[Linux-disciples] Smarter symlinks

[Adam Kessel]

On Tue, Mar 09, 2004 at 04:50:44PM -0500, Stephen R Laniel wrote:
> 1) make the shell keep better track of symlinks, so that the
> shell will change the symlink if the referent moves (and
> will alert the user if the referent is deleted)

I don't think this exists.  The problem (as I understand it) is that
there's no tracking from an actual file back to its symlink, only the
other way around.  I think all major OS's have this problem (I'm thinking
particular of Windows shortcuts and Mac OS X whateveryoucallthem).

> 2) write a utility that will scour symlinks systemwide and
> tell you which ones are dead.

Yeah, you should have a daily cronjob that does that, at least for Debian
files. You can also get the symlinks package:

   scan/change symbolic links 
   
   Symlinks scans directories for symbolic links and lists them on stdout.
   Each link is prefixed with a classification of relative, absolute,
   dangling, messy, lengthy or other_fs.  
   
   Symlinks can also convert absolute links (within the same filesystem) to
   relative links and can delete messy and dangling links.  
-- 
Adam Kessel
http://adam.rosi-kessel.org
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.bostoncoop.net/pipermail/linux-disciples/attachments/20040309/40b2d7a3/attachment-0001.pgp