Mass replace and copy by file extension

Problem

I just cloned a Rails project. There are a bunch of files with the .yml.sample extension under the config directory.

I’d like to copy all those files without the .sample prefix.

Solution

zsh functions to the rescue!

Add this to your .zshrc file:

autoload -U zmv

Then run:

zmv -C 'config/(*.yml).sample' 'config/$1'

By default, zmv will move files. -C puts it in copy mode.

For more info:

man zshcontrib
Written on March 22, 2016 by clemenspark