Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!hellgate.utah.edu!caen!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!hpda!hpcupt1!swh
From: swh@hpcupt1.cup.hp.com (Steve Harrold)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Re: minor problem with COPY command
Message-ID: <51040002@hpcupt1.cup.hp.com>
Date: 13 Dec 90 19:19:05 GMT
References: <31600012@hpcvra.cv.hp.com.CV.HP.COM>
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Cupertino
Lines: 47

Re: Problems with COPY command

COPY commands of the form:

	COPY file*.* targetfilename
	COPY file1+file2+file3 targetfilename

combine (concatenate) files into one target file.  Note carefully that
"targetfilename" is a filename NOT a directory name.

To quote from my HP Vectra MSDOS User's Reference, 

	"When COPY is used to copy a file, the source and target files
	 are treated as binary if no option is specified.  When COPY
	 is used to combine files, the files are treated as ASCII if
	 no option is specified."

In your examples,

    COPY JUNK.* A:             is a file copy, assume binary
    COPY JUNK.* TEMPFILE.*     is a file copy, assume binary
    COPY JUNK.COM TEMPFILE     is a file copy, assume binary

    COPY JUNK.* TEMPFILE       is a file combine, assume ascii

A binary copy operation replicates the original file exactly, using the 
directory filesize information.  This is the default and corresponds to
the the most common way that people use the COPY command.

An ascii copy operation replicates each source file until the first
end-of-file marker (ctrl-Z) is encountered with the remainder of the file
being ignored.  A ctrl-Z is placed at the end of the target file.

In short, the behaviour you've observed is CORRECT.  Perhaps not intuitive,
but correct neverthless.

If you want to do what you've intended to do, execute:

    COPY /B JUNK.* TEMPFILE  

--
---------------------
Steve Harrold			swh@hpda.hp.com
				...hplabs!hpda!swh
				HPG200/11
				(408) 447-5580
---------------------