[file join] joins together elements to form a file path
[file join] joins zero or more strings using the correct platform-dependent separators so that the result can be interpreted as a path name. If a particular name is relative, then it will be joined to the previous file name argument. Any argument that is an absolute path causes all previous arguments to be discarded, and any additional arguments will then be joined to it. For example,
file join a b /foo bar
returns
/foo/bar
Any of the names can contain separators, and the result is always canonical for the current platform: / for Unix and Windows, and : for pre-OSX Macintosh.
[file join] does not join items in lists. If a list contains path elements to be joined, use Argument expansion:
file join {*}[file split a/b/c]If the {*} operator is not available in your version of Tcl, and it isn't feasible to upgrade, see [eval for the proper way to use [[eval] to expand a list.
Another example:
set path a/b/c/d/e/f/g; set common_length 3
set path [file join {*}[lrange [file split $path] $common_length end]]Or, ror historic versions of Tcl without the {*} operator:
set path a/b/c/d/e/f/g; set common_length 3
set script {file join}
set script [concat $script [lrange [file split $path] $common_length end]]
set path [eval $script]
puts $pathOne reason [[file join] doesn't join list elements is that its behaviour would then be incorrect in the following case:
#warning: bad code ahead! file join "C:/Program Files/Tcl"
Any names prior to the last fully-qualified names are dropped:
set newpath [file join lib /usr] ;# -> /usr
This is useful when the goal is to convert an unqualified name to a particular fully-qualified name, for example, to allow the user to provide a relative or a fully-qualified file name:
set newpath [file join [pwd] $filename]
When $b is relative, the current directory will be prepended to it, but when $b is absolute, it isn't changed.
While useful in the case mentioned above, it can be surprising to discover that file paths are not joined as expected because some path is already fully-qualified.
References:
[https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.lang.tcl/VPTNjEfqpAY/QIXn1lJUvakJ%|%'file join' behaviour and ye olde tilde fiasco] ,[comp.lang.tcl] ,2009-06-26
One way to convert a file type from (possibly) relative to absolute is this:
set filename [file join [pwd] $filename]
DKF: Note that you never need to use [[cd], and it is best if you don't except in response to user action. Otherwise you just confuse your users... :^/
[file join] can be used to "normalize" the path separators for relative paths that you don't want to subject to the full [[file normalize]:
% file join {\foo\bar\grill}
/foo/bar/grillBack the other way with file nativename:
% file nativename /foo/bar/grill \foo\bar\grill
To join a file whose name begins with "~" (tilde), prefix it with "./":
file join pwd ./~filename.ext