Meaning of dot (.) in The Following Examples
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I would like to know the meaning of the dot (.) in the following examples:
dotslash at the front of the path:
cp -r ./dist/amd/ ../../aurelia-amd/animator-css
Is this equivalent to
cp -r dist/amd/ ../../aurelia-amd/animator-css
dot at the end of the destination path:
cp -r DEBIAN/amd64/* package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/.
Thanks.
shell directory
edited Nov 26 at 14:04
Kusalananda
118k16223364
asked Nov 26 at 13:29
soti84
32
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
favorite
I would like to know the meaning of the dot (.) in the following examples:
dotslash at the front of the path:
cp -r ./dist/amd/ ../../aurelia-amd/animator-css
Is this equivalent to
cp -r dist/amd/ ../../aurelia-amd/animator-css
dot at the end of the destination path:
cp -r DEBIAN/amd64/* package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/.
Thanks.
shell directory
edited Nov 26 at 14:04
Kusalananda
118k16223364
asked Nov 26 at 13:29
soti84
32
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
favorite
up vote
0
down vote
favorite
I would like to know the meaning of the dot (.) in the following examples:
dotslash at the front of the path:
cp -r ./dist/amd/ ../../aurelia-amd/animator-css
Is this equivalent to
cp -r dist/amd/ ../../aurelia-amd/animator-css
dot at the end of the destination path:
cp -r DEBIAN/amd64/* package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/.
Thanks.
shell directory
edited Nov 26 at 14:04
Kusalananda
118k16223364
asked Nov 26 at 13:29
soti84
32
I would like to know the meaning of the dot (.) in the following examples:
dotslash at the front of the path:
cp -r ./dist/amd/ ../../aurelia-amd/animator-css
Is this equivalent to
cp -r dist/amd/ ../../aurelia-amd/animator-css
dot at the end of the destination path:
cp -r DEBIAN/amd64/* package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/.
Thanks.
shell directory
shell directory
edited Nov 26 at 14:04
Kusalananda
118k16223364
asked Nov 26 at 13:29
soti84
32
edited Nov 26 at 14:04
Kusalananda
118k16223364
asked Nov 26 at 13:29
soti84
32
edited Nov 26 at 14:04
Kusalananda
118k16223364
edited Nov 26 at 14:04
Kusalananda
118k16223364
edited Nov 26 at 14:04
Kusalananda
118k16223364
118k16223364
asked Nov 26 at 13:29
soti84
32
asked Nov 26 at 13:29
soti84
32
asked Nov 26 at 13:29
soti84
32
32
add a comment |
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
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oldest
votes
up vote
1
down vote
accepted
The single dots, in these examples, can be removed.
dist and ./dist are the same things, as is package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/. and package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/.
The dot, when used as part of a pathname, means "this directory". In DEBIAN/. it is like saying "in the DEBIAN directory, here".
Technically, the dot is a hard link to (i.e. another name for) the same directory that it is located in, and is available in every single directory on a Unix system. Likewise, the double-dot is another name for the parent directory.
Side note:
DEBIAN/ and DEBIAN are only slightly different if DEBIAN is a symbolic link. If it is not a symbolic link, then they are the same, but if DEBIAN is a symbolic link, then DEBIAN would refer to the symbolic link itself (which the utility, cp in this case, would resolve to a directory), while DEBIAN/ would be resolved to a directory by the shell.
The trailing / may also be interpreted by the utility in special ways under some circumstances. A typical example is the source location of rsync. With a trailing / on the source, rsync -r or rsync -a would copy the contents of the directory, but would create a subdirectory for the contents if the source was specified without a trailing /.
answered Nov 26 at 13:36
Kusalananda
118k16223364
Thank you, Kusalananda.
– soti84
Nov 26 at 13:54
Also, when in an interactive bash session, the./is useful to narrow tab-completion results to the current directory (for example, if $CDPATH is set, tab-completion may pick up subdirectories from $CDPATH directories), or for oddly named files (for example if a file is named-lthenls -landls ./-lwill give different results).
– glenn jackman
Nov 26 at 16:07
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
1
down vote
accepted
The single dots, in these examples, can be removed.
dist and ./dist are the same things, as is package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/. and package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/.
The dot, when used as part of a pathname, means "this directory". In DEBIAN/. it is like saying "in the DEBIAN directory, here".
Technically, the dot is a hard link to (i.e. another name for) the same directory that it is located in, and is available in every single directory on a Unix system. Likewise, the double-dot is another name for the parent directory.
Side note:
DEBIAN/ and DEBIAN are only slightly different if DEBIAN is a symbolic link. If it is not a symbolic link, then they are the same, but if DEBIAN is a symbolic link, then DEBIAN would refer to the symbolic link itself (which the utility, cp in this case, would resolve to a directory), while DEBIAN/ would be resolved to a directory by the shell.
The trailing / may also be interpreted by the utility in special ways under some circumstances. A typical example is the source location of rsync. With a trailing / on the source, rsync -r or rsync -a would copy the contents of the directory, but would create a subdirectory for the contents if the source was specified without a trailing /.
answered Nov 26 at 13:36
Kusalananda
118k16223364
Thank you, Kusalananda.
– soti84
Nov 26 at 13:54
Also, when in an interactive bash session, the./is useful to narrow tab-completion results to the current directory (for example, if $CDPATH is set, tab-completion may pick up subdirectories from $CDPATH directories), or for oddly named files (for example if a file is named-lthenls -landls ./-lwill give different results).
