Using Network Paths and URLs

std::filesystem::path is primarily designed to work with local filesystem paths. It is capable of handling network paths on Windows (UNC paths), but it does not support URLs directly. Here’s how you can work with network paths:

Working with Network Paths (UNC Paths)

UNC (Universal Naming Convention) paths are used to access network resources. Here’s an example:

1#include <filesystem>
2#include <iostream>
3
4int main() {
5  std::filesystem::path networkPath{
6    R"(\\server\share\file.txt)"};
7
8  std::cout << "Network Path: "
9    << networkPath.string();
10}

1Network Path: \\server\share\file.txt

Key Points

1. Raw String Literals: Use raw string literals (R"(...)) for clarity and to avoid escaping backslashes.
2. Compatibility: Ensure your code runs on Windows, as UNC paths are primarily supported there.

Handling URLs

std::filesystem::path does not support URLs. If you need to work with URLs, consider using a library like Boost.URL or parse the URL manually. Here’s a simple example using std::regex to parse a URL:

1#include <iostream>
2#include <regex>
3#include <string>
4
5int main() {
6  std::string url =
7    "https://example.com/path/to/resource";
8  std::regex urlRegex(
9    R"(^(https?|ftp)://([^/\r\n]+)(/[^\r\n]*)?$)");
10  std::smatch urlMatch;
11  if (std::regex_match(url, urlMatch, urlRegex)) {
12    std::string protocol = urlMatch[1].str();
13    std::string host = urlMatch[2].str();
14    std::string path = urlMatch[3].str();
15
16    std::cout << "Protocol: " << protocol << '\n';
17    std::cout << "Host: " << host << '\n';
18    std::cout << "Path: " << path << '\n';
19  } else {
20    std::cout << "Invalid URL";
21  }
22}

1Protocol: https
2Host: example.com
3Path: /path/to/resource

Conclusion

While std::filesystem::path is not suitable for URLs, it handles local and network paths well. For URLs, use other libraries or parsing techniques. This approach ensures your path manipulations are reliable and appropriate for the resource type.