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linuxunixcp

Should I put trailing slash after source and destination when copy folders

I want to copy:

  • This folder: ajax (/home/thej/public_html/JC/ajax).
  • Into this folder: /home/thej/public_html/demo/conf/. The final result will be /home/thej/public_html/demo/conf/ajax.

I know the cp command should be something like:

cp -r /home/thej/public_html/JC/ajax /home/thej/public_html/demo/conf

My question is:

  1. should I put / after ajax, ajax/?

  2. should I put / after conf, conf/?

I googled online, some put '/', some not, so really confused with it.

Solution

  • I try to put a trailing / on the target.

    If I make a mistake and the source and target are both files rather than directories, adding the / means that I'll get an error; without the / it will clobber the target file.

    (Tab completion will usually add the trailing / anyway, so it's usually easier to add it than not.)

    See Volker Siegel's answer for more details.