fs: make --links flag global and add new --local-links and --vfs-links flag

Before this change the --links flag when using the VFS override the
--links flag for the local backend which meant the local backend
needed explicit config to use links.

This fixes the problem by making the --links flag global and adding a
new --local-links flag and --vfs-links flags to control the features
individually if required.

backend/local/local.go

@@ -100,10 +100,8 @@ Metadata is supported on files and directories.
 			},
 			{
 				Name:     "links",
-				Help:     "Translate symlinks to/from regular files with a '" + fs.LinkSuffix + "' extension.",
+				Help:     "Translate symlinks to/from regular files with a '" + fs.LinkSuffix + "' extension for the local backend.",
 				Default:  false,
-				NoPrefix: true,
-				ShortOpt: "l",
 				Advanced: true,
 			},
 			{
@@ -383,12 +381,17 @@ var (
 
 // NewFs constructs an Fs from the path
 func NewFs(ctx context.Context, name, root string, m configmap.Mapper) (fs.Fs, error) {
+	ci := fs.GetConfig(ctx)
 	// Parse config into Options struct
 	opt := new(Options)
 	err := configstruct.Set(m, opt)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	// Override --local-links with --links if set
+	if ci.Links {
+		opt.TranslateSymlinks = true
+	}
 	if opt.TranslateSymlinks && opt.FollowSymlinks {
 		return nil, errLinksAndCopyLinks
 	}

docs/content/docs.md

@@ -1426,6 +1426,22 @@ The options mean
 
 During rmdirs it will not remove root directory, even if it's empty.
 
+### --links / -l
+
+Normally rclone will ignore symlinks or junction points (which behave
+like symlinks under Windows).
+
+If you supply this flag then rclone will copy symbolic links from any
+supported backend backend, and store them as text files, with a
+`.rclonelink` suffix in the destination.
+
+The text file will contain the target of the symbolic link.
+
+The `--links` / `-l` flag enables this feature for all supported
+backends and the VFS. There are individual flags for just enabling it
+for the VFS `--vfs-links` and the local backend `--local-links` if
+required.
+
 ### --log-file=FILE ###
 
 Log all of rclone's output to FILE.  This is not active by default.

docs/content/local.md

@@ -209,13 +209,13 @@ $ rclone -L ls /tmp/a
         6 b/one
 ```
 
-#### --links, -l 
+#### --local-links, --links, -l 
 
 Normally rclone will ignore symlinks or junction points (which behave
 like symlinks under Windows).
 
 If you supply this flag then rclone will copy symbolic links from the local storage,
-and store them as text files, with a '.rclonelink' suffix in the remote storage.
+and store them as text files, with a `.rclonelink` suffix in the remote storage.
 
 The text file will contain the target of the symbolic link (see example).
 
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ Copying the entire directory with '-l'
 $ rclone copy -l /tmp/a/ remote:/tmp/a/
 ```
 
-The remote files are created with a '.rclonelink' suffix
+The remote files are created with a `.rclonelink` suffix
 
 ```
 $ rclone ls remote:/tmp/a
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ $ tree /tmp/b
 /tmp/b
 ├── file1.rclonelink
 └── file2.rclonelink
-````
+```
 
 If you want to copy a single file with `-l` then you must use the `.rclonelink` suffix.
 
@@ -286,6 +286,10 @@ $ tree /tmp/c
 └── file1 -> ./file4
 ```
 
+Note that `--local-links` just enables this feature for the local
+backend. `--links` and `-l` enable the feature for all supported
+backends and the VFS.
+
 Note that this flag is incompatible with `-copy-links` / `-L`.
 
 ### Restricting filesystems with --one-file-system
@@ -361,9 +365,9 @@ Properties:
 - Type:        bool
 - Default:     false
 
-#### --links / -l
+#### --local-links
 
-Translate symlinks to/from regular files with a '.rclonelink' extension.
+Translate symlinks to/from regular files with a '.rclonelink' extension for the local backend.
 
