GNU bug report logs - #8381
cp inconsistency

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From: help-debbugs <at> gnu.org (GNU bug Tracking System)
To: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
Cc: tracker <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#8381: closed (cp inconsistency)
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:12:02 +0000

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Your message dated Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:10:43 +0100
with message-id <4D9339E3.8090400 <at> draigBrady.com>
and subject line Re: bug#8381: cp inconsistency
has caused the GNU bug report #8381,
regarding cp inconsistency
to be marked as done.

(If you believe you have received this mail in error, please contact
help-debbugs <at> gnu.org.)


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From: Thomas Hofmann <thomas <at> savoy-truffle.de>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: cp inconsistency
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:56:08 +0200

Hello,

two issues:
1) manpage of cp contains obsolete email-address for bug-reporting
2) cp inconsistency when copying a directory to a) a non existing
directory, or b) to an existing directory. Further elaborated below.

cp -a SOME_DIR NOT_YET_EXISTING_DIR

results in a new directory directly containing each entry of SOME_DIR

while:
CP -a SOME_DIR EXISTING_DIR

results in EXISTING_DIR/SOME_DIR

The first result seems to be a reasonable outcome in both cases.
Appending "/" to the directory-names should lead to the same result.
While appending "/." to the target-directory would change the meaning,
and rather lead to the result of the observed second version.

Kind regards,
Thomas

p.s. cp (GNU coreutils) 7.1

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From: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
To: 8381-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#8381: cp inconsistency
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:10:43 +0100

On 30/03/11 12:56, Thomas Hofmann wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> two issues:
> 1) manpage of cp contains obsolete email-address for bug-reporting

That is fixed in current versions

> 2) cp inconsistency when copying a directory to a) a non existing
> directory, or b) to an existing directory. Further elaborated below.
> 
> cp -a SOME_DIR NOT_YET_EXISTING_DIR
> 
> results in a new directory directly containing each entry of SOME_DIR
> 
> while:
> CP -a SOME_DIR EXISTING_DIR
> 
> results in EXISTING_DIR/SOME_DIR
> 
> The first result seems to be a reasonable outcome in both cases.
> Appending "/" to the directory-names should lead to the same result.
> While appending "/." to the target-directory would change the meaning,
> and rather lead to the result of the observed second version.

So you would like

cp -a dir dest_dir  # copy dir/* to dest_dir/
cp -a dir dest_dir/ # copy dir to dest_dir/

That seems a bit subtle to me.
Currently one can get the first behavior using `cp -aT`
so I'll close this.

Note also the related:
http://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=7450

cheers,
Pádraig.

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