Re: [boost] boost::filesystem::path frustration

Subject: Re: [boost] boost::filesystem::path frustration
From: Dave Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2013-01-27 10:45:20

on Sun Jan 27 2013, Rob Stewart <robertstewart-AT-comcast.net> wrote:

> On Jan 25, 2013, at 6:52 PM, Dave Abrahams <dave_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>
>> IMO paths are abstract entities that aren't necessarily realized in
>> the local filesystem.  The results of pure path manipulations must
>> therefore not depend on the state of the local filesystem.
>> Operations accepting paths as input that depend on the local
>> filesystem structure should be seen as operations on the filesystem
>> rather than operations on paths.
>
> +1
>
> I also like the idea that a path is a container of elements.

In fact there probably ought to be an object representing the local
filesystem, so you could also (in principle) do operations on a remote
filesystem.  That would very clearly distinguish path operations from
filesystem ones: since you don't need a filesystem to manipulate paths,
the signatures would differ.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
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