cp

• Command Function
• Syntax
• Parameter Description
• Usage
• Example
• Output

Command Function

This command is used to create a copy for a file.

Syntax

cp [SOURCEFILE] [DESTFILE]

Parameter Description

Table 1 Parameters

Usage

• The name of the source file cannot be the same as that of the destination file in the same path.
• The source file must exist and cannot be a directory.
• The source file path supports wildcards: asterisks (*) and question marks (?). The asterisk (*) indicates any number of characters, and the question mark (?) represents a single character. The destination file path does not support wildcards. If the specified source file path matches multiple files, the destination file path must be a directory.
• If the destination file path is a directory, this directory must exist. In this case, the destination file is named after the source file.
• If the destination file path is a file, the directory for this file must exist. In this case, the file copy is renamed.
• Currently, this command can be used to copy only one file. If more than two parameters are specified, only the first two parameters take effect.
• If the destination file does not exist, a new file is created. If the destination file already exists, the existing file is overwritten.

When important system resources are copied, unexpected results such as a system breakdown may occur. For example, when the /dev/uartdev-0 file is copied, the system may stop responding.

Example

Enter cp hello-harmony.txt ./tmp/.

Output

Figure 1 File copying result