extract multiple files from multiple folders

[tadcan]

What bash command would search through a folder with multiple folders and extract *.ttf to a single folder?

[sohlinux]

from the current directory try the following but make a backup before you try it!

copy

find . -name "*.ttf" -exec cp "{}" /dir \;

move

find . -name "*.ttf" -exec mv "{}" /dir \;

[Dreamer Fithp Apprentice]

deleted by edit, because on rereading I realize I misunderstood the question. Please ignore this dumb post.

[tadcan]

Thanks. I remember reading that the copy command also pastes? Just need to find where they ended up....

[Vaphell]

.bash_history file stores commands you entered

grep 'find.*-exec' .bash_history

[papibe]

+1 for sohlinux's solution.

However, I would add a little cavet: since you'll be copying or moving from several directories, it is possible that two different files have the same file name. For instance:

$ ls -R
file.ttf
adir/file.ttf

Then when moved or copied to dir/, they will be overwritten (just the last one will survive). As a safe measure, you can use the -b option (either on cp or mv). That will create a copy of the file before overwritten it.

For example:

find . -name '*.ttf' -exec mv -b '{}' dir/ \;

Cavet's cavet: sadly this will only save the last two copies. If there's a 3rd, or more, file with the same filename, just the last two will survive.

Just s few thoughts.
Regards.

[tadcan]

I did a backup so duplicates won't be an issue. No duplicate files turned up. The grep command gave a no file found.

find . -name '*.ttf' -exec mv -b '{}' dir/ \;

returned (the last example)

mv: cannot move `./lora/Lora-BoldItalic.ttf' to `dir/': Not a directory

Which is odd because it worked the first time.
When I went to nautilus and put in /dir no dir was found. Should mkdr be used to create an output folder?

[papibe]

The target directory has to exist.

In sohlinux's example it was /dir Thats a directory under the root directory (/).

Sorry if I created confusion, but in my example I used a local directory just under the command is executed. To created that directory run:

mkdir dir

I hope that clarify things a little bit.
Regards.

[tadcan]

Thanks that worked.

find . -name '*.ttf' -exec mv -b '{}' /home/username/Documents/newfonts \;

Could someone explain all the parts of that command.

[Vaphell]

find <dir> -name <filenames-pattern>
-exec = for each found object perform the following:
mv -b {} destination_dir
{} is a placeholder for the name of the found object
-exec is ended with escaped \; or ';' so it knows where the inner command ends