feature request: copy as link/junction

[Pomax]

Is it possible to have a future version of total commander to have an additional copy option (immediately clickable) that allows you to create symbolic links or junctions for files or directories? I'm currently stuck with having to use mklink in an admin-rights command prompt, and it would be infinitely better to just select 30 files, say "junction to whatever dir is open on the left/right" and click "yes, grant admin rights for this" once.

[MVV]

http://www.totalcmd.net/plugring/ntfslinks.html

[HerbieH]

Hello Pomax.

I have made my own custom 'one-click' TC-bar for working with symbolic links etc. I use 'NTFSlinks.exe v.1.30' and Mark Russinovich's (Microsoft-Sysinternals) 'Junction.exe' v.1.06

Here is an example, where I can create a hard-link to a file (or several files in a dir) on the same hard disk.

Copy this to your TC-bar and change it to show your path to the 'NtfsLinks.exe' file (ignore the ------------):
------------
TOTALCMD#BAR#DATA
%COMMANDER_PATH%\NtfsLinks\NtfsLinks.exe
"%WL" "%T\" /i=NL_eng.ini
%COMMANDER_PATH%\NtfsLinks\NtfsLinks.exe
NtfsLinks


-1
------------

I will gladly share more info on this, if you should wish so.

Greetings from

[Pomax]

Plugins are okay, but given that junctions are part of home edition versions of windows these days, I expect total commander to offer junction creation as a base functionality, as part of the "copy" operation. Not as something that forces you to install a plugin to perform a basic windows file system operation =)

So: still a feature request, although I will use the plugin until TC supports creating junctions natively.

[Pomax]

HerbieH, what do you mean "on the same hard disk"? I am using junctions all over to link to resources on other disks. Are you saying that the abovementioned plugin plus junctions.exe cannot do this? Because the mklink that comes with windows has no problems setting up junctions between different drives...?

[MVV]

Pomax, he have talked about hardlinks which are possible only for files and only within same volume.

[nsp]

HerbieH, what do you mean "on the same hard disk"? I am using junctions all over to link to resources on other disks. Are you saying that the abovementioned plugin plus junctions.exe cannot do this? Because the mklink that comes with windows has no problems setting up junctions between different drives...?

mklink that come with windows either do symbolic link(default), Folder Symbolic link (/D), hard link (/H) or folder junction (/J)!
Junction/ hardlink do not works across different hardrive !
Symbolic link can even for folder (you can call it junction but they are not !)!

[MVV]

nsp, junction may be created on another HDD within local computer easilly. It requires only both NTFS systems on host and target drives. E.g. you can create a junction C:\Test pointing to folder D:\Test and vice versa if both C: and D: volumes have NTFS.

[Flint]

junction may be created on another HDD within local computer easilly. It requires only both NTFS systems on host and target drives.

Only on the host. You can create a junction pointing to a directory located on a FAT drive. The only restriction is that the junction itself should be located on NTFS.

[MVV]

Hm-m, really, works from USB stick to HDD! Didn't noticed it.

[Flint]

MVV
Just logic. As you know, internally, the junction is simply a pointer to a different location. It does not matter where this target location is (that's why Vista/7 symlinks can point even to network resources where the term "file system" is not applicable at all), it matters only whether you are allowed to make such redirections at all. NTFS contains special FS structures (reparse points) which allow redirections, so it's required for the link itself to be located on NTFS. But for the target file system there are no problems to be something else.

[MVV]

I thought that it is a junction limitation that it can point from NTFS to NTFS only (tried to create a junction to mounted network folder but with no luck). Technically, I agree, there are no problems here (no problems for mounted network folders too BTW - they have correct path with drive letter).

[HerbieH]

Hello Pomax.

- U wrote: 'what do you mean "on the same hard disk"? '

I didn't know, what your knowledge was about symbolic links, hard links and folder junctions.
At first, I was, myself, very confused about all this, but I found some sites (wikis) that explains it.

Btw., in addition to my above mentioned utilities, I use a great TC content plugin, 'NL_Info, Version 1.11', to check, that i have made valid junction and hard-link entries.

PS: Be careful with all this. If u don't know what you are doing, it can go very wrong.
Mr. Ghisler told us, that's why he doesn't let TC handle junctions etc. 'out of the box'.

Greertings..

[joker]

http://www.totalcmd.net/plugring/ntfslinks.html

Why did you reply with your plugin?
As far as I can see your plugin isn't able to perform the requested *creation* symlinks/junctions/hardlinks...

I expect total commander to offer junction creation as a base functionality, as part of the "copy" operation. Not as something that forces you to install a plugin to perform a basic windows file system operation =)

You are absolutely right but unfortunately CG doesn't care at all about a feature which is much more essential for a file manager than some other already implemented features.

[MVV]

Why did you reply with your plugin?

Actually it is not my one.
Anyway, the answer is simple: it is a tool that exactly creates hardlinks and junctions, and may be easilly used from TC (e.g. I press Alt+F6 when I need to create a junction and it suggests to create it in target panel for focused or selected folders/files).