[boost] Re: status of wchar_t support in filesystem::path?

From: Edward Diener (eddielee_at_[hidden])
Date: 2004-02-15 15:37:14

Paul Miller wrote:
> I just started using boost recently and it seems excellent so far.
>
> One of the first classes I started using is filesystem::path, with the
> intention to use it portably on Windows, OS X, and Linux.
>
> On Windows and OS X, you can work with paths in Unicode. Presumably
> Linux still works with multi-byte characters.
>
> Is there progres toward a wchar_t-aware path?

I don't know if Mr. Dawes will include such an addition in a future version
of filesystem, but I do know that urging that C++ standard libraries add
wide character filenames and paths where appropriate, on comp.std.c++, has
met with a wall of resistance in the past. There seems to be the idea there
that just because Windows supports wide character filenames and directories
is no reason to have it supported in the C++ standard libraries. Given that
the C++ standard committee is so intent on not supporting wide character
filenames, I certainly wouldn't fault Mr. Dawes for not doing so. However if
he investigates the issue and decides to do it, or if anyone in Boost
decides to do work on it, maybe they can pass on their knowledge of its
effectiveness and implementation to the C++ standard committee. I am not
trying to start another discussion of this issue here on Boost, having spent
enough fruitless time in the past arguing for wide character filenames on
comp.std.c++, but I thought at least clarifying why boost::filesystem may
not support it might be helpful to you.