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pathname [Function]

pathname pathspec => pathname

Arguments and Values::

pathspec--a pathname designator.

pathname--a pathname.

Description::

Returns the pathname denoted by pathspec.

If the pathspec designator is a stream, the stream can be either open or closed; in both cases, the pathname returned corresponds to the filename used to open the file. pathname returns the same pathname for a file stream after it is closed as it did when it was open.

If the pathspec designator is a file stream created by opening a logical pathname, a logical pathname is returned.

Examples::

      ;; There is a great degree of variability permitted here.  The next
      ;; several examples are intended to illustrate just a few of the many
      ;; possibilities.  Whether the name is canonicalized to a particular
      ;; case (either upper or lower) depends on both the file system and the
      ;; implementation since two different implementations using the same
      ;; file system might differ on many issues.  How information is stored
      ;; internally (and possibly presented in #S notation) might vary,
      ;; possibly requiring `accessors' such as PATHNAME-NAME to perform case
      ;; conversion upon access.  The format of a namestring is dependent both
      ;; on the file system and the implementation since, for example, one
      ;; implementation might include the host name in a namestring, and
      ;; another might not.  #S notation would generally only be used in a
      ;; situation where no appropriate namestring could be constructed for use
      ;; with #P.
      (setq p1 (pathname "test"))
     =>  #P"CHOCOLATE:TEST" ; with case canonicalization (e.g., VMS)
     OR=> #P"VANILLA:test"   ; without case canonicalization (e.g., Unix)
     OR=> #P"test"
     OR=> #S(PATHNAME :HOST "STRAWBERRY" :NAME "TEST")
     OR=> #S(PATHNAME :HOST "BELGIAN-CHOCOLATE" :NAME "test")
      (setq p2 (pathname "test"))
     =>  #P"CHOCOLATE:TEST"
     OR=> #P"VANILLA:test"
     OR=> #P"test"
     OR=> #S(PATHNAME :HOST "STRAWBERRY" :NAME "TEST")
     OR=> #S(PATHNAME :HOST "BELGIAN-CHOCOLATE" :NAME "test")
      (pathnamep p1) =>  true
      (eq p1 (pathname p1)) =>  true
      (eq p1 p2)
     =>  true
     OR=> false
      (with-open-file (stream "test" :direction :output)
        (pathname stream))
     =>  #P"ORANGE-CHOCOLATE:>Gus>test.lisp.newest"
     

See Also::

pathname, logical-pathname, File System Concepts, Pathnames as Filenames