Checking for broken links in directory structures

Dead End

Photo by Adam Birkett on Unsplash

Photo by Adam Birkett on Unsplash

Article from Issue 261/2022
Author(s):

Broken links can wreak havoc in directory structures. This article shows you how to use scripts to avoid having your links lead to a dead end.

During a restore process, nothing is more disappointing than discovering that some of the links in your previously backed up data no longer work. Although the link is still there, the target no longer exists, resulting in the link pointing nowhere. These broken data structures can also cause problems when you are developing software and publishing it in the form of an archive, or if you need to install different versions of an application.

Finding and fixing broken links manually takes a lot of effort. You can avoid this scenario by using scripts and Unix/Linux tools to check for broken links in directory structures. In this article, I'll look at several ways to check the consistency of these data structures and detect broken links. Read on to avoid hiccups for you and your users.

Sample Data

As an example, I will use the directory structure shown in Figure 1, which is similar to a piece of software or a project directory that you might encounter in the wild. You can easily create a tree such as Figure 1 with the tree command [1].

[...]

Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).

Buy this article as PDF

Download Article PDF now with Express Checkout
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
Print Issues
Digital Issues
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Print Subscriptions
Digital Subscriptions

Related content

comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News

Tag Cloud

Administration Community Desktop Events Hardware Linux Mobile Programming Security Software Ubuntu Web Development Windows free software open source