[Python-Dev] cpython: Issue #12715: Add an optional symlinks argument to shutil functions (copyfile, (original) (raw)

Antoine Pitrou solipsis at pitrou.net
Fri Dec 30 20:39:20 CET 2011

On Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:29:36 -0600 Brian Curtin <brian at python.org> wrote:

Can we expect that readers on Windows know how os.symlink works, or should the stipulations of os.symlink usage also be laid out or at least linked to from there?

I assume it won't make a difference in real life, since symlinks are quite rare under Windows.

Basically, almost everyone is going to get an OSError if they call this on Windows. You have to be on Windows Vista or beyond and the calling process has to have the proper privileges (typically gained through elevation - "Run as Administrator").

I still haven't managed to use symlinks under Windows 7, myself. The recipes I've tried didn't work.

Regards

Antoine.

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