[boost] [filesystem] Function name changes

From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-07-03 12:17:19

All the changes mentioned below leave the current names in place as 
synonyms, so will break no existing code.

* Change is_regular() to is_regular_file().

Dave Abrahams and several other people, including me, have found that 
the name of the is_regular() function is too obscure. It was chosen over 
is_regular_file() for brevity, but isn't holding up well with 
experience. The status name is already "regular_file" and the term 
"regular file" is used by the POSIX standard.

* Change leaf() to base_name().
* Change branch() to base_path().

In the long thread '[filesystem] "leaf"', several people found the 
current names obscure or invoking the wrong metaphor. Many alternative 
names were discussed, with an eye to making the names more obvious, 
conforming to names such as "basename" used in other programming 
languages, and/or using names already in use by the STL.  Not breaking 
existing code was also a major concern, given that "basename" is already 
used in Boost.Filesystem.

The mental model for the new names is that for a path, p:

    p == p.base_path() / p.base_name()

Thus if p == "foo/bar/boo.txt", p.base_path() == "foo/bar", and 
p.base_name() == "boo.txt".

* Change basename() to base_name_prefix().
* Change to extension() to base_name_extension().

This change is to avoid confusion with base_name().

The mental model for the new name is that for a path, p:

    p.base_name() == base_name_prefix(p) + base_name_extension(p)

Thus if p == "foo/bar/boo.txt", base_name_prefix(p) == "boo", and 
base_name_extension(p) == ".txt".

Comments?

--Beman