uutils / uutils/coreutils

cp: cp -rs symlink-to-dir dir should fail without creating symlink

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U - cp
Dominant language
Rust
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Description

$ mkdir a
$ ln -s a b
$ gnu-cp -rs b a
cp: a/b: can make relative symbolic links only in current directory # does not pu a/b
$ uu-cp -rs b a
$ ls a
b

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First steps

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  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the gnu-cp -rs b a and uu-cp -rs b a commands from the issue, then trace the cp implementation's handling of recursive copies and relative symlinks. Done means the command fails in this case and does not create a/b, matching GNU cp's behavior.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
rust
Domain
cli
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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