COPY DOCUMENT

COPY DOCUMENT ( sourceName ; destinationName {; newName} {; *} )

Parameter	Type		Description
sourceName	Text	→	Pathname of file or folder to be copied
destinationName	Text	→	Name or pathname of copied file or folder
newName	Text	→	New name of copied file or folder
*	Operator	→	Override existing document if any

Description

The COPY DOCUMENT command copies the file or folder specified by sourceName to the location specified by destinationName and, optionally, renames it.

• Copying files
  In this case, the sourceName parameter can contain:
  • either a complete file pathname expressed with respect to the root of the volume,
  • or a pathname relative to the database folder.
    The destinationName parameter can contain several types of locations:
  • a complete file pathname expressed with respect to the root of the volume: the file is copied to this location
  • a file name or file pathname relative to the database folder: the file is copied into the database folder (the subfolders must already exist)
  • a complete folder pathname or a pathname relative to the database folder (destinationName must end with the folder separator for the platform): the file is copied into the designated folder. These folders must already exist on the disk; they are not created.
    An error is generated if there is already a document named destinationName unless you specify the optional * parameter which, in this case, instructs COPY DOCUMENT to delete and override the existing document in the destination location.
• Copying folders
  To indicate that you are designating a folder, the strings passed in sourceName and destinationName must end with a folder separator for the platform. For example, under Windows "C:\\Element\\" designates a folder and "C:\\Element" designates a file.
  To copy a folder, pass its complete pathname in sourceName. This folder must already exist on the disk. When a folder is set in the sourceName parameter, a folder must also be designated in the destinationName parameter. You must pass the complete folder pathname (where each element must already exist on the disk)
  If a folder with the same name as the one designated by the sourceName parameter already exists at the location set by the destinationName parameter and it is not empty, 4D checks its contents before copying the items. An error is generated when a file with the same name already exists, unless you have passed the optional * parameter which, in this case, indicates to the command to delete and replace the file in the destination location. .

Note that you can pass a file in the sourceName parameter and a folder in the destinationName parameter, in order to copy a file into a folder.

The optional newName parameter, when it is passed, renames the document copied to its destination location (file or folder). When it is passed in the context of copying a file, this parameter replaces the name (if any) passed in the destinationName parameter.

Example 1

The following example duplicates a document in its own folder:

 COPY DOCUMENT("C:\\FOLDER\\DocName";"C:\\FOLDER\\DocName2")

Example 2

The following example copies a document to the database folder (provided C:\\FOLDER is not the database folder):

 COPY DOCUMENT("C:\\FOLDER\\DocName";"DocName")

Example 3

The following example copies a document from one volume to another one:

 COPY DOCUMENT("C:\\FOLDER\\DocName";"F:\\Archives\\DocName.OLD")

Example 4

The following example duplicates a document in its own folder overriding an already existing copy:

 COPY DOCUMENT("C:\\FOLDER\\DocName";"C:\\FOLDER\\DocName2";*)

Example 5

Copying a file into a specific folder while keeping the same name:

 COPY DOCUMENT("C:\\Projects\\DocName";"C:\\Projects\\")

Example 6

Copying a file into a specific folder while keeping the same name and overriding the existing document:

 COPY DOCUMENT("C:\\Projects\\DocName";"C:\\Projects\\"; *)

Example 7

Copying a folder into another folder (both folders must already be present on the disk):

 COPY DOCUMENT("C:\\Projects\\";"C\\Archives\\2011\\")

Example 8

The following examples create different files and folders in the database folder (examples under Windows). In each case, the "folder2" folder must exist:

 COPY DOCUMENT("folder1\\name1";"folder2\\")
  //creates the "folder2/name1" file
 
 COPY DOCUMENT("folder1\\name1";"folder2\\" ; "new")
  //creates the "folder2/new" file
 
 COPY DOCUMENT("folder1\\name1";"folder2\\name2")
  //creates the "folder2/name2" file
 
 COPY DOCUMENT("folder1\\name1";"folder2\\name2";"new")
  //creates the "folder2/new" file (name2 is ignored)
 
 COPY DOCUMENT("folder1\\" ; "folder2\\")
  //creates the "folder2/folder1/" folder
 
 COPY DOCUMENT("folder1\\" ; "folder2\\" ; "new")
  //creates the "folder2/new/" folder

See also

MOVE DOCUMENT
System Documents