Re: [boost] [filesystem] "leaf"

From: Johan Råde (rade_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-05-21 04:30:28

David Abrahams wrote:
> I was just reviewing the filesystem docs and came across "leaf()".  I'm
> sure this isn't the first time I've seen it, but this time I picked up a
> little semantic dissonance.  Normally we think of "leaf" in the context
> of a tree as being a thing with no children.  An interior node like a
> directory that has files or other directories in it is usually not
> called a "leaf."  I wonder if this is the best possible name?
> 
> Is there a precedent we can draw on in some other language/library?  In
> python, it's os.path.basename(p).  Perl, php, and the posix basename
> command seem to do something similar.
> 

David is absolutely right.

The name leaf is the result of conceptual confusion,
failure to distinguish between the tree structure of the file system
and the linear structure of a path.

If possible, at this late stage, the names should be changed.

--Johan Råde