copy (command)

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For the command for copying with the clipboard, see Cut, copy, and paste.

copy

In computing, copy is a command in various operating systems. The command copies computer files from one directory to another.[1][2]

Overview

Generally, the command copies files from one location to another. It is used to make copies of existing files, but can also be used to combine (concatenate) multiple files into target files. The destination defaults to the current working directory. If multiple source files are indicated, the destination must be a directory, or an error will result. The command can copy in text mode or binary mode; in text mode, copy will stop when it reaches the EOF character; in binary mode, the files will be concatenated in their entirety, ignoring EOF characters.

Files may be copied to devices. For example, copy file con outputs file to the screen console. Devices themselves may be copied to a destination file, for example, copy con file takes the text typed into the console and puts it into FILE, stopping when EOF (Ctrl+Z) is typed.

Implementations

The command is available in

ROM-DOS,[21] ReactOS,[22] SymbOS
and DexOS.

The copy command is supported by

xcopy
.

The equivalent Unix command is cp, the CP/M command is PIP. The command is analogous to the

OpenVOS copy_file command.[25]

Example for DOS

copy letter.txt [destination]

Files may be copied to

stdout, like the type command. Note that copy page1.txt+page2.txt book.txt will concatenate the files and output them as book.txt. Which is just like the cat
command). It can also copy files between different disk drives.

There are two

command-line switches
to modify the behaviour when concatenating files: 

copy /a doc1.txt + doc2.txt doc3.txt
copy /a *.txt doc3.txt
  • Binary mode - This concatenates files in their entirety, ignoring EOF characters.
copy /b image1.jpg + image2.jpg image3.jpg

See also

References

  1. ^ "Microsoft TechNet Copy article". 2009-09-11.
  2. ISBN 9781557550491
    – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ "RT-11 HELP FILE". paleoferrosaurus.com. Archived from the original on 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  4. ^ "Concise Command Language" (CCL)."OS/8 Handbook" (PDF). April 1974. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  5. ISBN 0-932376-90-8
    . Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  6. ^ ISIS II Users Guide
  7. ^ "intel :: iRMX :: 146194-001 irmxR6Intro" – via Internet Archive.
  8. ^ TOPS-10 Operating System Commands Manual (PDF). Digital Equipment Corporation. August 1980. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
  9. ^ "TOPS-20 Command manual" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  10. ^ "OpenVMS User's Manual". www.itec.suny.edu.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Operating manual" (PDF). www.pagetable.com. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  12. Heath Company. "Software Reference Manual HDOS SYSTEM Chapter 2 General Operations" (PDF). Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  13. ^ Z80-RIO OPERATING SYSTEM USER'S MANUAL
  14. ISBN 0-9519228-0-7
    .
  15. ^ "FlexOS User's Guide" (PDF). www.bitsavers.org. 1986. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-08-08. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  16. ^ [1][dead link]
  17. ^ "roelandjansen/pcmos386v501". GitHub. 2022-01-02.
  18. ^ "MPE/iX Command Reference Manual" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-10-21. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  19. ^ "OS/2 Commands: Copy". Archived from the original on 2019-04-14. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  20. ^ "copy". docs.microsoft.com. 2023-02-03.
  21. ^ "Datalight ROM-DOS User's Guide" (PDF). www.datalight.com.
  22. ^ "reactos/reactos". GitHub. 2022-01-03.
  23. Seattle Computer Products, Inc. 1980. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2019-07-14. Retrieved 2019-07-14. (59 pages)
  24. ISBN 0-7356-1812-7
    .
  25. ^ "OpenVOS Commands Reference Manual" (PDF). stratadoc.stratus.com. Retrieved 2020-09-14.

Further reading

External links

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Guide to Windows Commands
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