cp command with input from a text file

khaos83 · 08-08-2008, 04:23 AM

I have a file, in inside has a long list of full paths to different file.
e.g.

Code:

/etc/asdsad/filename
/home/asd/wewe/filename

I want to copy all of them to a specified location.
How can I use the information in the file and copy all of them to a specified location?

I remember achieving that but can't really remember how i did it.
something like ...

cp {cat list.txt} /destination/

ic_torres · 08-08-2008, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by khaos83

I have a file, in inside has a long list of full paths to different file.
e.g.

Code:

/etc/asdsad/filename
/home/asd/wewe/filename

I want to copy all of them to a specified location.
How can I use the information in the file and copy all of them to a specified location?

I remember achieving that but can't really remember how i did it.
something like ...

cp {cat list.txt} /destination/

are you trying to copy the all the list of a particular directory on another location?

have you tried :

cp -r /the directory name/ /new location/

pixellany · 08-08-2008, 05:27 AM

I think you want something like this:
for file in `cat list`; do cp $file newplace; done

"newplace" would be the target pathname

Note the "backtics"---no single quotes.

colucix · 08-08-2008, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pixellany

for file in `cat list`; do cp $file newplace; done

This does not manage file names containing blank spaces correctly. Better something like

Code:

while read file; do cp "$file" /path/to/destination/dir/; done < list