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coffee
Asked: 2011-08-09 11:17:25 +0800 CST

How to create a soft or symbolic link?

  • 772

I am installing p4v in /opt, but /usr/bin is on my path. Is it possible to create a soft or symbolic link for p4v from /opt to /usr/bin, so I can just type "p4v" since /usr/bin is in my path?

symbolic-link

8 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    See man ln.

    To create a symlink at /usr/bin/bar which references the original file /opt/foo, use:

    ln -s /opt/foo /usr/bin/bar

    You would need to apply the above command as root (i.e. with sudo).

    • 878

  2. The error is that you are writing the command wrong. The correct way is

    ln -s /<full>/<path>/<to>/<file> /usr/local/bin

    http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2001697

    • 56

  3. If the 'p4v' executable is at /opt/bin/p4v, you can simply run:

    sudo ln -s /opt/bin/p4v /usr/bin/p4v
sudo chmod ugo+x /usr/bin/p4v

    It would be better to add /opt/bin (or wherever the executable is) to your path:

    echo "export PATH=\$PATH:/opt/bin" >> ~/.profile
reset
    • 24

  4. Check the software location by this. 

    which application-name #replace for the application you are looking for

    for example 

    which skype

    output will be this. 

    /usr/bin/skype

    To create the soft link. for example you want to create the soft link for skype on your desktop

    ln -s /usr/bin/skype ~/Desktop/

    For more information about ln. 

    man ln

    or 

    ln --help
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  5. This template was more helpful for me than the above answers. Probably not more correct, just less obfuscated:

    ln -s <path/to/real/file-or-folder> <symlink path>

    Just replace the parts in <>'s

    • 5 
  6. ln -s -n ./TargetDirectory ./Nickname

    Note, this works if you both nodes are below you in the same tree. You can use relative notation

    • -s command makes it a symbolic link
    • -n makes it possible de create a folder-type symlink
    • 4

  7. If it is saying target is not a folder, it means there are spaces in your folder names eg: New Folder has a space

    You need to edit the path and add a backslash \ after every space in the paths

    eg: 

    ln -s /opt/bin /usr/var/New\ Folder
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  8. I have found that it is easier to go to where you want the link to be and then create the link using sudo ln -s /path/to/source/file, than doing ln -s target source.

    So in your case I would do cd /usr/bin then sudo ln -s /opt/bin/pv4. The other way has not been working in my case.

    • 0