LN("1") manual page
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ln - make links between files
ln [OPTION]... [-T] TARGET LINK_NAME
(1st form)
ln [OPTION]... TARGET (2nd form)
ln [OPTION]... TARGET... DIRECTORY (3rd form)
ln [OPTION]... -t DIRECTORY TARGET... (4th form)
In the 1st form,
create a link to TARGET with the name LINK_NAME. In the 2nd form, create
a link to TARGET in the current directory. In the 3rd and 4th forms, create
links to each TARGET in DIRECTORY. Create hard links by default, symbolic
links with --symbolic. When creating hard links, each TARGET must exist.
Mandatory
arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.
- --backup[=CONTROL]
- make a backup of each existing destination file
- -b
- like --backup but does
not accept an argument
- -d, -F, --directory
- allow the superuser to attempt to
hard link directories (note: will probably fail due to system restrictions,
even for the superuser)
- -f, --force
- remove existing destination files
- -n, --no-dereference
- treat destination that is a symlink to a directory as if it were a normal
file
- -i, --interactive
- prompt whether to remove destinations
- -s, --symbolic
- make
symbolic links instead of hard links
- -S, --suffix=SUFFIX
- override the usual
backup suffix
- -t, --target-directory=DIRECTORY
- specify the DIRECTORY in which
to create the links
- -T, --no-target-directory
- treat LINK_NAME as a normal file
- -v, --verbose
- print name of each linked file
- --help
- display this help and exit
- --version
- output version information and exit
The backup suffix is ‘~’, unless
set with --suffix or SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX. The version control method may
be selected via the --backup option or through the VERSION_CONTROL environment
variable. Here are the values:
- none, off
- never make backups (even if --backup
is given)
- numbered, t
- make numbered backups
- existing, nil
- numbered if numbered
backups exist, simple otherwise
- simple, never
- always make simple backups
Written by Mike Parker and David MacKenzie.
Report bugs
to <bug-coreutils@gnu.org>.
Copyright © 2008 Free Software Foundation,
Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There
is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
link(2)
, symlink(2)
The full documentation for ln is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the
info and ln programs are properly installed at your site, the command
- info
coreutils ’ln invocation’
should give you access to the complete manual.
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