[boost] Re: Boost.Filesystem: naming, canonical path

From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-08-11 14:00:11

David Abrahams <dave_at_[hidden]> writes:

> Thomas Witt <witt_at_[hidden]> writes:
>
>> What would be the native representation for the following native
>                     ^^^^^^                                  ^^^^^^
>> paths
>>
>> C:\C\foo
>> \C\foo
>> C:\foo
>
> Not a very interesting challenge.
>
>     "C:\C\foo"
>     "\C\foo"
>     "C:\foo"
>
> I assume you mean the portable representation of the native paths:
>
>     "/C/C/foo"
>     "/" + *current_path().begin() + "/C/foo" (**)
>     "/C/foo"
>
> (**) There is no way to represent "The foo subdirectory of the C
> directory of the current drive" portably, because it isn't a portable
> concept.  Therefore, we could pick other sensible answers for the
> middle path, e.g.:
>
>
>        1. Exception is thrown
>
>        2. "./C/foo"
>
>        3. "/*/C/foo" where '*' is some character not normally allowed
>           in portable paths.

Sorry, should've been:

            "*/C/foo" where '*' is some character not normally
            allowed in portable paths.

Just to avoid confusion with the term "absolute" because I gather
some people need any path starting with '/' to be absolute.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
Boost Consulting
www.boost-consulting.com