Batch create folders based on part of file name and move files into that folder

by 
@ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL
SET "sourcedir=c:\sourcedir"
PUSHD %sourcedir%
FOR /f "tokens=1*" %%a IN (
 'dir /b /a-d "*_*_*-*-* *.*"'
 ) DO (  
 ECHO MD %%a
 ECHO MOVE "%%a %%b" .\%%a\
)
POPD
GOTO :EOF

This should accomplish the required task – or at least show the required instructions.

If you are satisfied with the commands issued, set sourcedir to your required root directory and remove the two echo keywords to activate.

The “directory already exists” message generated by the MD on attempting to re-create an existing directory may be suppresed by appending 2>nul to the MD line.

Similarly, the report that one file has been moved may be suppresed by appending >nul to the MOVE line.

2>nul suppresses error messages (trying to create an existing directory is an error) whereas the ‘files moved’ message is an ordinary output message, hence the difference.

Addendum – how it works.

First, the PUSHD sets the current directory to the target.
The DIR command output is tokenised by the FOR/F. The tokens=1* clause instructs that the first token (1) is assigned to the nominated metavariable (%%a) and implicitly the second token (*) to %%b – simply the next alphabetically. Token * means everything after those token numbers explicitly mentioned. No delims clause is used, so the default delimiters (the set of SEPARATORS, SPACE , ; TAB are used.

The DIR is targeted on a mask of *_*_*-* *.*, so only files matching that mask – where * means any number of any characters – will be located. Because the mask is "quoted" the spaces is included in the mask. Without the quotes, two separate masks would be specified. The /b option produces a list in basic form, that is, names only, no headers or summary. The /a-d option suppresses any directory names that may have fitted the mask.

Hence, for LAST_FIRST_7-24-1936 Diagnostic - Topography 11-18-10_1.pdf, the dir lists LAST_FIRST_7-24-1936 Diagnostic - Topography 11-18-10_1.pdf and FOR/F tokenises as LAST_FIRST_7-24-1936 to %%a and Diagnostic - Topography 11-18-10_1.pdf to %%b using the SPACE as a delimiter.

The filename can then be reconstructed by re-inserting the space between %%a and %%b. Any filename containing a separator needs to be quoted to group the characters and signal that they are not separated elements. The target of the move is terminated with \ to specify “This is a directory name.”

The POPD restores the original logged directory.

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