BASH: Interactive "cp" (and "mv") in a loop Post: 302504070

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Top Forums UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers BASH: Interactive "cp" (and "mv") in a loop Post 302504070 by SilversleevesX on Sunday 13th of March 2011 01:00:40 PM

03-13-2011

Registered User

BASH: Interactive "cp" (and "mv") in a loop

Hi.

I have a copy-file script (and a move-file script) that I recently tried to make interactive. I tested the former on three files from a text list, and watched to see what would happen. As the cp command was in a while/do/done loop, there was no pause for input: it wrote the file from the list to the destination directory. Casually-speaking, it "barreled right through" the list as if the -i wasn't there.

Here's part of the copy-file script.

Code:

#!/bin/bash

while read 'line';
do
n=$(echo $line)
file=${n%,*}
dest=${n#*,}
if [[ "$dest" == "" ]]; then continue; fi
echo -e "Copying $file now."
cp -ipPv $file $dest

done<copylist.txt

I know the 'pPv' options are more or less unnecessary, particularly the capital 'P', but as I write and use many of my scripts both in Cygwin and GNOME, it seems more prudent to me to include them.

In a loop such as this, would I be better off preventing overwrite (and changes of mod date, file-length, etc to the file that ended up at the destination) to write in an if/then/fi that checked for the file in the destination before copying? Something like this?

Code:

if [ -e "$dest/$file" ]; then
echo -e "Do you want to overwrite $file? (y/n)"
read arPLy
if [[ "$arPLy" != "n" ]]; then
cp -pPv $file $dest
else
continue
fi
fi

Or is there a way to introduce (I hesitate to say "force") a pause in that loop at the "cp -i" stage?

Hope someone can help and soon.

BZT

SilversleevesX

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ns_lctl

ns_lctl(3aolserver)					    AOLserver Built-In Commands 				       ns_lctl(3aolserver)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NAME

       ns_for, ns_foreach, ns_while, ns_lctl - Replacements for standard Tcl loop commands which enable monitoring and control

SYNOPSIS

       ns_for start test next body
       ns_foreach varname list body
       ns_foreach varlist1 list1 ?varlist2 list2 ...? body
       ns_while test body
       ns_lctl cancel id
       ns_lctl eval id script
       ns_lctl info id
       ns_lctl install command
       ns_lctl list
       ns_lctl pause id
       ns_lctl result id
_________________________________________________________________

DESCRIPTION

       The  ns_for, ns_foreach, and ns_while commands are replacements for cooresponding Tcl commands with the additional capability of monitoring
       and control through the ns_lctl command.

       ns_for start test next body
	      See the for(n) man page for usage.

       ns_foreach start test next body
	      See the foreach(n) man page for usage.

       ns_foreach varlist1 list1 ?varlist2 list2 ...? body
	      See the foreach(n) man page for usage.

       ns_while test body
	      See the while(n) man page for usage.

       ns_lctl cancel id
	      Mark the given loop to cancel at the next iteration, resulting in the loop returning with TCL_ERROR.

       ns_lctl eval id script

       ns_lctl info id

       ns_lctl install command

       ns_lctl list

       ns_lctl pause id

       ns_lctl result id

SEE ALSO

       for(n), foreach(n), while(n)

KEYWORDS

       threads, iteration, list, looping, cancel

AOLserver								4.5						       ns_lctl(3aolserver)