Re: [boost] [1.44] [filesystem] operator +

Subject: Re: [boost] [1.44] [filesystem] operator +
From: Stewart, Robert (Robert.Stewart_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-08-25 08:48:38

Lars Viklund wrote:
> On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 11:22:51AM +0200, Jochen Wilhelmy wrote:
> > >
> >
> > I don't see any technical problem with + "/bar" since "/bar"
> > is the platform independent notation and should therefore work
> > on any platform. so far it is also allowed to do
> > fs::path("foo/bar") where '/' is also the platform independent
> > separator.
> > therefore it should be equivalent to fs::path("foo") + "/bar".
> > but it would be ok to prevent this e.g. by throwing an exception.
> > something like path.add_extension(".bar") should be ok too.
>
> On Windows, a \ is the proper path separator. Any functions
> accepting / are doing it out of tolerance. Saying that / is standard
> everywhere is completely bogus, especially on platforms like classic
> MacOS, VMS, etc.

He was referring to the "portable pathname format" supported by Boost.Filesystem.

> Anyway, if you want to operate on individual path components
> as strings, you can extract them with leaf() and friends.
> Opening up such a massive hole in path integrity just because
> you can't be bothered to use the fine member functions available
> sounds a bit silly.

Your vehemence is misplaced.  The OP's asking for an operator that understands the portable pathname format just as the constructor does, with the succinctness that operator syntax can provide.

The suggestion is that this code:

   fs::path("foo/bar")

and the following produce the same result:

   fs::path("foo") + "/bar";

That would, IOW, be equivalent to having done something like the following without first having to build a string:

   std::string s("foo");
   s += "/bar";
   fs::path(s);

Presumably, this would also be desirable:

   fs::path p("foo");
   p += "/bar";

If those operators only support the portable pathname format, they seem at least interesting, and certainly not a "massive hold in path integrity."

_____
Rob Stewart                           robert.stewart_at_[hidden]
Software Engineer, Core Software      using std::disclaimer;
Susquehanna International Group, LLP  http://www.sig.com

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