Can't create symbolic links in child directories

Can't create symbolic links in child directories

[Matt D.]

This works:

 > touch a
 > ln -s a b

This no longer works:

 > touch a
 > mkdir b
 > ln -s a b/c

Error:

ln: failed to create symbolic link 'b/c': No such file or directory

My CYGWIN environment is also configured using "winsymlinks:nativestrict".

I am running the following version (updated today):

CYGWIN_NT-10.0-WOW WORKSTATION 3.0.5(0.338/5/3) 2019-03-31 11:22 i686 Cygwin

I cannot confirm at which point this bug appeared as I updated from some 
version prior to 3.0. I am reasonably certain that this has worked 
before as I use symbolic links often.


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Re: Can't create symbolic links in child directories

[Corinna Vinschen]

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On Mar 31 19:24, Matt D. wrote:
> This works:
> 
> > touch a
> > ln -s a b
> 
> This no longer works:
> 
> > touch a
> > mkdir b
> > ln -s a b/c
> 
> Error:
> 
> ln: failed to create symbolic link 'b/c': No such file or directory
> 
> My CYGWIN environment is also configured using "winsymlinks:nativestrict".

I'm pretty sure this never worked.  Consider what "nativestrict" means.
The target has to exist to allow the native symlink being created
type-correct.  In your example the target doesn't exist:

  ln -s a b/c

means, c points to a.  So a is expected in the same directory as c.
So looking from the point of the current directory the symlink
b/c is supposed to point to the file b/a.  Which doesn't exist.
Which lets symlinking with nativestrict fail.  "winsymlinks:native"
will work, albeit creating a Cygwin symlink then.


Corinna

-- 
Corinna Vinschen
Cygwin Maintainer

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