Re: [boost] [filesystem] home_directory_path

Subject: Re: [boost] [filesystem] home_directory_path
From: Jeff Flinn (TriumphSprint2000_at_[hidden])
Date: 2010-10-22 08:45:01

Stewart, Robert wrote:
> I have no experience with Macs, so I don't know how such data is managed on that platform, but I suspect it will be different in non-trivial ways from Windows and *nix.

Windows/Mac is my particular use case that spawned this thread.

Mac(OSX) has the POSIX HOME environment variable defined to the 
directory /Users/<name> which is directly exposed in Finder with a house 
icon under the PLACES group. Home contains Applications, Desktop and 
Documents directories, among others. These appear to be stable location

Win has the USERPROFILE (a composition of HOMEDRIVE, HOMEPATH) 
environment variable defined to the directory(at least on standard 
install of XP and Vista) C:\Documents and Settings\<name> which is *not* 
directly exposed in Explorer. Userprofile contains Desktop, My Documents 
directories, among others. There has been discussion concerning roaming 
issues.

In both of these OS's there are no environment variables exposing 
Desktop or My Documents. Also the exact text is a function of the 
localization in effect. Both OS's do provide api's to access these paths 
  accounting for localization.

It appears based on this thread that *NIX's other than OSX do not have 
these concepts at all, other than maybe the concept of HOME which 
appears to be contentious in this thread as well.

Is there room in boost for documents_directory_path, and 
desktop_directory_path, that return proper paths for (lack of a better 
categorization)GUI OS's?

Jeff