xref: /netbsd/bin/mv/mv.1 (revision bf9ec67e)
1.\"	$NetBSD: mv.1,v 1.18 2002/02/08 01:21:58 ross Exp $
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3.\" Copyright (c) 1989, 1990, 1993
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6.\" This code is derived from software contributed to Berkeley by
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37.\"	@(#)mv.1	8.1 (Berkeley) 5/31/93
38.\"
39.Dd May 31, 1993
40.Dt MV 1
41.Os
42.Sh NAME
43.Nm mv
44.Nd move files
45.Sh SYNOPSIS
46.Nm
47.Op Fl fi
48.Ar source target
49.Nm ""
50.Op Fl fi
51.Ar source ... directory
52.Sh DESCRIPTION
53In its first form, the
54.Nm
55utility renames the file named by the
56.Ar source
57operand to the destination path named by the
58.Ar target
59operand.
60This form is assumed when the last operand does not name an already
61existing directory.
62.Pp
63In its second form,
64.Nm
65moves each file named by a
66.Ar source
67operand to a destination file in the existing directory named by the
68.Ar directory
69operand.
70The destination path for each operand is the pathname produced by the
71concatenation of the last operand, a slash, and the final pathname
72component of the named file.
73.Pp
74The following options are available:
75.Bl -tag -width flag
76.It Fl f
77Do not prompt for confirmation before overwriting the destination
78path.
79.It Fl i
80Causes
81.Nm
82to write a prompt to standard error before moving a file that would
83overwrite an existing file.
84If the response from the standard input begins with the character ``y'',
85the move is attempted.
86.El
87The last of any
88.Fl f
89or
90.Fl i
91options is the one which affects
92.Nm Ns 's
93behavior.
94.Pp
95It is an error for any of the
96.Ar source
97operands to specify a nonexistent file or directory.
98.Pp
99It is an error for the
100.Ar source
101operand to specify a directory if the
102.Ar target
103exists and is not a directory.
104.Pp
105If the destination path does not have a mode which permits writing,
106.Nm
107prompts the user for confirmation as specified for the
108.Fl i
109option.
110.Pp
111Should the
112.Xr rename  2
113call fail because
114.Ar source
115and
116.Ar target
117are on different file systems,
118.Nm
119will remove the destination file, copy the source file to the
120destination, and then remove the source.
121The effect is roughly equivalent to:
122.Bd -literal -offset indent
123rm -f destination_path \*[Am]\*[Am] \e
124\tcp -PRp source_file destination_path \*[Am]\*[Am] \e
125\trm -rf source_file
126.Ed
127.Sh EXIT STATUS
128The
129.Nm
130utility exits 0 on success, and \*[Gt]0 if an error occurs.
131.Sh SEE ALSO
132.Xr cp 1 ,
133.Xr rename 2 ,
134.Xr symlink 7
135.Sh STANDARDS
136The
137.Nm
138utility is expected to be
139.St -p1003.2
140compatible.
141