> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://codegeninc-codegen-bot-sdk-docs-2-0.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Moving Symbols

Codegen provides fast, configurable and safe APIs for moving symbols (functions, classes, variables) between files while automatically handling imports and dependencies.

The key API is [Symbol.move\_to\_file(...)](/api-reference/core/Symbol#move-to-file).

## Basic Symbol Movement

Simply call [Symbol.move\_to\_file(...)](/api-reference/core/Symbol#move-to-file) to move a symbol to a new file.

```python
# Manipulation code:
file1 = codebase.get_file("file1.py")
file2 = codebase.get_file("file2.py")

helper_func = file1.get_symbol("helper")

# Ensure the destination file exists
if not file2.exists():
    file2 = codebase.create_file('file2.py')

# Move the symbol
helper_func.move_to_file(file2)
```

<Note>
  By default, this will move any dependencies, including imports, to the new
  file.
</Note>

## Moving Strategies

The [Symbol.move\_to\_file(...)](/api-reference/core/Symbol#move-to-file) method accepts a `strategy` parameter, which can be used to control how imports are updated.

Your options are:

* `"update_all_imports"`: Updates all import statements across the codebase (default)
* `"add_back_edge"`: Adds import and re-export in the original file

`"add_back_edge"` is useful when moving a symbol that is depended on by other symbols in the original file, and will result in smaller diffs.

<Warning>
  `"add_back_edge"` will result in circular dependencies if the symbol has
  non-import dependencies in it's original file.
</Warning>

## Moving Symbols in Bulk

Make sure to call [Codebase.commit(...)](/api-reference/core/Codebase#commit) *after* moving symbols in bulk for performant symbol movement.

```python
# Move all functions with a specific prefix
for file in codebase.files:
    for function in file.functions:
        if function.name.startswith("pylsp_"):
            function.move_to_file(
                shared_file,
                include_dependencies=True,
                strategy="update_all_imports"
            )

# Commit the changes once, at the end
codebase.commit()
```