How to construct a relative path in Java from two absolute paths (or URLs)?

Question

Given two absolute paths, e.g.

/var/data/stuff/xyz.dat
/var/data

How can one create a relative path that uses the second path as its base?

Answer 1

Here a method that resolves a relative path from a base path regardless they are in the same or in a different root:

public static String GetRelativePath(String path, String base){

    final String SEP = "/";

    // if base is not a directory -> return empty
    if (!base.endsWith(SEP)){
        return "";
    }

    // check if path is a file -> remove last "/" at the end of the method
    boolean isfile = !path.endsWith(SEP);

    // get URIs and split them by using the separator
    String a = "";
    String b = "";
    try {
        a = new File(base).getCanonicalFile().toURI().getPath();
        b = new File(path).getCanonicalFile().toURI().getPath();
    } catch (IOException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
    String[] basePaths = a.split(SEP);
    String[] otherPaths = b.split(SEP);

    // check common part
    int n = 0;
    for(; n < basePaths.length && n < otherPaths.length; n ++)
    {
        if( basePaths[n].equals(otherPaths[n]) == false )
            break;
    }

    // compose the new path
    StringBuffer tmp = new StringBuffer("");
    for(int m = n; m < basePaths.length; m ++)
        tmp.append(".."+SEP);
    for(int m = n; m < otherPaths.length; m ++)
    {
        tmp.append(otherPaths[m]);
        tmp.append(SEP);
    }

    // get path string
    String result = tmp.toString();

    // remove last "/" if path is a file
    if (isfile && result.endsWith(SEP)){
        result = result.substring(0,result.length()-1);
    }

    return result;
}