Copy list of files from text file and retain directory structure?
 

I have a text file with installation location of firefox that i get with 'dpkg -L firefox'. In my home directory i created folder 'firefox1' and i want to copy the files from the list to that directory retaining the directory structure. How can i do that? I want to create chroot directory for firefox and run it from that directory. I am using debian.

there are several ways, like:
1. tar source | tar target
2. rsync
3. cp -r
4- etc

You can use tools like cp, tar, cpio, rsync. Since I don't see the list with the file names, I can't say more.

This is the list:

This will not retain directory structure. Also, the files are not in one directory.

That is false. Or at least please tell us how did you try to do that?

I don't know how to do that from a text file that contain the list of files. That is why i am asking. I can copy directory and files one by one but this is not my goal.

For example this command copy the files but do not copy directory structure:

Palemoon has a tarball that can be extracted and run from any folder.
http://linux.palemoon.org/download/mainline/
Does Firefox have a download like that? That would be the way to do what you want. Doubt if it will run if you move those files to another dir. They may if you put $HOME in your $PATH.
Oh ok.

Look at man cp -R -r

Or with tar

rsync has an exclude/include flag, tar also can work on a filelist (given by a file).

I am trying to do that from list in a text file, and files are not in one directory:

Again, i need to do that from a list in a text file, and the files are not in one directory.

I guess you could chain several utilities together to create the directories first. Then your cp will have a place to put them.

You've said this a few times.

You do realize a list which can be processed by the shell can come from a text file?

Are you having trouble understanding how to process a text file and use the data as entries in a list?