Score:0

Ubuntu

Copy all from a folder into the project root directory

Maik Lowrey

3/19/23, 7:51 AM

I have a web project with the following structure:

application/
dumps/
nginx/
logs/
.git/
docker-compose.yml
Dockerfile
README.md
.gitignore

For several reasons, I would like to dissolve the application folder and copy all files to the root directory. I would like to do this as usual via the CLI. However, I am not getting anywhere at the moment.

I have tried the following. I am in the root of the project.

cp -r application/ ./
// output cp: 'application/' and './application' are the same file

cp -r app/*.* ./
// copy only the root files from application to the project root and not the folders.

Which is kind of logical. How do I formulate the command so that it only copies the files to the root? It's probably just a small thing but it's too early for me.

0 + 0

command-line

Maik Lowrey

3/19/23, 8:49 AM

@NateT I would remove applcaition but i will copie before removing all the contents to the root. Yes.

terdon

3/19/23, 7:07 PM

Remember that most files don't have extensions on Linux systems so the `*.*` is almost never what you want since that will only match files or directories that have a `.` in their name. To match everything, you just want `*`.

Score:0

Ubuntu

Maik Lowrey

3/19/23, 8:07 AM

Ok. I got it. It was really to early ;-) The right command would be:

cp -a app/. ./

And better to use -a option instead of -r option. It is an improved recursive option and means, that preserve all file attributes, and also preserve symlinks. Found it: How can I copy the contents of a folder to another folder in a different directory using terminal?

The . at end of the source path is a specific cp syntax that allow to copy all files and folders, included hidden ones.

0 + 0

bac0n

3/19/23, 8:31 AM

think you meant to do `cp -T app/ .` (probably wise to append `-i`)

Maik Lowrey

3/19/23, 8:39 AM

@bac0n Thanks for comment. Why you advice to append the `i` option? and what means -T? i have copied it as in my answer and it has worked well "so far". should i be worried now?

Maik Lowrey

3/19/23, 8:47 AM

@bac0n i means interactive. yes it would be good. thanks. but i dont found a explanation for the -T option.

bac0n

3/19/23, 9:20 AM

The target doesn't have to exist before copying is probably the main difference, next if *source* is a file and target a directory you get an error instead of the file being copied into the directory (should be cp -aT or -rT for recursive).

Nate T

3/19/23, 11:24 AM

@Maik It's Bash, there are 10 separate ways to do anything. I was just working on a script yest. that uses both `cp -a` and a redirect from find within about 10-15 lines of each other. I would recommend looking further into all versions and learning the quirks and caveats of each. For example a set of commands may be exactly alike w/ params, but only one reads from stdin w/ none. This may not matter 90% of the time, but on that 10th time, it pays to know the diff. Figured I would point that out as it is what I was originally aiming at but I think I missed the mark before.

terdon

3/19/23, 7:12 PM

Note that this will also copy subdirectories, while your question is asking about files only. Not sure if this is intended or not.

Maik Lowrey

3/20/23, 8:10 AM

@terdon files and folders. i will updated the title from my question.

Score:-1

Ubuntu

Nate T

3/19/23, 8:52 AM

You just need a wildcard at the end of the command like so:

cp -r application/* ./

0 + 0

Maik Lowrey

3/19/23, 8:57 AM

Thank you for answearing. But it doesnt work. `cp: missing destination file operand after 'sub/*'`

Maik Lowrey

3/19/23, 9:04 AM

Yes that would work too. But i used `cp -a app/. ./` before and it works perfectly. I was unsettled by bac0n's comment. Do you happen to know what the `-T` option means?

Nate T

3/19/23, 9:06 AM

Glad you got it. @MaikLowrey

Maik Lowrey

3/19/23, 9:21 AM

Thank you for your time and effort!

terdon

3/19/23, 7:11 PM

@MaikLowrey the original answer had quotes around the `"application/*"` which cause the glob (wildcard) not to be expanded. I fixed that, but the second command is completely wrong, I'm afraid. I _think_ what Nate meant was something like `find ./application/ -type f -exec cp {} ./ +`. The command in this answer will instead look for _directories_ in the directory `/application/` and then will append the list of directory names to a file called `/` which will fail since `/` is a directory.

Maik Lowrey

3/20/23, 8:08 AM

Thank @terdon! You are right. I took `cp -a app/. ./` It is best to use the command with the -i option (thank to bac0n) to avoid overwriting files with the same name. In my case, "only" the .gitigniore was overwritten. Commands with recursion should be used carefully.

Elon Musk

I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

EN: Copy all from a folder into the project root directory

TH: คัดลอกทั้งหมดจากโฟลเดอร์ไปยังไดเร็กทอรีรูทของโปรเจ็กต์

RO: Copiați totul dintr-un folder în directorul rădăcină al proiectului

RU: Скопируйте все из папки в корневой каталог проекта

VI: Sao chép tất cả từ một thư mục vào thư mục gốc của dự án

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