Re: [Boost-users] filesystem path initialization question...a followup question for Scott

From: me22 (me22.ca_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-04-18 13:24:50

On 4/18/07, Rush Manbert <rush_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> This is the sort of "smarter than me" answer I was hoping to see. :-)
>
Glad.

http://www.boost-consulting.org/boost/libs/filesystem/doc/faq.htm :
 * Why isn't automatic name portability error detection provided?
A number (at least six) of designs for name validity error detection
were evaluated, including at least four complete implementations.
While the details for rejection differed, all of the more powerful
name validity checking designs distorted other otherwise simple
aspects of the library. Even the simple name checking provided in
prior library versions was a constant source of user complaints. While
name checking can be helpful, it isn't important enough to justify
added a lot of additional complexity.

> But I have a question. If I get a path string from the native (Windows
> or Mac, for instance) API, and there is no native name checker, how do I
> generically construct a path from it? Is the platform-specific format
> dealt with behind the scenes in 1.34?
>
http://www.boost-consulting.org/boost/libs/filesystem/doc/index.htm#tutorial :
The string passed to the path constructor may be in a portable generic
path format or an implementation-defined native operating system
format. Access functions make my_path contents available to the
underlying operating system API in an operating system dependent
format, such as "some_dir:file.txt", "[some_dir]file.txt",
"some_dir/file.txt", or whatever is appropriate for the operating
system. If class wpath is used instead of class path, translation
between wide and narrow character paths is performed automatically if
necessary for the operating system.

For further details, see
http://www.boost-consulting.org/boost/libs/filesystem/doc/tr2_proposal.html#Pathname-formats

~ Scott McMurray