


File::Spec::Mac(3Perl Programmers Reference GuFile::Spec::Mac(3p)


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

SYNOPSIS
       require File::Spec::Mac;

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")




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File::Spec::Mac(3Perl Programmers Reference GuFile::Spec::Mac(3p)


         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 of the current directory.

       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.  On any other platform returns '',
         since there's no common way to indicate "root directory"
         across all Macs.

       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.

SEE ALSO
       the File::Spec manpage





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