How to convert symlink to regular file?

linux symlink
nibot picture nibot · Dec 4, 2011 · Viewed 42.9k times · Source

What is the most direct way to convert a symlink into a regular file (i.e. a copy of the symlink target)?

Suppose filename is a symlink to target. The obvious procedure to turn it into a copy is:

cp filename filename-backup
rm filename
mv filename-backup filename

Is there a more direct way (i.e. a single command)?

Answer

nibot picture nibot · Nov 15, 2012

There is no single command to convert a symlink to a regular file. The most direct way is to use readlink to find the file a symlink points to, and then copy that file over the symlink:

cp --remove-destination `readlink bar.pdf` bar.pdf

Of course, if bar.pdf is, in fact, a regular file to begin with, then this will clobber the file. Some sanity checking would therefore be advisable.

Related questions

How can I symlink a file in Linux?

I want to make a symbolic link in Linux. I have written this Bash command where the first path is the folder I want link into and the second path is the compiled source. ln -s '+basebuild+'/IpDome-kernel/…

Read More
Remove a symlink to a directory

I have a symlink to an important directory. I want to get rid of that symlink, while keeping the directory behind it. I tried rm and get back rm: cannot remove 'foo'. I tried rmdir and got back rmdir: failed …

Read More
Create a symbolic link of directory in Ubuntu

Below is my code for creating a symlink of a directory: sudo ln -s /usr/local/nginx/conf/ /etc/nginx I already created the directory /etc/nginx. I just want the contents of the source directory (/usr/local/nginx/conf/) …

Read More