Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > comp.lang.php > #16361 > unrolled thread

Handling parts of paths and directory names in PHP

Back to article view | Back to comp.lang.php

Contents

  Handling parts of paths and directory names in PHP James Harris <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2016-02-05 17:51 +0000
    Re: Handling parts of paths and directory names in PHP Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2016-02-05 21:15 +0000
      Re: Handling parts of paths and directory names in PHP James Harris <james.harris.1@gmail.com> - 2016-02-05 22:28 +0000
      Re: Handling parts of paths and directory names in PHP "Peter H. Coffin" <hellsop@ninehells.com> - 2016-02-08 13:13 -0600
        Re: Handling parts of paths and directory names in PHP Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> - 2016-02-08 21:27 +0000
    Re: Handling parts of paths and directory names in PHP Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2016-02-09 00:09 +0100
      Re: Handling parts of paths and directory names in PHP Jerry Stuckle <jstucklex@attglobal.net> - 2016-02-08 19:34 -0500

#16361 — Handling parts of paths and directory names in PHP

Do you guys have any generic recommendations on how to store paths based 
on your experience of handling paths in PHP?

The main choices seem to be to store a path as a string or as an array 
of directory names, the latter requiring an implode/join operation to 
convert to a string.

I have to store a path as multiple parts, each of which could have 
multiple levels of directory. To make up an example, there could be 
these parts of a single path

   /var/www/region
   /site/subsite/partition/
   /folder/subfolder
   filename

Just about the only unusual operation I need to carry our is to match 
the last part of paths based on prefixes. But there will be the normal 
taking apart and putting paths together, and some parts with need to be 
visible to users such as /folder/subfolder/filename. Parts prior to that 
will be invisible to users. In a visible path, /folder will appear to be 
in the root as far as users are concerned.

When handling such path parts as strings there are issues over whether 
to store slash characters at the start and end of a part or whether to 
add the slash when they are combined. Related, is avoiding a resultant 
path having a double slash (i.e. //) at any point.

These are mainly standard programming issues. I just wondered if you 
guys had come up with a consistent approach or whether you approach each 
problem separately.

So, any recommendations as to whether to store each part of a path as a 
string or an array in PHP?

James

[toc] | [next] | [standalone]

#16362

James Harris <james.harris.1@gmail.com> writes:

> Do you guys have any generic recommendations on how to store paths
> based on your experience of handling paths in PHP?
<snip>
> When handling such path parts as strings there are issues over whether
> to store slash characters at the start and end of a part or whether to
> add the slash when they are combined. Related, is avoiding a resultant
> path having a double slash (i.e. //) at any point.

I would not store the slashes.  When I store paths as an array of
components I store absolute paths with a "" as the first one.  Then the
full path is just a join operation.

> These are mainly standard programming issues. I just wondered if you
> guys had come up with a consistent approach or whether you approach
> each problem separately.
>
> So, any recommendations as to whether to store each part of a path as
> a string or an array in PHP?

If you think it's worth it, wrap it in a class so you can easily change
your mind about that.  (I presume there's a typo in the question,
though.  If not, I've got the wrong end of the stick again.)

-- 
Ben.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#16363

On 05/02/2016 21:15, Ben Bacarisse wrote:
> James Harris <james.harris.1@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Do you guys have any generic recommendations on how to store paths
>> based on your experience of handling paths in PHP?
> <snip>
>> When handling such path parts as strings there are issues over whether
>> to store slash characters at the start and end of a part or whether to
>> add the slash when they are combined. Related, is avoiding a resultant
>> path having a double slash (i.e. //) at any point.
>
> I would not store the slashes.  When I store paths as an array of
> components I store absolute paths with a "" as the first one.  Then the
> full path is just a join operation.

OK.

>> These are mainly standard programming issues. I just wondered if you
>> guys had come up with a consistent approach or whether you approach
>> each problem separately.
>>
>> So, any recommendations as to whether to store each part of a path as
>> a string or an array in PHP?
>
> If you think it's worth it, wrap it in a class so you can easily change
> your mind about that.  (I presume there's a typo in the question,
> though.  If not, I've got the wrong end of the stick again.)

A class is a good idea. As you suggest, it would be a bit of work to 
write all the methods but it would allow the implementation to be 
changed. I'll give it some thought.

