FolderCopy

FolderCopy supports copying of selected folders and files in the context of the Explorer. It is a simple script application to complement the existing options. In contrast to these, the extent of any queries is reduced to a minimum. FolderCopy also allows to chose a destination folder.

FolderCopy is primarily intended for backing up data by copying folders to another (external) drive. It therefore serves a similar purpose as BAKCOPY, but with a different approach. While BAKCOPY carries out a prepared copying process in which the source folders are already defined, FolderCopy allows the spontaneous copying of any selected folders (and files).

Unlike BAKCOPY, which uses my script extension VTool for some functions and selection dialogs, FolderCopy does not require any additions and only uses existing system components. A target folder is selected using a shell function. Either a console program or a shell method is used for the copying process. This is where the two script versions FolderCopy.vbs and FolderCopyX.vbs differ. The scripts also do without external configuration data (e.g. ini files). Any adjustments would therefore have to be made in the script itself, but are generally not necessary.

FolderCopy.vbs

This script uses a shell method for copying (Folder.CopyHere). This eliminates the need to call a copy program and compose its command line. However, the copy always includes all selected folders and files, so it cannot be limited to updates. The actual copying process should be the same as that used by Explorer. The CopyHere method, however, has a few options to avoid or limit the GUI and queries, which the script makes use of.

FolderCopyX.vbs

The copying process is derived from BAKCOPY here, but is greatly simplified. The script defines a program call with parameters to copy modified data, i.e. only those folders and files that are new or changed compared to the target folder. The actual scope of copying is thus limited and the process shortened accordingly.
This was the actual reason for creating this version, which uses the Windows console program Robocopy (and has to deal with its inability to copy folders as a whole). Moreover, it allows to mirror folder structures.

Start

Both script versions have in common that they receive the names of the source folders and files as parameters, i.e. from outside. These can be specified when calling up, which should be full path names. The anticipated method, however, is a selection in Explorer. This can be transferred to FolderCopy using the mouse (drag and drop), but it is better to create a shortcut in the SendTo folder so that a "Send to" option is permanently available in the context menu of the Explorer for the selected objects.
If you are familiar with editing the Windows Registry, you can also create a menu entry in this way. Both methods are described in an article.

As a subsequent addition, I wrote the FoldercopyXS.vbs script which works without the Explorer selection and therefore does not require any of these preparations. Instead of processing script parameters, this version offers a selection dialog for a single source folder. The script is based on FolderCopyX.vbs and uses the Robocopy program in the same way.

Terms Of Use

FolderCopy is provided as freeware and "as is" without any warranty or liability.
Although the FolderCopy scripts have been tried and tested in practice, neither their suitability nor safe use can be guaranteed for legal reasons. Please note that any usage is at your own risk!

Download

The file   foldercopy.zip contains the three script files which you can extract to a folder of your choice.
It also contains an alternative script variant (FolderCopyX2.vbs) and its explanation (FolderCopyX2.txt).