How do a copy a file?

[Dr. David Kirkby]

I have a test script that needs to copy a file from the source
distribution to a tempory directory off of the build directory. I have
in the test script:

#! /bin/sh
echo top_srcdir = $top_srcdir top_builddir= $top_builddir
cp $top_srcdir/examples/25ohm-201h.bmp
$top_builddir/tmp/25ohm-201h.bmp

(the direcory $top_builddir/tmp is made in another test script).

The above works fine if I run build in the source tree, but seems to
go astray if I do 'make distcheck' and so do a VPATH build. 

The echo above prints:
top_srcdir = ../.. top_builddir= ..


In the tests/Makefile.am I have:

TESTS_ENVIRONMENT = \
top_builddir=$(top_builddir) \
top_srcdir=$(top_srcdir) \
built_with_posix_threads=$(built_with_posix_threads)

What am  I doing wrong?? Can I not copy a file with cp like this???

-- 
Dr. David Kirkby,
Senior Research Fellow,
Department of Medical Physics,
University College London,
11-20 Capper St, London, WC1E 6JA.
Tel: 020 7679 6408 Fax: 020 7679 6269
Internal telephone: ext 46408
e-mail address@hidden