TOC-Move: Recursive Structure-Preserving Move Tool for Bash

TOC-Move is a lightweight Bash utility for selectively moving files and folders based on their names, while preserving directory structure. Unlike rsync, it performs true moves instead of copy-then-delete, making it ideal for situations where disk I/O should be minimized, drives are unstable or speed is of the essence.

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🚀 What It Does

• Recursively scans a source directory for files and folder structures, matching a given list of names or wildcard patterns.
• Moves only those matching files/folders to a destination, preserving the relative path structure.
• Skips anything already present in the destination.
• Supports dry-run mode with full logging before committing to changes.

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🔧 Why Use This Instead of rsync?

• rsync --remove-source-files copies and then deletes, which is inefficient and can strain disks.
• This tool performs direct mv operations only for files/folders that are missing in the destination.
• Designed for speed and minimal disk wear — especially useful for:
  • Drives showing early signs of failure
  • Working with large, sparse, or fragmented datasets
  • Keeping data in place on block-level optimized storage

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✅ Features

• ✅ Dry-run mode with logging
• ✅ Wildcard and exact filename matching
• ✅ Full relative path preservation
• ✅ Safe: will not overwrite existing files or folders
• ✅ Simple Bash, no dependencies

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❌ Limitations

• Does not compare file content, timestamps, or checksums — presence is determined by path only
• Only matches files/folders by basename (not full relative paths)
• Not a syncing or backup tool — it's purpose-built for one-way selective moving

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🧠 Use Cases

• You interrupted an rsync, and want to finish moving files without re-copying everything
• You’re working with fragile drives and want to avoid unnecessary writes
• You want to de-duplicate or consolidate folders quickly with zero overhead
• You need a manual, controlled move operation with safety checks

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📦 Usage

1. Edit the script config:

   SOURCE="/your/source/path" DEST="/your/destination/path" DRYRUN=true # Set to false when ready

2. List filenames/folders to match:

   MATCHES=('docker' 'notes.txt' 'backup_data') WILDCARDS=('log_' '.img')

📝 Example

SOURCE="/mnt/hdd"
DEST="/mnt/backup"
MATCHES=("docker" "appdata" "data.log")
WILDCARDS=("report_*" "*.bak")
DRYRUN=true  # Preview what would move