How to use 'cp' command to exclude a specific directory
Last Updated :
25 Oct, 2024
The cp command is used to create an exact copy of the contents of files and directories but with a different name and location. It works using the terminal.
Syntax
cp [source_file/directory] [destination]
Where cp is used for the copy, source_file provides the exact file or directory or folder from where you want to copy the contents; destination provides the location where you want to copy the file.
Basic Example
To copy the contents of a file to another file in the same directory using the "cp" command:
Step 1: We will list all the files and directories using the ls command.
ls
Listing contents of directoryStep 2: Create a file f1.txt and display its contents using the cat command.
cat > f1.txt
Hello, this is a sample file.
Press : Ctrl + D
Creating and writing into f1.txtStep 3: If we want to copy the file in the same directory, we use the following syntax:
cp f1.txt f2.txt
cp f1.txt f2.txt outputHere, the contents of file1 is copied to file2.
Step 4: To check that, type the ls command
ls
Copying f1.txt contents to f2.txtStep 5: To find out the contents of file2.txt,
cat f2.txt
Displaying contents of f2.txt fileKey Options for the cp Command
We will enlist brief working of all the commands utilized for our example:
Command | Usage |
|---|
cd | To change the directory from the current directory - cd .. will move one level up in the hierarchy
- cd directoryName will go to the specified directory
|
|---|
mkdir | Will make a directory/folder in the current folder. We can create multiple directories in the same line separated by space. Ex: mkdir d1 d2 d3 |
|---|
ls | Will list all the files and directories in the current one ls -A will list all files and directories including the hidden one (starting with ".") |
|---|
cat | Will create a new file - cat>f1.txt creates new text file f1 and opens in writable mode
- cat f1.txt displays the contents of file f1
|
|---|
cp | Copy command Copies the contents of one file to another in either the same or the other directory |
|---|
Usage of the cp command to exclude a specific directory
Example: To copy all the files from one directory to another except a specific one using cp command:
Step 1: Let's create 2 empty directories: source (src) and destination (dest).
mkdir src dest
ls
Creating directory src and destStep 2: Change the directory to src using cd command and create two files f1.txt and f2.txt in the src directory using the cat command.
cd src
cat > f1.txt
This is file 1
Press : Ctrl + D
cat > f2.txt
This is file 2
Press : Ctrl + D
Creating f1.txt and f2.txt using cat commandStep 3: Check the contents of the dest using the ls command. Currently, it has 0 files/folders.
cd ..
cd dest
ls
Check contents of dest directoryStep 4: Now use the cp command to copy all files and folders from src except f2.txt to the folder dest.
cp src/(!f2.txt) dest
ls dest
copy all files and folders from src except f2.txt to the folder dest
Conclusion
The cp command is a powerful tool for copying files and directories in Linux. By using various options and techniques, you can exclude specific files or directories from being copied, making it a versatile command for file management tasks.
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