NAME

lndir - create a shadow directory of symbolic links to another directory tree

SYNOPSIS

lndir [ -silent ] [ -ignorelinks ] [ -withrevinfo ] fromdir [ todir ]

DESCRIPTION

The lndir program makes a shadow copy todir of a directory tree fromdir, except that the shadow is not populated with real files but instead with symbolic links pointing at the real files in the fromdir directory tree. This is usually useful for maintaining source code for different machine architectures. You create a shadow directory containing links to the real source, which you will have usually mounted from a remote machine. You can build in the shadow tree, and the object files will be in the shadow directory, while the source files in the shadow directory are just symlinks to the real files.

This scheme has the advantage that if you update the source, you need not propagate the change to the other architectures by hand, since all source in all shadow directories are symlinks to the real thing: just cd to the shadow directory and recompile away.

The todir argument is optional and defaults to the current directory. The fromdir argument may be relative (e.g., ../src) and is relative to todir (not the current directory).

Note that BitKeeper, RCS, SCCS, CVS and CVS.adm directories are shadowed only if the --wwiitthhrreevviinnffoo flag is specified.

If you add files, simply run lndir again. New files will be silently added. Old files will be checked that they have the correct link.

Deleting files is a more painful problem; the symlinks will just point into never never land.

If a file in _f_r_o_m_d_i_r is a symbolic link, _l_n_d_i_r will make the same link in _t_o_d_i_r rather than making a link back to the (symbolic link) entry in _f_r_o_m_d_i_r_. The --iiggnnoorreelliinnkkss flag changes this behavior.

OPTIONS

-silent Normally _l_n_d_i_r outputs the name of each subdirectory as it
descends into it. The --ssiilleenntt option suppresses these status messages.
-ignorelinks Causes the program to not treat symbolic links in _f_r_o_m_d_i_r
specially. The link created in _t_o_d_i_r will point back to the corresponding (symbolic link) file in _f_r_o_m_d_i_r. If the link is to a directory, this is almost certainly the wrong thing.
This option exists mostly to emulate the behavior the C version of
_l_n_d_i_r had in X11R6. Its use is not recommended.
-withrevinfo Causes any BitKeeper, RCS, SCCS, CVS and CVS.adm subdirectories to be
treated as any other directory, rather than ignored.

DIAGNOSTICS

The program displays the name of each subdirectory it enters, followed by a colon. The --ssiilleenntt option suppresses these messages.

A warning message is displayed if the symbolic link cannot be created. The usual problem is that a regular file of the same name already exists.

If the link already exists but doesn't point to the correct file, the program prints the link name and the location where it does point.