Checking for broken links in directory structures
Dead End
Photo by Adam Birkett on Unsplash
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].
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
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.
News
-
Blender App Makes it to the Big Screen
The animated film "Flow" won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 97th Academy Awards held on March 2, 2025 and Blender was a part of it.
-
Linux Mint Retools the Cinnamon App Launcher
The developers of Linux Mint are working on an improved Cinnamon App Launcher with a better, more accessible UI.
-
New Linux Tool for Security Issues
Seal Security is launching a new solution to automate fixing Linux vulnerabilities.
-
Ubuntu 25.04 Coming Soon
Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) has been given an April release date with many notable updates.
-
Gnome Developers Consider Dropping RPM Support
In a move that might shock a lot of users, the Gnome development team has proposed the idea of going straight up Flatpak.
-
openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux
If you're an openSUSE Tumbleweed user, you can expect a major change to the distribution.
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.