– glenn jackman
Nov 26 at 16:07
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
accepted
The single dots, in these examples, can be removed.
dist and ./dist are the same things, as is package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/. and package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/.
The dot, when used as part of a pathname, means "this directory". In DEBIAN/. it is like saying "in the DEBIAN directory, here".
Technically, the dot is a hard link to (i.e. another name for) the same directory that it is located in, and is available in every single directory on a Unix system. Likewise, the double-dot is another name for the parent directory.
Side note:
DEBIAN/ and DEBIAN are only slightly different if DEBIAN is a symbolic link. If it is not a symbolic link, then they are the same, but if DEBIAN is a symbolic link, then DEBIAN would refer to the symbolic link itself (which the utility, cp in this case, would resolve to a directory), while DEBIAN/ would be resolved to a directory by the shell.
The trailing / may also be interpreted by the utility in special ways under some circumstances. A typical example is the source location of rsync. With a trailing / on the source, rsync -r or rsync -a would copy the contents of the directory, but would create a subdirectory for the contents if the source was specified without a trailing /.
answered Nov 26 at 13:36
Kusalananda
118k16223364
Thank you, Kusalananda.
– soti84
Nov 26 at 13:54
Also, when in an interactive bash session, the./is useful to narrow tab-completion results to the current directory (for example, if $CDPATH is set, tab-completion may pick up subdirectories from $CDPATH directories), or for oddly named files (for example if a file is named-lthenls -landls ./-lwill give different results).
– glenn jackman
Nov 26 at 16:07
add a comment |
up vote
1
down vote
accepted
up vote
1
down vote
accepted
The single dots, in these examples, can be removed.
dist and ./dist are the same things, as is package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/. and package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/.
The dot, when used as part of a pathname, means "this directory". In DEBIAN/. it is like saying "in the DEBIAN directory, here".
Technically, the dot is a hard link to (i.e. another name for) the same directory that it is located in, and is available in every single directory on a Unix system. Likewise, the double-dot is another name for the parent directory.
Side note:
DEBIAN/ and DEBIAN are only slightly different if DEBIAN is a symbolic link. If it is not a symbolic link, then they are the same, but if DEBIAN is a symbolic link, then DEBIAN would refer to the symbolic link itself (which the utility, cp in this case, would resolve to a directory), while DEBIAN/ would be resolved to a directory by the shell.
The trailing / may also be interpreted by the utility in special ways under some circumstances. A typical example is the source location of rsync. With a trailing / on the source, rsync -r or rsync -a would copy the contents of the directory, but would create a subdirectory for the contents if the source was specified without a trailing /.
answered Nov 26 at 13:36
Kusalananda
118k16223364
The single dots, in these examples, can be removed.
dist and ./dist are the same things, as is package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/. and package/riaps-pycom-amd64/DEBIAN/.
The dot, when used as part of a pathname, means "this directory". In DEBIAN/. it is like saying "in the DEBIAN directory, here".
Technically, the dot is a hard link to (i.e. another name for) the same directory that it is located in, and is available in every single directory on a Unix system. Likewise, the double-dot is another name for the parent directory.
Side note:
DEBIAN/ and DEBIAN are only slightly different if DEBIAN is a symbolic link. If it is not a symbolic link, then they are the same, but if DEBIAN is a symbolic link, then DEBIAN would refer to the symbolic link itself (which the utility, cp in this case, would resolve to a directory), while DEBIAN/ would be resolved to a directory by the shell.
The trailing / may also be interpreted by the utility in special ways under some circumstances. A typical example is the source location of rsync. With a trailing / on the source, rsync -r or rsync -a would copy the contents of the directory, but would create a subdirectory for the contents if the source was specified without a trailing /.
answered Nov 26 at 13:36
Kusalananda
118k16223364
edited Nov 26 at 13:43
answered Nov 26 at 13:36
Kusalananda
118k16223364
answered Nov 26 at 13:36
Kusalananda
118k16223364
answered Nov 26 at 13:36
Kusalananda
118k16223364
118k16223364
Thank you, Kusalananda.
– soti84
Nov 26 at 13:54
Also, when in an interactive bash session, the./is useful to narrow tab-completion results to the current directory (for example, if $CDPATH is set, tab-completion may pick up subdirectories from $CDPATH directories), or for oddly named files (for example if a file is named-lthenls -landls ./-lwill give different results).
– glenn jackman
Nov 26 at 16:07
add a comment |
Thank you, Kusalananda.
– soti84
Nov 26 at 13:54
Also, when in an interactive bash session, the./is useful to narrow tab-completion results to the current directory (for example, if $CDPATH is set, tab-completion may pick up subdirectories from $CDPATH directories), or for oddly named files (for example if a file is named-lthenls -landls ./-lwill give different results).
– glenn jackman
Nov 26 at 16:07
Thank you, Kusalananda.
– soti84
Nov 26 at 13:54
Thank you, Kusalananda.
– soti84
Nov 26 at 13:54
Also, when in an interactive bash session, the
./ is useful to narrow tab-completion results to the current directory (for example, if $CDPATH is set, tab-completion may pick up subdirectories from $CDPATH directories), or for oddly named files (for example if a file is named -l then ls -l and ls ./-l will give different results).– glenn jackman
Nov 26 at 16:07
Also, when in an interactive bash session, the
./ is useful to narrow tab-completion results to the current directory (for example, if $CDPATH is set, tab-completion may pick up subdirectories from $CDPATH directories), or for oddly named files (for example if a file is named -l then ls -l and ls ./-l will give different results).– glenn jackman
Nov 26 at 16:07
add a comment |
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