Use Symbolic link instead of Junction Point

[walterlv]

For Issue

• After the windows 10 updates, all shortcuts of scoop will disappear. #3941

Description

mklink /j is used to make junction points and mklink /d is used to make symbolic links.

• Shortcuts in the start menu targeting files inside junction points will be lost after a Windows Update while they will persist inside symbolic links. (See After the windows 10 updates, all shortcuts of scoop will disappear. #3941 and Windows 10 April 2018 Update Removes Scoop Shortcuts from Start Menu #2233 )
• Symbolic link is supported above Windows Vista and scoop should be run above Windows 7, so symbolic link stills works on all users.
• Symbolic links DO NOT require to run as administrator and this is the same with junction points.
• Symbolic links support directories and files while junction points only support directories.(EDIT: They are same to support directory only.)

My blog and references for mklink command

• Compare four different file (folder) links on Windows (NTFS hard links, junction points, symbolic links, and well-known shortcuts)
• 比较 Windows 上四种不同的文件（夹）链接方式（NTFS 的硬链接、目录联接、符号链接，和大家熟知的快捷方式）

[chawyehsu]

Symbolic links support directories and files while junction points only support directories.

I assume symbolic links you said is mklink /d and this is not true. mklink /d can only create a directory link. And if you look through the commit history of scoop, you will find that it used mklink /d years ago.

[walterlv]

@h404bi OK, you're right. I'll change my description and the pull request.

Then should mklink /d be used instead of mklink /j for directories? This helps to resolve shortcuts lost issue.

---

EDIT: I find out that #1179 starts to use mklink /j to link current directory. But before that nothing linking method is been used.

[chawyehsu]

I maybe remember incorrectly, but I did remember Scoop was using reparsepoint or something for data persistence, not for shortcuts.

[walterlv]

So, what about the pull request?

• Why the CI of Powershell 5.x fails?
• What should I do for this pull request? Merge it or find some other solutions?

[chawyehsu]

Why the CI of Powershell 5.x fails?

The code linting fails, some rules have changed in the new version of PSScriptAnalyzer, and we don't update it yet.

What should I do for this pull request? Merge it or find some other solutions?

Maybe some tests?

[walterlv]

@h404bi Maybe I have to know how to deploy the compiled scoop to my computer instead of the released one and know what basic tests should I do. At last, wait for next week's Windows Updater and check whether if this issue is resolved.

[chawyehsu]

@walterlv And you should know that mklink /d does require admin rights to perform.

[walterlv]

@h404bi Yes! mklink /d requires admin rights and I find that the /d option exists in the current version code. So is it works well? I doubt not.

The blog posts posted in this pull request are written by me and have mentioned the administrative rights.

[chawyehsu]

So is it works well?

Users w/o admin rights may encounter issues. Except for global installation, avoiding admin rights is a core feature of Scoop.

[walterlv]

@chawyehsu BAD NEWS!

A blog of Microsoft says:

Starting with Windows 10 Insiders build 14972, symlinks can be created without needing to elevate the console as administrator. This will allow developers, tools and projects, that previously struggled to work effectively on Windows due to symlink issues, to behave just as efficiently and reliably as they do on Linux or OSX.

This means that for most computers, the symbolic link needs to run as administrator. To avoid this, we MUST turn on the developer mode.

See more details here and here:

• Compare four different file (folder) links on Windows (NTFS hard links, junction points, symbolic links, and well-known shortcuts) - walterlv
• Symlinks in Windows 10! - Windows Developer Blog

[chawyehsu]

@walterlv yes, I've known it and that's why junction point is used. I've read the blog post from Windows Developer Blog for so many times. lol

[c33s]

i prefer junctions as they simply work and don't need to admin or changing to developer mode.

[rashil2000]

mklink /d requires admin rights and I find that the /d option exists in the current version code.

There are no instances of mklink /d in the codebase.

I'm closing this as symbolic link creation requires admin rights (or enabling developer mode, which also requires admin right).

[ipcjs]

Maybe we could give priority to the /d option and then use the /j option if we don't have permission?