How to create file symlink (symbolic link)

ln -s relative/path/to/actual/file.md symlink-file.md

This creates a symbolic link called symlink-file.md in the root directory, which points to relative/path/to/actual/file.md.

More info about the ln command: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/linux-ln-how-to-create-a-symbolic-link-in-linux-example-bash-command/

Behaviour observation:

• MacOS Finder
  • Symlink file is displayed with a shortcut arrow sign in the icon. You can preview & open it like a regular file.
• VSCode
  • Symlink file opens with an arrow ↪ next to the file name
  • You can modify either file (eg. you can open symlink-file.md and modify it). The modification is reflected in the original file.
• Git & GitHub
  • You can commit symlink files like regular files.
  • In GH web, the symlink file is shown with an arrow ↪ icon in the repo page.
    • When you open it, it does not show the content but instead the path to the original file. Example: https://github.com/ekafyi/astronotion/blob/main/README.md
    • A symlink README.md file is displayed normally in the bottom panel of a repo/directory view.

Use case example:

I have a repository with a monorepo setup (the publishable package code is in a child directory, not in root). I can have a single README.md file in the package directory, then create a symlink in the root directory. That way, the readme content is shown in both the repo main page and the package directory—the latter is also used for the package's NPM page.

In: Power user MOC