Is there a simple way to create an alias or symlink with a RELATIVE path to its target? I'd like to create an alias or symlink that points to a file inside a folder and create it so it will work on anyone's Mac. Thanks!
MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.6), Core 2 Duo
Bash auto-expands paths BEFORE passing them on to programs you're executing.
Thus, "~/filename" -> "/Users/username/filename", and "../filename" -> "/path/to/cwd/../filename" -> "/path/to/filename".
You can tell Bash not to auto-resolve the path by simply enclosing it in quotes.
// this will create an absolute symlink, even though you wrote a relative path, because of auto-expansion
ln -s ../..somedir/filename filename
// this, on the other hand, will create a relative one
ln -s "../..somedir/filename" filename
Open the Terminal application and enter "man ln" to get the man pages for the link command. All the parameters should be explained therein.
Thanks Kappy. Seemed as if "ln -s" was the best candidate, but I did not have luck with it. It still created a link with an absolute path. Do you happen to know which, if any of the many "- options" would yield a relative path that would work on any machine? Thanks.
I do not. Would have given you that had I known. I know it must be doable insofar as it seems that OS X has aliases all over the place.
You might try with a hard link instead of a soft link. But I don't know if you can actually do what you want.
I was mastering a CD ROM with an Alias on the root-level that points to a flash-application in a folder on the CD. When copied from CD to the Desktop, the copied alias points to the application on the CD. The CD ejected, the Alias-Dialog sais that it can not find the orignial. Because it doesn't find the CD-Volume anymore.
So I tried to use a symbolic link, that uses a relative path to make the connection to the orignial. Symbolic links work on HFS+, on UDF-DVDs, but they can't be used on a Hybrid-CD-ROM.
Solution:
Before Mastering, create an Alias of the original application. Make a copy of the original application. (same hierarchy) Delete the original Application an rename the copy with the original name. Test the alias. (Don't use the function to update the connection to the original!) The alias makes know the connection by a relative path. The structure can now be copied to a new place or volume and the alias alway finds the copied original.
When the original program is deleted, the Alias looses the connection by the internal file-ID an replaces it trough the relative path. This hint helps distributing structures with Aliases by CD-ROM.
Holy cow, Hansueli, it works! The first time I tried it, I forgot to "test the alias." Turns out that's a crucial step, just as you say. Thanks, thanks, thanks!
Hello guys
Interestingly enough, we have just solved this problem. You simply need to go in the terminal and create a symbolic link the old fashion way.
You need to change directory to the folder where you need the alias to be using cd. Then use the ln command to create the symbolic link
# ln -s existing-link-target name-of-the-think
It works pretty well for us. We have made the following tests to verify that the symbolic link (the "alias") works as excepted:
I hope this helps
Cheers
Thanks Hansueli.
I need to burn a folder to a CD-ROM using Toast. Inside this folder is an alias of the application and another folder with all the data and the original of the application (Director Projector). The alias is supposed to execute the projector in this flde whch it doe son my hard disk. like Higheadow, Each time I copied the folder, the alias no longer linked to the app inside the folder sitting adjacent to it.
I am very anxious to try your method. I have not found any thing that would maintain the relative paths, so your suggestion is very helpful. Thank you ahead of time.
Hello,
Gave the Hansueli procedure a try today. I can not get it to work. Tried it various different variations. No luck. Can not copy a alias to a CD and have it work.
Is there any way to set a relative link in a alias?
Thanks,
Chara
Hello,
a crucial step in my procedure seems to be "Test the alias". After the alias has not found the original file, it is ready to accept a relative path. This path will be created when the alias finds a copy of the original file with the original name at the same position.
In the meantime I have mastered several CD-ROMs using this procedure.
Hansueli
Alias or symlink with a RELATIVE path?
