File::Spec::Mac - File::Spec for MacOS

NAME

File::Spec::Mac - File::Spec for MacOS

SUPPORTED PLATFORMS

SYNOPSIS

 require File::Spec::Mac; # Done internally by File::Spec if needed

DESCRIPTION

Methods for manipulating file specifications.

METHODS

canonpath
On MacOS, there's nothing to be done. Returns what it's given.

catdir
Concatenate two or more directory names to form a complete path ending with a directory. Put a trailing : on the end of the complete path if there isn't one, because that's what's done in MacPerl's environment.

The fundamental requirement of this routine is that

          File::Spec->catdir(split(":",$path)) eq $path

But because of the nature of Macintosh paths, some additional possibilities are allowed to make using this routine give reasonable results for some common situations. Here are the rules that are used. Each argument has its trailing ``:'' removed. Each argument, except the first, has its leading ``:'' removed. They are then joined together by a ``:''.

So

          File::Spec->catdir("a","b") = "a:b:"
          File::Spec->catdir("a:",":b") = "a:b:"
          File::Spec->catdir("a:","b") = "a:b:"
          File::Spec->catdir("a",":b") = "a:b"
          File::Spec->catdir("a","","b") = "a::b"

etc.

To get a relative path (one beginning with :), begin the first argument with : or put a ``'' as the first argument.

If you don't want to worry about these rules, never allow a ``:'' on the ends of any of the arguments except at the beginning of the first.

Under MacPerl, there is an additional ambiguity. Does the user intend that

          File::Spec->catfile("LWP","Protocol","http.pm")

be relative or absolute? There's no way of telling except by checking for the existence of LWP: or :LWP, and even there he may mean a dismounted volume or a relative path in a different directory (like in @INC). So those checks aren't done here. This routine will treat this as absolute.

catfile
Concatenate one or more directory names and a filename to form a complete path ending with a filename. Since this uses catdir, the same caveats apply. Note that the leading : is removed from the filename, so that 
          File::Spec->catfile($ENV{HOME},"file");

and

          File::Spec->catfile($ENV{HOME},":file");

give the same answer, as one might expect.

curdir
Returns a string representing the current directory.

devnull
Returns a string representing the null device.

rootdir
Returns a string representing the root directory. Under MacPerl, returns the name of the startup volume, since that's the closest in concept, although other volumes aren't rooted there.

tmpdir
Returns a string representation of the first existing directory from the following list or '' if none exist: 
    $ENV{TMPDIR}

updir
Returns a string representing the parent directory.

file_name_is_absolute
Takes as argument a path and returns true, if it is an absolute path. In the case where a name can be either relative or absolute (for example, a folder named ``HD'' in the current working directory on a drive named ``HD''), relative wins. Use ``:'' in the appropriate place in the path if you want to distinguish unambiguously.

path
Returns the null list for the MacPerl application, since the concept is usually meaningless under MacOS. But if you're using the MacPerl tool under MPW, it gives back $ENV{Commands} suitably split, as is done in :lib:ExtUtils:MM_Mac.pm.

splitpath
splitdir
catpath
abs2rel
rel2abs
Converts a relative path to an absolute path. 
    $abs_path = File::Spec->rel2abs( $destination ) ;
    $abs_path = File::Spec->rel2abs( $destination, $base ) ;

If $base is not present or '', then cwd() is used. If $base is relative, then it is converted to absolute form using rel2abs(). This means that it is taken to be relative to cwd().

On systems with the concept of a volume, this assumes that both paths are on the $base volume, and ignores the $destination volume.

On systems that have a grammar that indicates filenames, this ignores the $base filename as well. Otherwise all path components are assumed to be directories.

If $path is absolute, it is cleaned up and returned using canonpath().

Based on code written by Shigio Yamaguchi.

No checks against the filesystem are made.

SEE ALSO

the File::Spec manpage

 File::Spec::Mac - File::Spec for MacOS