move/copy files, renaming them if necessary to avoid overwrites
This is a simple shell script which allows you to copy/move files without worrying about overwrites. This is handy in situations where mv -i or cp -i are impractical (e.g. cron jobs, large number of files).
So, for example:
$ ls
the_first_file the_second_file
$ mv2 the_first_file the_second_file
$ ls
the_second_file the_second_file_2
$
An incrementing number is automagically added to the filename to prevent overwrites.
If called as cp2 it behaves just as you'd expect:
$ ls
the_first_file the_second_file
$ cp2 the_first_file the_second_file
$ ls
the_first_file the_second_file the_second_file_2
$
And it doesn't mess up your file extensions:
$ ls
the_first_file.jpg the_second_file.jpg
$ mv2 the_first_file.jpg the_second_file.jpg
$ ls
the_second_file_2.jpg the_second_file.jpg
$
$ ls
the_first_file.jpg the_second_file.jpg
$ cp2 the_first_file.jpg the_second_file.jpg
$ ls
the_first_file.jpg the_second_file_2.jpg the_second_file.jpg
$
The script uses the real mv and cp underneath. Any arguments specified at the start of the command line that begin with - are passed directly to mv/cp without modification:
$ mv2 -v the_first_file.jpg the_second_file.jpg
'the_first_file.jpg' -> './the_second_file_2.jpg'
$
NOTE that the mv --target or mv -t <dir> argument is not supported by mv2
Currently installation is entirely manual. To install, simply download mv2 and place in your PATH. To use the script to copy, symlink mv2 to cp2, and the script will handle the rest.
Tested on bash 4.3.46, but should work on earlier versions. Pull requests with patches to support older versions welcome!