Tricks around the "copy" command...
The copy command can be very useful for quick operations. However, there are a number of tricks that are not widely known.
1) Copying the contents of a source directory into the current directory: just specify the source directory!
y:\privates>copy C:\WINDOWS\system32\clients\twclient\x86
C:\WINDOWS\system32\clients\twclient\x86\twcli32.msi
1 file(s) copied.
2) Creating a text file without an editor:
y:\privates>copy con sample.txt
This is a text file.
Another line...
^Z
1 file(s) copied.y:\privates>type sample.txt
This is a text file.
Another line...
3) Creating a zero-size file
C:\>copy nul empty.txt
1 file(s) copied.C:\>dir empty.txt
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is FCCD-E1D0Directory of C:\
02/26/2005 10:38 PM 0 empty.txt
1 File(s) 0 bytes
0 Dir(s) 24,429,268,992 bytes free
4) Appending to a text file. Note that /A flag
y:\privates>copy /A abc.txt + con
abc.txt
con
BBB
^Z
1 file(s) copied.y:\privates>copy /A abc.txt + con
abc.txt
con
CCC
^Z
1 file(s) copied.y:\privates>type abc.txt
AAA
BBB
CCC
[update: item (3) above is fixed now.]