How to simplify automation: using environment variables

Copy files (rt*) to new destination:
 1. export OLD_DIRDAT=/media/patch/dirdat
 2. export NEW_DIRDAT=/media/swrepo/dirdat
 3. export TRAIL_PREFIX=rt*
 5. ls -l $NEW_DIRDAT
 6. ls $OLD_DIRDAT/$TRAIL_PREFIX | head -5
 7. ls $OLD_DIRDAT/$TRAIL_PREFIX | tail -5
 8. cp -fv $(ls $OLD_DIRDAT/$TRAIL_PREFIX | tail -5) $NEW_DIRDAT
 9. ls -l $NEW_DIRDAT/*
 
 Copy files (jk*) to new destination:
 export TRAIL_PREFIX=jk*
 Repeat steps 5-9
 

[vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ export OLD_DIRDAT=/media/patch/dirdat
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ export NEW_DIRDAT=/media/swrepo/dirdat
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ export TRAIL_PREFIX=rt*
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ ls -l $NEW_DIRDAT
 total 0
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ ls $OLD_DIRDAT/$TRAIL_PREFIX | head -5
 /media/patch/dirdat/rt01
 /media/patch/dirdat/rt02
 /media/patch/dirdat/rt03
 /media/patch/dirdat/rt04
 /media/patch/dirdat/rt05
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ ls $OLD_DIRDAT/$TRAIL_PREFIX | tail -5
 /media/patch/dirdat/rt06
 /media/patch/dirdat/rt07
 /media/patch/dirdat/rt08
 /media/patch/dirdat/rt09
 /media/patch/dirdat/rt10
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ cp -fv $(ls $OLD_DIRDAT/$TRAIL_PREFIX | tail -5) $NEW_DIRDAT
 ‘/media/patch/dirdat/rt06’ -> ‘/media/swrepo/dirdat/rt06’
 ‘/media/patch/dirdat/rt07’ -> ‘/media/swrepo/dirdat/rt07’
 ‘/media/patch/dirdat/rt08’ -> ‘/media/swrepo/dirdat/rt08’
 ‘/media/patch/dirdat/rt09’ -> ‘/media/swrepo/dirdat/rt09’
 ‘/media/patch/dirdat/rt10’ -> ‘/media/swrepo/dirdat/rt10’
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ ls -l $NEW_DIRDAT/*
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 /media/swrepo/dirdat/rt06
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 /media/swrepo/dirdat/rt07
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 /media/swrepo/dirdat/rt08
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 /media/swrepo/dirdat/rt09
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 /media/swrepo/dirdat/rt10
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ export TRAIL_PREFIX=jk*
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ ls -l $NEW_DIRDAT
 total 0
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 rt06
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 rt07
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 rt08
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 rt09
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 rt10
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ ls $OLD_DIRDAT/$TRAIL_PREFIX | head -5
 /media/patch/dirdat/jk45454
 /media/patch/dirdat/jk45455
 /media/patch/dirdat/jk45456
 /media/patch/dirdat/jk45457
 /media/patch/dirdat/jk45458
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ ls $OLD_DIRDAT/$TRAIL_PREFIX | tail -5
 /media/patch/dirdat/jk45456
 /media/patch/dirdat/jk45457
 /media/patch/dirdat/jk45458
 /media/patch/dirdat/jk45459
 /media/patch/dirdat/jk45460
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ cp -fv $(ls $OLD_DIRDAT/$TRAIL_PREFIX | tail -5) $NEW_DIRDAT
 ‘/media/patch/dirdat/jk45456’ -> ‘/media/swrepo/dirdat/jk45456’
 ‘/media/patch/dirdat/jk45457’ -> ‘/media/swrepo/dirdat/jk45457’
 ‘/media/patch/dirdat/jk45458’ -> ‘/media/swrepo/dirdat/jk45458’
 ‘/media/patch/dirdat/jk45459’ -> ‘/media/swrepo/dirdat/jk45459’
 ‘/media/patch/dirdat/jk45460’ -> ‘/media/swrepo/dirdat/jk45460’
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$ ls -l $NEW_DIRDAT/*
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:59 /media/swrepo/dirdat/jk45456
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:59 /media/swrepo/dirdat/jk45457
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:59 /media/swrepo/dirdat/jk45458
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:59 /media/swrepo/dirdat/jk45459
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:59 /media/swrepo/dirdat/jk45460
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 /media/swrepo/dirdat/rt06
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 /media/swrepo/dirdat/rt07
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 /media/swrepo/dirdat/rt08
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 /media/swrepo/dirdat/rt09
 -rwxrwxrwx 1 vagrant vagrant 0 Feb 20 16:58 /media/swrepo/dirdat/rt10
 [vagrant@racnode-dc1-1 ~]$