MAN page from Mandriva 2008 coreutils-doc-6.9-5mdv2008.0.i586.rpm
CP
Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: September 2007
Index NAME
cp - copy files and directories
SYNOPSIS
cp[
OPTION]... [
-T]
SOURCE DESTcp[
OPTION]...
SOURCE...
DIRECTORYcp[
OPTION]...
-t DIRECTORY SOURCE...
DESCRIPTION
Copy SOURCE to DEST, or multiple SOURCE(s) to DIRECTORY.
Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.
- -a, --archive
- same as -dpPR
- --backup[=CONTROL]
- make a backup of each existing destination file
- -b
- like --backup but does not accept an argument
- --copy-contents
- copy contents of special files when recursive
- -d
- same as --no-dereference --preserve=link
- -f, --force
- if an existing destination file cannot beopened, remove it and try again
- -i, --interactive
- prompt before overwrite
- -H
- follow command-line symbolic links
- -l, --link
- link files instead of copying
- -L, --dereference
- always follow symbolic links
- -P, --no-dereference
- never follow symbolic links
- -p
- same as --preserve=mode,ownership,timestamps
- --preserve[=ATTR_LIST]
- preserve the specified attributes (default:mode,ownership,timestamps), if possibleadditional attributes: links, all
- --no-preserve=ATTR_LIST
- don't preserve the specified attributes
- --parents
- use full source file name under DIRECTORY
- -R, -r, --recursive
- copy directories recursively
- --remove-destination
- remove each existing destination file beforeattempting to open it (contrast with --force)
- --sparse=WHEN
- control creation of sparse files
- --strip-trailing-slashes
- remove any trailing slashes from each SOURCEargument
- -s, --symbolic-link
- make symbolic links instead of copying
- -S, --suffix=SUFFIX
- override the usual backup suffix
- -t, --target-directory=DIRECTORY
- copy all SOURCE arguments into DIRECTORY
- -T, --no-target-directory
- treat DEST as a normal file
- -u, --update
- copy only when the SOURCE file is newerthan the destination file or when thedestination file is missing
- -v, --verbose
- explain what is being done
- -x, --one-file-system
- stay on this file system
- --help
- display this help and exit
- --version
- output version information and exit
By default, sparse SOURCE files are detected by a crude heuristic and thecorresponding DEST file is made sparse as well. That is the behaviorselected by --sparse=auto. Specify --sparse=always to create a sparse DESTfile whenever the SOURCE file contains a long enough sequence of zero bytes.Use --sparse=never to inhibit creation of sparse files.
The backup suffix is `~', unless set with --suffix or SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX.The version control method may be selected via the --backup option or throughthe VERSION_CONTROL environment variable. Here are the values:
- none, off
- never make backups (even if --backup is given)
- numbered, t
- make numbered backups
- existing, nil
- numbered if numbered backups exist, simple otherwise
- simple, never
- always make simple backups
As a special case, cp makes a backup of SOURCE when the force and backupoptions are given and SOURCE and DEST are the same name for an existing,regular file.
AUTHOR
Written by Torbjorn Granlund, David MacKenzie, and Jim Meyering.
REPORTING BUGS
Report bugs to <bug-coreutilsAATTgnu.org>.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software. You may redistribute copies of it under the terms ofthe GNU General Public License <
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
SEE ALSO
The full documentation for
cpis maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the
infoand
cpprograms are properly installed at your site, the command
- info cp
should give you access to the complete manual.
Index
- NAME
- SYNOPSIS
- DESCRIPTION
- AUTHOR
- REPORTING BUGS
- COPYRIGHT
- SEE ALSO
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