ERROR: cp() when subdir contains symbolic linked dirs

[julia-user1000]

ERROR: cp() when subdir contains symbolic linked dirs

The documentation says: http://julia.readthedocs.org/en/latest/stdlib/file/?highlight=cp#Base.cp

cp(src::AbstractString, dst::AbstractString; recursive=false)

    Copy a file from src to dest. Passing recursive=true will enable recursive copying of directories.

For an example: I have such file structure which contains one absolute and one relative sympolic link to the directory src

root_src
├── src
│   └── src_text.txt
└── test
    ├── absolute_link_to_src -> /home/test/root_src/src
    └── relative_link_to_src -> ../src

Python just does it fine: also keeps the absolute link as it should be.

Python 3.4.3 (default, Feb 26 2015, 23:01:07) 
[GCC 4.9.2 20150204 (prerelease)] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import shutil
>>> shutil.copytree("root_src", "copied_src", symlinks=True, ignore=None)

copied_src
├── src
│   └── src_text.txt
└── test
    ├── absolute_link_to_src -> /home/test/root_src/src
    └── relative_link_to_src -> ../src

Julia: ERROR

Version 0.4.0-dev+3806 (2015-03-13 01:02 UTC)
Commit 5195cc8 (0 days old master)
x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu

Arch Linux

julia> cp("root_src", "copied_src", recursive=true)
ERROR: sendfile: illegal operation on a directory (EISDIR)
 in sendfile at fs.jl:143
 in cp at file.jl:75
 in cp at file.jl:79 (repeats 2 times)

julia> 

Possible missing: readlink

I'm very new to julia so I might miss something and I'm not much of a C person - the reason I hope julia will fit my needs.

python has: readlink which is used in the shutil.copytree code

libuv supports readlink

uv_fs_readlink

But it seems to be missing from: julia: jl_uv.c

I'm not 100% sure how to implement readlink myself.

Thanks

[jiahao]

cc @ninjin

[ghost]

Thank you for the poke @jiahao, I was lagging behind a little bit on the mailing list. I will be setting this as my next target and have a look at a couple of other implementations in order to get things right.

[julia-user1000]

cc @ninjin
In the process of fixing this error would it be possibleto add: uv_fs_readlink to jl_uv.c

readlink is useful in other cases too
Thanks

[peter1000]

Question:
julia 0.3 has: cp(src::String, dst::String)
julia 0.4dev has: cp(src::AbstractString, dst::AbstractString; recursive::Bool=false)

Would it make sense to split this into something like:

cp(src::AbstractString, dst::AbstractString)
cptree(src::AbstractString, dst::AbstractString; keepsym::Bool=false)

e.g. python uses shutil.copytree for Recursively copy an entire directory tree.

[tkelman]

I don't think having two separate function names is a very Julian approach for this.

[peter1000]

I will start on this issue now where readlink is merged

[peter1000]

Can be closed!