[K12OSN] OT: bash help - copying a series of files

[Nils Breunese]

Rob Owens wrote:

> j.w. thomas wrote:
>> Rob Owens wrote:
>>> I've read this somewhere before, but I'm having trouble finding it  
>>> on
>>> google...
>>>
>>> I need to copy a series of files without using a loop.  I think the
>>> syntax is something like:  cp /path/to/[file1 file2] /destination/ 
>>> folder
>>>
>>> But that doesn't work.  Does anybody know the correct syntax?   
>>> Google
>>> isn't so good at searching special characters like [ and {
>>
>> I do this:
>> cp /path/to/file1 /path/to/file2 /destination/folder
>>
>> If the names are as similar as you wrote though, you should be able  
>> to
>> do this:
>>
>> cp /path/to/file[12] /destination/folder
>>
> The names really aren't that similar.  Here's the actual paths that I
> need to copy:
>
> /usr/local/share/icons/Drawings.desktop
> /usr/local/share/icons/Obsolete\ Drawings.desktop
> /usr/local/share/icons/Obsolete\ a\ Drawing.desktop
>
> Since it's only 3 files, I could do as Robert suggests:
>
>> cp  /path/file1  /path/file2  /path/file3  /dest/dir
>
> But I was hoping to find a way with less typing, just in case  
> someday I
> have to do this with 10 files instead of 3.

You could first change the current working directory, so you don't  
need to supply the path to every file.

	cd /usr/local/share/icons
	cp Drawings.desktop Obsolete\ Drawings.desktop Obsolete\ a\  
Drawing.desktop /dest/dir

Nils Breunese.