Path * '' vs. Path workingDirectory

Hi All,

Is there any practical difference between (Path * '') and (Path
workingDirectory)?

Their internal representation is different:

- (Path * '') has one empty segment
- Path workingDirectory has no segments

But as far as I can tell they are otherwise the same:


| fs frEmpty frWD |

fs := FileSystem disk.
frEmpty := FileReference fileSystem: fs path: (Path * '').
frWD := FileReference fileSystem: fs path: Path workingDirectory.
String streamContents: [ :stream |
stream
        << 'frEmpty: ';
        << frEmpty printString; cr;
        << 'frWD: ';
        << frWD printString; cr;
        << '= : ';
        << (frEmpty absolutePath = frWD absolutePath) printString; cr.
]

'frEmpty: "File @ "
frWD: "File @ ."
= : true
'


Cheers,
Alistair

Hi Guille,

Thanks for your reply.


On Mon, Aug 14, 2017 at 01:44:41PM +0200, Guillermo Polito wrote:
>
>
> On Sun, Aug 13, 2017 at 5:54 PM, Alistair Grant <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>     Hi All,
>
>     Is there any practical difference between (Path * '') and (Path
>     workingDirectory)?
>
>
> Being strict, Path workingDirectory does not make any sense. A path is relative
> or absolute.

True, but Path is considered internal, so users shouldn't normally be
calling Path>>workingDirectory.

I'm asking because the patch I'm preparing to improve canonicalisation
affects the creation of the path in some instances ('.' asFileReference
used to have a path with an empty segment, now it has Path
workingDirectory).

Just for the record :-)

Path workingDirectory isRelative  " true"


> And it is relative to some other path.

Right, Pharo defines the image directory as the working directory (although
https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/92 will change that to the
more common shell interpretation of current working directory).


> I'd expect that Path workingDirectory gives you an absolute path to the current
> working directory,,,

But the path doesn't have a file system to resolve against.

Although even FileLocator workingDirectory gives a relative path.



Thanks again,
Alistair



>     Their internal representation is different:
>
>     - (Path * '') has one empty segment
>     - Path workingDirectory has no segments
>
>     But as far as I can tell they are otherwise the same:
>
>
>     | fs frEmpty frWD |
>
>     fs := FileSystem disk.
>     frEmpty := FileReference fileSystem: fs path: (Path * '').
>     frWD := FileReference fileSystem: fs path: Path workingDirectory.
>     String streamContents: [ :stream |
>     stream
>             << 'frEmpty: ';
>             << frEmpty printString; cr;
>             << 'frWD: ';
>             << frWD printString; cr;
>             << '= : ';
>             << (frEmpty absolutePath = frWD absolutePath) printString; cr.
>     ]
>
>     'frEmpty: "File @ "
>     frWD: "File @ ."
>     = : true
>     '
>
>
>     Cheers,
>     Alistair
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>                  Guille Polito
> [CNRS-filaire]
>
>                  Research Engineer
>
>                  French National Center for Scientific Research - http://
>                  www.cnrs.fr
>
>
>
>                  Web: http://guillep.github.io
>
>                  Phone: <a href="tel:%2B33%2006%2052%2070%2066%2013" value="+33652706613">+33 06 52 70 66 13
>