What is the naming standard for path components?

Question

I keep getting myself in knots when I am manipulating paths and file names because I don’t follow a naming standard for path components.

Consider the following toy pr

Answer 1

The Pathlib standard library in Python has a simple naming convention for path components:

A. /x/y/z/foo.tar.gz > stem.

B. /x/y/z/foo.tar.gz > name.

C. /x/y/z/foo.tar.gz (excluding dot) > N/A.

D. /x/y/z/foo.tar.gz (including dot) > suffix.

E. /x/y/z/foo.tar.gz > grand parent path.

F. /x/y/z/foo.tar.gz > relative path to grand parent path.

G. /x/y/z/foo.tar.gz > parent name.

H. /x/y/z/foo.tar.gz > parent path.

I. /x/y/z/foo.tar.gz > path.

Answer 2

In C++, Boost.Filesystem has devised a nomenclature for the various parts of a path. See the path decomposition reference documentation for details, as well as this tutorial.

Here's a summary based on the tutorial. For:

• Windows path: c:\foo\bar\baa.txt
• Unix path: /foo/bar/baa.txt

you get:

Part            Windows          Posix
--------------  ---------------  ---------------
Root name       c:               <empty>
Root directory  \                /
Root path       c:\              /
Relative path   foo\bar\baa.txt  foo/bar/baa.txt
Parent path     c:\foo\bar       /foo/bar
Filename        baa.txt          baa.txt
Stem            baa              baa
Extension       .txt             .txt

C++ standard ISO/IEC 14882:2017

Moreover Boost.Filesystem terminology has been adopted by C++17 => See std::filesystem

Function name     Meaning
----------------  -------------------------------
root_name()       Root-name of the path
root_directory()  Root directory of the path
root_path()       Root path of the path
relative_path()   Path relative to the root path
parent_path()     Path of the parent path
filename()        Path without base directory (basename)
stem()            Filename without extension
extension()       Component after last dot