So you've written a shell script that relies upon non-POSIX behavior, specifically GNU bash extensions, and it doesn't work in POSIX-ey ash. No big surprise. You will have to do it differently, or install bash on your target. Same dilemma everybody else faces when dealing with 'small' targets.
What's _wrong_ with this kind of thing: P=/tmp/test cp -f $P/a $P/b $P/c ... dest/ anyway? (I used $P to cut down the source line length, but it's totally unnecessary to the functionality.) It's not like you have to get everything done in one command, either. The cp command is not some kind of atomic operation. Are you after a fewest-line-count award? -- Jim -----Original Message----- From: busybox [mailto:busybox-boun...@busybox.net] On Behalf Of David Henderson Sent: Monday, November 21, 2016 2:07 PM To: Grant Edwards Cc: busybox@busybox.net Subject: Re: copying multiple files Thanks again for your continued help Grant. Unfortunately the file names are not actually similar as in the example (e.g. help.txt, world.png, ...) so using braces won't help either. Any other thoughts? Currently I'm forced to use a combination of find and cp - ugh - just to reduce the number of lines necessary for the operation... Thanks, Dave On 11/21/16, Grant Edwards <grant.b.edwa...@gmail.com> wrote: > On 2016-11-21, David Henderson <dhender...@digital-pipe.com> wrote: >> On 11/21/16, Grant Edwards <grant.b.edwa...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> On 2016-11-21, David Henderson <dhender...@digital-pipe.com> wrote: >>> >>>> cp -f /tmp/test/{a.txt,b.txt,c.txt} /tmp/test2/{1.txt,2.txt,3.txt} >>>> /tmp/dest >>> >>>> This keeps failing. Is this implemented in BB? >>> >>> Try this: >>> >>> $ busybox ash >>> ~ $ echo /tmp/test/{a.txt,b.txt,c.txt} >>> /tmp/test/{a.txt,b.txt,c.txt} >>> >>> It appears that the busybox shell does not implement bash/C shell >>> alternation (aka "brace expansion"). None of the busybox builds I >>> have on hand do anyway, and I don't see any options in the config file >>> to enable such a feature... > >> Hey Grant, thanks for the reply! Unfortunately that command will just >> echo what you type to the screen, not actually copy anything. > > I know. I was showing you how to determine if alternation (brace > expansion) wasn't happenning. It doesn't on any of my builds of > busybox. > >> Any other thoughts? > > Don't try to use alternation: > > cp -f /tmp/test/[abc].txt /tmp/test2/[123].txt /tmp/dest > > -- > Grant Edwards grant.b.edwards Yow! ... I think I'd > at better go back to my > DESK > gmail.com and toy with a few > common > MISAPPREHENSIONS ... > > _______________________________________________ > busybox mailing list > busybox@busybox.net > http://lists.busybox.net/mailman/listinfo/busybox > _______________________________________________ busybox mailing list busybox@busybox.net http://lists.busybox.net/mailman/listinfo/busybox _______________________________________________ busybox mailing list busybox@busybox.net http://lists.busybox.net/mailman/listinfo/busybox