CP(1)               RISC/os Reference Manual                CP(1)



NAME
     cp - copy files

SYNOPSIS
     cp [ -i ] [ -p ] [ -r ] file1 [ file2 ...] target

DESCRIPTION
     The cp command copies filen to target.  filen and target may
     not have the same name.  (Care must be taken when using
     sh(1) metacharacters.)  If target is not a directory, only
     one file may be specified before it; if it is a directory,
     more than one file may be specified.  If target does not
     exist, cp creates a file named target.  If target exists and
     is not a directory, its contents are overwritten.  If target
     is a directory, the file(s) are copied to that directory.

     The following options are recognized:

     i    cp will prompt for confirmation whenever the copy would
          overwrite an existing target.  A y answer means that
          the copy should proceed. Any other answer prevents cp
          from overwriting target.

     p    cp will duplicate not only the contents of filen, but
          also preserves the modification time and permission
          modes.

     r    If filen is a directory, cp will copy the directory and
          all its files, including any subdirectories and their
          files; target must be a directory.

     If filen is a directory, target must be a directory in the
     same physical file system.  target and filen do not have to
     share the same parent directory.

     If filen is a file and target is a link to another file with
     links, the other links remain and target becomes a new file.

     If target does not exist, cp creates a new file named target
     which has the same mode as filen except that the sticky bit
     is not set unless the user is a privileged user; the owner
     and group of target are those of the user.

     If target is a file, its contents are overwritten, but the
     mode, owner, and group associated with it are not changed.
     The last modification time of target and the last access
     time of filen are set to the time the copy was made.

     If target is a directory, then for each file named, a new
     file with the same mode is created in the target directory;
     the owner and the group are those of the user making the
     copy.



                        Printed 11/19/92                   Page 1

CP(1)               RISC/os Reference Manual                CP(1)



NOTES
     Users can mark the end of any command line options using two
     dashes, allowing cp to recognize filename arguments that
     begin with a single dash. If two dashes and a single dash
     both appear on the same command line, the second is inter-
     preted as a filename.

SEE ALSO
     chmod(1), cpio(1), rm(1).














































 Page 2                 Printed 11/19/92