[PS] Bug? Move-Item on folder to non-existing folder is equivalent to rename

I have a folder New.Directory in C:\temp. If I do this:
Move-Item C:\temp\New.Directory c:\
it is then moved to C:\New.Directory with all items it contains.

If I then do this:
Move-Item -Path C:\New.Directory C:\temp\ImNotHere\
files contained in New.Directory are now in ImNotHere, and there is no
longer a New.Directory folder.

This looks like a bug to me, since the effect for non-existing and
pre-existing paths is radically different.

 

The behavior you saw is what I would have expected. There is nothing in the
command that tells move-item that the second arg is supposed to be a dir
instead of a new filename sans extension. I use move or mv to rename files
all the time.

 

I see your point, but it looks very idiosyncratic. Not only are the
behaviors distinctly different, but if you think about it on a conceptual
level, we are supposedly moving an _item_ - and in the second case we end up
"destroying" the item and sending its contents to a different item!

 

Alex,

I agree. I've tried it and see the same behaviour.

This looks like a bug to me.

Andrew Watt MVP

 

Keith,

What is happening is that the files in New.Directory are being moved
to a *folder* ImNotHere. At least that's what I see when I try it. The
existing folder (the one supposedly being moved) disappears.

The command says to *move* the folder named New.Directory. It doesn't
say to rename it. Or only move its contents.

I see the same behaviour as Alex describes without a period in the
folder name BTW.

Andrew Watt MVP

 

Want to bug it while you're in Connect today? I'm lazy, and your description
is more pithy. ))

 

How can I resist such flattery?

Done:
https://connect.microsoft.com/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?SiteID=99&FeedbackID=77396

I guess the least you can do is to vote for your own bug.

Andrew Watt MVP

 

Done.