Re: [boost] [filesystem] Function name changes

From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-07-04 16:55:09

David Abrahams wrote:
> on Fri Jul 04 2008, Beman Dawes <bdawes-AT-acm.org> wrote:
> 
>> David Abrahams wrote:
>>> Beman Dawes wrote:
>>>> David Abrahams wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> FWIW, though I think it's probably a good idea to use base_name as you
>>>>> are suggesting, I was much less attached to the idea of using it to mean
>>>>> what is currently called leaf() than I was opposed to the idea of using
>>>>> it to mean something else, if you catch my drift :-)
>>>> Ah! Understood.
>>>>
>>>>> So one other option that avoids the above issues (not that I'm pushing
>>>>> this route) is to pick another name for what you currently call leaf().
>>>> Let's say branch_path() is changed to parent_path(). That suggests a
>>>> full set of names based on the parent/child decomposition of a path:
>>>>
>>>> * Change branch()    to parent_path()
>>>> * Change leaf()      to child()
>>>> * Change basename()  to child_prefix()
>>>> * Change extension() to child_extension()
>>>>
>>>> At first glance, those names seem reasonable clear and self-consistent.
>>>>
>>>> What's your take on that set?
>>> Well, "parent" describes a relationship between the path being operated
>>> on and the result.  "Child," on the other hand, does not.  So that
>>> doesn't work for me.  I would prefer "parent" and "filename."  I would
>>> prefer "drop_extension" and "extension," although I rather liked
>>> Volodya's "stem" suggestion.
>> I like "stem" too.
>>
>> Trying to put that all together:
>>
>> * Change branch()   to  parent_path()
> 
> Nit: "parent" is better.  Sticking "path" in the name of a
> transformation that returns a path smacks of hungarian notation.

The point (besides consistency with some other decomposition function 
names) of adding _path is to emphasize that what parent_path("a/b/c") 
returns is "a/b" rather "a", "..", or going to the file system and 
finding out the parent path of "a". I'm no fan of hungarian notation!

> 
>> * Change leaf()     to  file_name()

Are there any arguments other than personal preference for filename() vs 
file_name()? I was trying some code and kept writing filename(). Google 
code search turns up 5,980,00 hits for "filename" versus 550,000 for 
"file_name". So I think "filename" would win unless someone comes up 
with an argument otherwise. That should make you (Dave) happy as you've 
always spelled it "filename" in these discussions.

I guess one argument is that "root_name" then looks inconsistent. I'm 
not worried about that enough to do anything about it

--Beman