Re: Help with command - cp

[Mathias Bauer <mbauer@gmx.org>]

* Mr Smiley wrote on 2014-01-26 at 20:56 (+0000):

> > cp -Rp /path/to/sourcedir/A/* /path/to/destinationdir/B
>
> If you don't put a / after B it will copy all files to a file
> called B

No, obviously not.

    $ mkdir src
    $ echo foo > src/file1
    $ echo bar > src/file2
    $ echo baz > src/.hidden1
    $ [ -e ./target ] || echo "./target not found!"
    ./target not found!
    $ cp -Rp ./src/* ./target
    cp: target `./target' is not a directory
    $ cp -Rp ./src/* ./target/
    cp: target `./target/' is not a directory
    $ [ -e ./target ] || echo "./target not found!"
    ./target not found!

> So your above
> cp -Rp /path/to/sourcedir/A/* /path/to/destinationdir/B
> Should be
> cp -Rp /path/to/sourcedir/A/* /path/to/destinationdir/B/

If the target directory *exists* the trailing slash will *not* be
necessary:

    $ mkdir target1 target2
    $ cp -Rp ./src/* ./target1
    $ cp -Rp ./src/* ./target2/

Both directories are identical.  There will be no *file* B!

> Also when using rsync, i use the following
>
> rsync -vrthiP --progress --stats  source/ destination/
>
> This also checks for and only updates changed files on any
> subsequent rsync from A to B
>
> Don't forget the / at the end, even rsync will copy everything to a
> file rather than the wanted directory if you miss of the /

That's not correct.  In contrast to the slash trailing the
*source*, the final slash trailing the *target* is completely
irrelevant.  See my other mail.

Regards,
Mathias