I read through the original query and didn't see a typo but your 
comments answered my question. Thank you.

James

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#16374

On Fri, 05 Feb 2016 21:15:01 +0000, Ben Bacarisse wrote:
> James Harris <james.harris.1@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> Do you guys have any generic recommendations on how to store paths
>> based on your experience of handling paths in PHP?
><snip>
>> When handling such path parts as strings there are issues over whether
>> to store slash characters at the start and end of a part or whether to
>> add the slash when they are combined. Related, is avoiding a resultant
>> path having a double slash (i.e. //) at any point.
>
> I would not store the slashes.  When I store paths as an array of
> components I store absolute paths with a "" as the first one.  Then the
> full path is just a join operation.

Funny, that's almost exactly the opposite of how I look at it. To me,
the vast, vast majority of the time, I'm always only going to be dealing
with the full path anyway, because mostly I care about the thing at the
end of the path, and don't really give a damn what the path itself is.
So spending time writing, then running, code to assemble and break down
paths every time I want to access the thing at the end just seems to
gain me very little. And the majority of the time that I care about
anything other than just the target at the end, what I care about is the
penultimate part, the directory the thing is in. And there's already a
built-in function for getting that, that I don't have to write and is
probably more efficient than I could do in PHP itself anyway.

-- 
34. I will not turn into a snake. It never helps.
	--Peter Anspach's list of things to do as an Evil Overlord

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#16375

"Peter H. Coffin" <hellsop@ninehells.com> writes:

> On Fri, 05 Feb 2016 21:15:01 +0000, Ben Bacarisse wrote:
>> James Harris <james.harris.1@gmail.com> writes:
>>
>>> Do you guys have any generic recommendations on how to store paths
>>> based on your experience of handling paths in PHP?
>><snip>
>>> When handling such path parts as strings there are issues over whether
>>> to store slash characters at the start and end of a part or whether to
>>> add the slash when they are combined. Related, is avoiding a resultant
>>> path having a double slash (i.e. //) at any point.
>>
>> I would not store the slashes.  When I store paths as an array of
>> components I store absolute paths with a "" as the first one.  Then the
>> full path is just a join operation.
>
> Funny, that's almost exactly the opposite of how I look at it. To me,
> the vast, vast majority of the time, I'm always only going to be dealing
> with the full path anyway, because mostly I care about the thing at the
> end of the path, and don't really give a damn what the path itself is.
> So spending time writing, then running, code to assemble and break down
> paths every time I want to access the thing at the end just seems to
> gain me very little.

Quite.  I think you missed the conditional mood of "I would ...".  I
would not store the slashes in the situation the OP described where,
apparently, it is worth breaking it down.  As you say, that vast
majority of the time there is no need.

But maybe it's worth asking "do you really need to do this?".

> And the majority of the time that I care about
> anything other than just the target at the end, what I care about is the
> penultimate part, the directory the thing is in. And there's already a
> built-in function for getting that, that I don't have to write and is
> probably more efficient than I could do in PHP itself anyway.

I'm not sure in this case, but James Harris usually posts after checking
documentation and so on, so it's likely he knows the standard path
functions.

-- 
Ben.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#16376

James Harris wrote:

> Do you guys have any generic recommendations on how to store paths based
> on your experience of handling paths in PHP?
> […]
> So, any recommendations as to whether to store each part of a path as a 
> string or an array in PHP?

Yes and yes.
 
<http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html>

-- 
PointedEars
Zend Certified PHP Engineer 
<http://www.zend.com/en/yellow-pages/ZEND024953> | Twitter: @PointedEars2
Please do not cc me. / Bitte keine Kopien per E-Mail.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#16377

On 2/8/2016 6:09 PM, the troll Thomas 'Pointed Head' Lahn wrote:
> James Harris wrote:
> 
>> Do you guys have any generic recommendations on how to store paths based
>> on your experience of handling paths in PHP?
>> […]
>> So, any recommendations as to whether to store each part of a path as a 
>> string or an array in PHP?
> 
> Yes and yes.
>  
> <http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html>
> 

Trolling again, I see.  The question is very clear to everyone except you.

-- 
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

[toc] | [prev] | [standalone]

Back to top | Article view | comp.lang.php

csiph-web