• axricard (18/20) Jan 24 ``` D
• Jonathan M Davis (6/26) Jan 24 Per copy's documentation, it preserve's the file's timestamps, and looki...

axricard <axelrwiko gmail.com> writes:

``` D
import std;

void main()
{
     auto sourceName = deleteme ~ "source";
     auto source = File(sourceName, "w");
     source.write("source");

     copy(sourceName, "/dev/null");
}
```

The copy to /dev/null fails : 
`std.file.FileException std/file.d(4348): /dev/null: Invalid 
argument`, which is a little surprising. Why would it be an 
invalid argument ?


The cp command for example doesn't raise any error :

```
 cp source /dev/null
 echo $?


0
```

Jonathan M Davis <newsgroup.d jmdavisprog.com> writes:

On Friday, January 24, 2025 2:57:05 AM MST axricard via Digitalmars-d-learn
wrote:
 ``` D
 import std;

 void main()
 {
      auto sourceName = deleteme ~ "source";
      auto source = File(sourceName, "w");
      source.write("source");

      copy(sourceName, "/dev/null");
 }
 ```

 The copy to /dev/null fails :
 `std.file.FileException std/file.d(4348): /dev/null: Invalid
 argument`, which is a little surprising. Why would it be an
 invalid argument ?


 The cp command for example doesn't raise any error :

 ```
 cp source /dev/null
 echo $?


 0
 ```

Per copy's documentation, it preserve's the file's timestamps, and looking
at where the exception is coming from, setting the access and modification
times on /dev/null is apparently illegal (which isn't particularly
surprising).

- Jonathan M Davis