :  170
Date     :  2001-06-11
Author   :  Kan Yabumoto
Subject  :  Re: Multiple Destinations?
Size(KB) :  3


Here's the short answer:

When you start contemplating to perform file management
operations over multiple directories for either the source or
the destination using XXCOPY, it is really time for you to
crate a batch file script. Since there is no limit on the number
of lines in a batch file, this technique is limitless in the
number of the directories you specify as well as the variation
you want to specify from one line to another.

By the way, XXTB#19 (http://www.xxcopy.com/xxcopy/xxcopy19.htm)
explains the switches useful in batch files.

--------------
Here's Kan's babbling of the day...

With XXCOPY, you can do a lot with one invocation. With the ever
increasing number of the command switches, the "perceived
difficulty" of using XXCOPY is probably increasing.

But, if we remind ourselves that XXCOPY is an extension of
Microsoft's XCOPY, the many switches that XXCOPY offers should
not intimidate that much.

One thing the designer of XXCOPY at Pixelab did not do was to
change the basic XXCOPY operation:

one-directory-source --> one-directory-destination

Certainly, we are *NOT* prepared to make it

multiple-directory-source --> multiple-directory-destination

In the case of multiple-destination as Jason inquires about, it
is not as bad as a multiple-source case which would be a total
disaster no matter what.

Probably, Jason's motivation is quite sound. That once you
figure out the basic copying operation (from src --> dst),
then, it is quite economical to extend this to

src --> dst2
src --> dst3
src --> dstn

In theory, this is true. But, in reality, there are just too
many XXCOPY operations which select the files by the
commonality of the source/destination situations (See the various
backup operations (the switches that starts with B like /BI)).

The multiple-destination operations would force other useful
switches to be discarded as exceptions which in turn cause
too much confusion that we do not want to deal with.

But, let me add one area which we might consider:

one-directory-source + one-directory-reference --> one-dst

This is where you make various comparison between a pair
of directories (SRC-DIR and REF-DIR) just like the way XXCOPY
now handles between the src and dst. Instead of copying the
files in the 1st directory to the 2nd, the operation will take
place to the third directory (DST-DIR).

A few users have suggested about this three-way operation.
This is useful and with a proper set of documentations and rules.
And it should be manageable. We can think of a number of
useful 3-way operations:
1. save the deleted files (by /Z) into a third directory
(just as how the RecycleBin works),
2. or to move the files to a third directory before they
are overwritten.
3. Or, simply compare the two and copy the selected files
to the third directory.

(I hope this would not open a can of worm...)

==============

Please remember, much of the difficulties in XXCOPY design is
not the programming any more. It is how to keep it manageable
for the users and to keep the documentation understandable.

No feature is useful unless the user knows exactly what the
program behavior will be and how to specify the command.
We are already at a point where every new switch would be
a burden to new users who need to learn the whole thing from
scratch.

And, don't forget experienced users are all aging as well...

Kan Yabumoto

=============================================================

At 2001-06-11 14:00, kellartime wrote:
>Hello,
>
>This is probably something quite simple, but after looking at Tech
>Bulletin #1, #11 & #19 have yet to find a simple answer.
>
>Q) I would like to copy a particular directory, including all of its
>contents onto 5 other NT systems. Is there a special character used
>to separate out destination paths?
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Jason



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