std::filesystem::path::lexically_normal, std::filesystem::path::lexically_relative, std::filesystem::path::lexically_proximate

 

C++

Language

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Concepts

Utilities library

Strings library

Containers library

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Iterators library

Numerics library

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Regular expressions library (C++11)

Atomic operations library (C++11)

Thread support library (C++11)

Filesystem library (C++17)

Technical Specifications

 

Filesystem library

Classes
filesystem::path filesystem::filesystem_error filesystem::directory_entry filesystem::directory_iterator filesystem::recursive_directory_iterator filesystem::file_status	filesystem::space_info filesystem::file_type filesystem::perms filesystem::copy_options filesystem::directory_options filesystem::file_time_type
Functions
filesystem::absolute filesystem::system_complete filesystem::canonicalfilesystem::weakly_canonical filesystem::relativefilesystem::proximate filesystem::copy filesystem::copy_file filesystem::copy_symlink filesystem::create_directory filesystem::create_directories filesystem::create_hard_link filesystem::create_symlink filesystem::create_directory_symlink filesystem::current_path	filesystem::exists filesystem::equivalent filesystem::file_size filesystem::hard_link_count filesystem::last_write_time filesystem::permissions filesystem::read_symlink filesystem::remove filesystem::remove_all filesystem::rename filesystem::resize_file filesystem::space filesystem::status filesystem::symlink_status filesystem::temp_directory_path
File types
filesystem::is_block_file filesystem::is_character_file filesystem::is_directory filesystem::is_empty filesystem::status_known	filesystem::is_fifo filesystem::is_other filesystem::is_regular_file filesystem::is_socket filesystem::is_symlink

 

std::filesystem::path

Member functions
path::path path::~path path::operator= path::assign path::appendpath::operator /= path::concatpath::operator += path::clear path::make_preferred path::remove_filename path::replace_filename path::replace_extension path::swap path::compare path::beginpath::end	path::c_strpath::nativepath::operator string_type path::stringpath::u8stringpath::u16stringpath::u32stringpath::wstring path::generic_stringpath::generic_u8stringpath::generic_u16stringpath::generic_u32stringpath::generic_wstring path::lexically_normalpath::lexically_relativepath::lexically_proximate
Path decomposition
path::root_name path::root_directory path::root_path path::relative_path path::parent_path path::filename path::stem path::extension path::empty	path::has_root_pathpath::has_root_namepath::has_root_directorypath::has_relative_pathpath::has_parent_pathpath::has_filenamepath::has_stempath::has_extension path::is_absolutepath::is_relative
Non-member functions
swap(path)
hash_value
operator==operator!=operator<operator<=operator>operator>=
operator/
operator<<operator>>
u8path

 

path lexically_normal() const;	(1)	(since C++17)
path lexically_relative(const path& base) const;	(2)	(since C++17)
path lexically_proximate(const path& base) const;	(3)	(since C++17)

1) Returns *this converted to normal form (no redundant dot or dot-dot elements, and if the last element is a non-root directory separator, dot is added)

2) Returns *this made relative to base. Effectively does the following:

First, determines the first mismatched element of *this and base using std::mismatch(begin(), end(), base.begin(), base.end()), then

• if the first mismatched element of *this is equal to begin() or the first mismatched element of base is equal to base.begin(), returns path() (empty path).
• otherwise, if the first mismatched element of *this is equal to end() and the first mismatched element of base is equal to base.end(), returns path(".")
• otherwise returns an object of class path composed via application of operator/=(path("..")) for each element in the half-open range [first mismatched element of base, base.end()), and then application of for each element in the half-open range [first mismatched element of *this, end()).

3) If the value of lexically_relative(base) is not an empty path, return it. Otherwise return *this.

Parameters

(none)

Return value

1) The normal form of the path

2) The relative form of the path

3) The proximate form of the path

Exceptions

(none)

Notes

These conversions are purely lexical. They do not check that the paths exist, do not follow symlinks, and do not access the filesystem at all. For symlink-following counterparts of lexically_relative and lexically_proximate, see relative and proximate.

On Windows, the returned path has backslashes (the preferred separators),

Example

Run this code

#include <iostream>
#include <filesystem>
#include <cassert>
namespace fs = std::filesystem;
 
int main()
{
    assert(fs::path("foo/./bar/..").lexically_normal() == "foo");
    assert(fs::path("foo/.///bar/../").lexically_normal() == "foo/.");
 
    assert(path("/a/d").lexically_relative("/a/b/c") == "../../d");
    assert(path("/a/b/c").lexically_relative("/a/d") == "../b/c");
    assert(path("a/b/c").lexically_relative("a") == "b/c");
    assert(path("a/b/c").lexically_relative("a/b/c/x/y") == "../..");
    assert(path("a/b/c").lexically_relative("a/b/c") == ".");
    assert(path("a/b").lexically_relative("c/d") == "");
}

See also

relativeproximate (C++17)

composes a relative path (function)