GNU bug report logs - #17578
cp(1) man page: behavior of "cp -R dir target" on symbolic links is unclear

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Vincent Lefevre <vincent <at> vinc17.net>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: cp(1) man page: behavior of "cp -R dir target" on symbolic links is
 unclear
Date: Sat, 24 May 2014 17:07:05 +0200

The cp(1) man page does not describe the behavior on symbolic links
when copying recursively. It appears that in such a case, cp does not
dereference the links (this is also what the info file says: "When
copying from a symbolic link, `cp' normally follows the link only
when not copying recursively."). Tested with cp (GNU coreutils) 8.21
on Debian/unstable.

As the usual behavior of utilities on symbolic links is to follow the
links, this may be surprising to the user who only reads the man page
(even if he knows POSIX, as POSIX doesn't specify the behavior if
only -R is used).

So, the man page should say that by default (e.g. without -H, -L, -P),
cp follows source symbolic links only when not copying recursively.

-- 
Vincent Lefèvre <vincent <at> vinc17.net> - Web: <https://www.vinc17.net/>
100% accessible validated (X)HTML - Blog: <https://www.vinc17.net/blog/>
Work: CR INRIA - computer arithmetic / AriC project (LIP, ENS-Lyon)

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