Advanced-Copy is a robust command line utility that closely resembles, yet slightly enhances the traditional cp command and mv tools.

This enhanced variant of the cp command introduces a progress bar and displays the total duration required to complete the file transfer when moving large files between directories.

Such an enhancement proves highly beneficial particularly during transfers of significant size, offering users insight into the ongoing status of the copy operation and the estimated time remaining.

Install Advanced-Copy Command in Linux

The sole method to install the Advanced-Copy tool on Linux systems involves compiling from source using the following single curl command. It downloads, patches, compiles coreutils, and generates the binaries: ./advcpmv/advcp and ./advcpmv/advmv.

<code># curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jarun/advcpmv/master/install.sh --create-dirs -o ./advcpmv/install.sh && (cd advcpmv && sh install.sh)</code>

You may encounter the following error during installation:

<code>checking whether mknod can create fifo without root privileges... configure: error: in `/root/advcpmv/coreutils-9.1':
configure: error: you should not run configure as root (set FORCE_UNSAFE_CONFIGURE=1 in environment to bypass this check)
See `config.log' for more details</code>

To resolve the above issue, execute the following terminal command and then re-run the curl command.

<code># export FORCE_UNSAFE_CONFIGURE=1
# curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jarun/advcpmv/master/install.sh --create-dirs -o ./advcpmv/install.sh && (cd advcpmv && sh install.sh)</code>

Once installation completes successfully, two new commands will be available under ./advcpmv/advcp and ./advcpmv/advmv. To enable the progress bar, replace your existing cp and mv commands with these new versions.

<code># mv ./advcpmv/advcp /usr/local/bin/cp
# mv ./advcpmv/advmv /usr/local/bin/mv</code>

Note: If you prefer not to place these commands in standard system paths, you can still execute them directly from the source directory such as “./advcpmv/advcp” and “./advcpmv/advmv”, or assign them new names like shown below:

<code># mv ./advcpmv/advcp /usr/local/bin/cpg
# mv ./advcpmv/advmv /usr/local/bin/mvg</code>

Show Progress Bar While Copying Files and Directories

To ensure the progress bar appears automatically every time you copy files or folders, append the following lines to your ~/.bashrc file.

<code># echo alias cp '/usr/local/bin/advcp -g' >> ~/.bashrc
# echo alias mv '/usr/local/bin/advmv -g' >> ~/.bashrc</code>

After saving the changes, log out and log back in for the configuration to take effect.

How to Use Advanced-Copy Command in Linux

The usage remains largely unchanged, except for the inclusion of the “-g” or “–progress-bar” flag alongside the cp command. The “-R” option is used to recursively copy directories.

Copy Files with Progress Bar

Below are example screenshots showing the copy process executed via the advanced copy command.

<code># cp -gR ubuntu-20.04.3-desktop-amd64.iso /home/tecmint/
OR
# cp -R --progress-bar ubuntu-20.04.3-desktop-amd64.iso /home/tecmint/</code>

Move Files with Progress Bar

Here’s an example demonstrating the ‘mv’ command along with a screenshot.

<code># mv --progress-bar Songs/ /data/
OR
# mv -g Songs/ /data/</code>

Keep in mind that the original commands remain untouched if you ever wish to revert or are unsatisfied with the progress bar enhancements. You can access the original versions using /usr/bin/cp or /usr/bin/mv.

I find this progress bar feature quite impressive; it gives me real-time feedback on the file copy process and how long it will take.

You might also like:

• How to Copy Files and Directories in Linux [14 cp Command Examples]
• How to Monitor Progress of (Copy/Backup/Compress) Data using ‘pv’ Command

In conclusion, this is definitely a handy utility to keep around, especially if you frequently work with large file transfers via the command line.

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