 Properties:
 

fs/config.go

@@ -105,6 +105,12 @@ var ConfigOptionsInfo = Options{{
 	Default:  false,
 	Help:     "Enable interactive mode",
 	Groups:   "Config,Important",
+}, {
+	Name:     "links",
+	Help:     "Translate symlinks to/from regular files with a '" + LinkSuffix + "' extension.",
+	Default:  false,
+	ShortOpt: "l",
+	Groups:   "Copy",
 }, {
 	Name:    "contimeout",
 	Default: 60 * time.Second,
@@ -537,6 +543,7 @@ type ConfigInfo struct {
 	UseJSONLog                 bool              `config:"use_json_log"`
 	DryRun                     bool              `config:"dry_run"`
 	Interactive                bool              `config:"interactive"`
+	Links                      bool              `config:"links"`
 	CheckSum                   bool              `config:"checksum"`
 	SizeOnly                   bool              `config:"size_only"`
 	IgnoreTimes                bool              `config:"ignore_times"`

vfs/vfs.md

@@ -305,10 +305,11 @@ modified files from the cache (the related global flag `--checkers` has no effec
 
 ### Symlinks
 
-Be default the VFS does not support symlinks. However this may be
+By default the VFS does not support symlinks. However this may be
-enabled with the following flag:
+enabled with either of the following flags:
 
     --links      Translate symlinks to/from regular files with a '.rclonelink' extension.
+    --vfs-links  Translate symlinks to/from regular files with a '.rclonelink' extension for the VFS
 
 As most cloud storage systems do not support symlinks directly, rclone
 stores the symlink as a normal file with a special extension. So a
@@ -316,9 +317,13 @@ file which appears as a symlink `link-to-file.txt` would be stored on
 cloud storage as `link-to-file.txt.rclonelink` and the contents would
 be the path to the symlink destination.
 
-This scheme is compatible with that used by the [local backend with the --links flag](/local/#symlinks-junction-points).
+Note that `--links` enables symlink translation globally in rclone -
+this includes any backend which supports the concept (for example the
+local backend). `--vfs-links` just enables it for the VFS layer.
 
-The `--links` flag has been designed for `rclone mount`, `rclone
+This scheme is compatible with that used by the [local backend with the --local-links flag](/local/#symlinks-junction-points).
+
+The `--vfs-links` flag has been designed for `rclone mount`, `rclone
 nfsmount` and `rclone serve nfs`.
 
 It hasn't been tested with the other `rclone serve` commands yet.

vfs/vfscommon/options.go

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package vfscommon
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"os"
 	"runtime"
 	"time"
@@ -45,11 +46,10 @@ var OptionsInfo = fs.Options{{
 	Help:    "Only allow read-only access",
 	Groups:  "VFS",
 }, {
-	Name:     "links",
+	Name:    "vfs_links",
 	Default: false,
-	Help:     "Translate symlinks to/from regular files with a '" + fs.LinkSuffix + "' extension",
+	Help:    "Translate symlinks to/from regular files with a '" + fs.LinkSuffix + "' extension for the VFS",
 	Groups:  "VFS",
-	ShortOpt: "l",
 }, {
 	Name:    "vfs_cache_mode",
 	Default: CacheModeOff,
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ type Options struct {
 	NoSeek             bool          `config:"no_seek"`        // don't allow seeking if set
 	NoChecksum         bool          `config:"no_checksum"`    // don't check checksums if set
 	ReadOnly           bool          `config:"read_only"`      // if set VFS is read only
-	Links              bool          `config:"links"`          // if set interpret link files
+	Links              bool          `config:"vfs_links"`      // if set interpret link files
 	NoModTime          bool          `config:"no_modtime"`     // don't read mod times for files
 	DirCacheTime       fs.Duration   `config:"dir_cache_time"` // how long to consider directory listing cache valid
 	Refresh            bool          `config:"vfs_refresh"`    // refreshes the directory listing recursively on start
@@ -211,6 +211,13 @@ var Opt Options
 
 // Init the options, making sure everything is within range
 func (opt *Options) Init() {
+	ci := fs.GetConfig(context.Background())
+
+	// Override --vfs-links with --links if set
+	if ci.Links {
+		opt.Links = true
+	}
+
 	// Mask the permissions with the umask
 	opt.DirPerms &= ^opt.Umask
 	opt.FilePerms &= ^opt.Umask