# Move Files
### Description
The `Move files` action moves a number of files and/or folders to alternate locations on your file system.
This also works on remote file systems via [VFS](/data-shaper-1.21/knowing-the-data-shaper-designer/apache-hop-virtual-file-system.md), e.g. with FTP.
Example for a move (rename) of a file on a FTP server (username/password must be given for source and destination).
* File source: ftp\://username:password\@ftpserver/dir/testfile\_partly.txt
* File destination: ftp\://username:password\@ftpserver/dir/testfile.txt
* Check "Destination is a file" in the "Destination File" tab.
### Options
#### General Tab
| Option | Description |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Action name | The name of the workflow action. |
| Settings | |
| Include Subfolders | Also move the content of sub-folders |
| Move empty folders | Also move empty folders |
| Simulate | Don’t actually move anything, just see if it’s possible at all. |
| Copy previous results to args | Use the result files from the previous workflow action (actions) as files and/or folders to move. |
| Files / Folders | You can specify the list of files or folders with destinations and wildcards in this grid. |
After specifying a folder and wildcard (regular expression), use the `Add` button to add your file/folder selection to the table. Use the `Delete` or `Edit` buttons to remove or edit selected lines in the table.
#### Destination File Tab
In this tab you can specify the destination of the files and/or folders and their new filenames.
| Option | Description |
| ------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Destination file | |
| Create destination folder | Use this option to create the destination folder |
| Destination is a file | Check this option if you want to move files |
| Do not keep folder structure | flatten the sub-folder structure if any sub-folders are used |
| Add date to destination filename | Add a date to the destination filename (yyyyMMdd or 20091231) |
| Add time to destination filename | Add a time to the destination filename (HHmmss or 235959) |
| Specify date time format | Allows you to specify your own date-time format. The default is yyyyMMdd'\_'HHmmss |
| Add date before extension | Add the data part before the file extension. |
| If destination file exists | Select one of these options:
- Do nothing
- Overwrite destination file
- Create file with unique name
- Delete source file
- Move source file to folder : use the lower part of the dialog (next option in this grid)
- Fail
|
| Move to folder | |
| Destination folder | The target folder to move to |
| Create folder | |
| Add date | |
| Add time | |
| Specify format | Allows you to specify your own date-time format. The default is yyyyMMdd'\_'HHmmss |
| If file exists in destination folder | Select one of these options:
- Do nothing
- Overwrite file
- Unique name
- Fail
|
#### Advanced Tab
| Option | Description |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Success on | |
| Success condition | Select one of these option:
- Success when all works fine (default)
- Success when at least x files moved (specify x in the limit field below)
- Success when number of errors lesser than (specify the max number of errors in the limit field below)
|
| Nr errors lesser than | The number of files moved or the number of errors, depending on the success option above |
| Result files name | Add files to result files name |
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