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How to Copy and Sync Directories in Linux

How to transfer folders and subdirectories (20170210)

The Dolphin file manager in Kubuntu can be used to transfer files.  However, if you try to transfer whole directories with subdirectories and the files in them, it does not always work.  When I tried this, after the computer crash, Dolphin transferred the directories, but not the files!

Better to use CLI, the Command Line Interface.  Issuing one cryptic, gargantuan command will do exactly what you want with no muss, and no fuss.

rsync is the command you want--

A quick google search brought up rsync, a CLI command for synchronizing directories.

The general format of the command is;

rsync -avr /miscellaneous/source/directory /miscellaneous/destination/directory

Of course, you have to figure out what exactly goes into the directory pathways.

Choose your options

-avr is the options part of the command, where
 “a” means file attributes will transfer, including permissions, comments, etc.
“v” means verbose = show what’s being done
“r” means recursive = the copy command will copy all subdirectories and their subdirectories and contents.  If you want to copy only files in that particular directory, but not subdirectories and their files, leave this one out.

There are other options as well--
"z" will 'zip' or compress the files as you go

Figuring out what goes in the pathways

I copied my Pictures file from the old, damaged installation to my new Kubuntu install.

First, I used Dolphin to navigate to a sample directory to be copied.

This meant, in my case, clicking on the 227 GiB hard drive, and finding the sample directory
/home/MyName/Pictures/1899Pix

I right-clicked Properties, and got most of the path;

/media/MyName/bdae5...16e/home/MyName/Pictures

The part with the dots in the middle is a problem, because it is the enormous name of the hard disk where my pictures reside.  I need to enter the whole name of this disk in CLI to get it to work.  It may be possible to use a nickname, but nicknaming the drive is another process, so-- 

Next step;
still using Dolphin, I clicked ‘show hidden directories’ at the top, and clicked my way down into
/media/MyName/
and found the full name of the hard drive.  So my complete source path was;
/media/MyName/bdae5a2415-a6-41gbb-130-863-c4d02416e/home/MyName/Pictures

The destination directory was
/home/MyName/Pictures. 

Opening Konsole, I typed in the full command;

rsync -avr /media/MyName/bdae5a2415-a6-41gbb-130-863-c4d02416e/home/MyName/Pictures /home/MyName/Pictures

This goes all in one line with a space between the source path and the destination path.

Press [enter] and the files copy, displaying as they go...

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