Dire

Note

This started as a simple port of dirs-dev/directories-rs, but deviated in the process, the exact details can be found here.

A complete cross-platform solution for user and data directories discovery with OOTB project support.

	Dire	dirs-dev/directories-rs	sago007/PlatformFolders
C++	✅	❌ (Rust)	✅
Support for Windows, Linux and Darwin	✅	✅	✅
Support for Base, User and Project dirs	✅	✅	❌
Structure bundles API	✅	❌	✅
Standalone functions API	✅	❌	❌

An abstract example:

static constexpr auto project_domain = "me";
static constexpr auto project_org = "dich0tomy";
static constexpr auto project_app_name = "dire";

auto const project_name = dire::name(project_domain, project_org, project_app_name);

auto home_dir = dire::home_dir();
if(not home_dir) {
	// Note that `dire::ProjectDirsBundle::make` would also fail if this failed
	log::critical("Couldn't determine home directory!");
	return -1;
}

if(auto project_dirs = dire::ProjectDirsBundle::make(project_name)) {
	auto config = Config::from_dir(projects_dirs->config_dir);

	App::from_conf(*home_dir, config).start();
} else {
	bail("Couldn't determine basic project dirs.");
}

Tests should be simple, readable and comprehensive enough to show all possible usage examples as well.

Documentation (diataxis*)

• How-To's - guides on how to do common things
• Reference - technical reference (namespaces, functions, etc.)
• Explanations - explanations of some design choices and proper usage

* It's not a complete diataxis because the scope of this project is simply too small to include reasonable information in all four sections.

How it started

This project started because I wanted a nice cross-platform way of discovering typical data directories.

The only feasible alternative I found was sago007/PlatformFolders, but it doesn't necessarily expose the API I'd like to use.

There's an awesome Rust crate dirs-dev/directories-rs which very much would fit my needs, but it's.. Rust, not C++ - so I wrote this.

Plans

* Only if there will be need to, e.g. someone asks for that or it will be a feasible fix for an issue.

• Add conan and vcpkg packaging methods *

• Package returned dirs in special objects with the following methods (this is not necessarily trivial as the notion of writable or readable is really dependent)*:

  • writable() -> bool - cross platform checking if the dir is writable into (we mean every notion of writable - delete, update, create new file, etc.)
  • readable() -> bool - cross platform checking if the dir is readble (same here)
  • writable_and_readable() -> bool - return writable() and readable();
  • Since the lib will offer readable(), maybe also try to find font paths on windows? Possibly??
  • is_empty() -> bool - checks if the directory is empty
  • purge() -> bool (only for project) - removes the directory with the files inside
  • clear() -> bool (only for project) - clears files inside

  All of these would possibly return something else than bool for better error handling, especialy purge() and clear().

• Something akin to appendExtra(Data|Config)Directories from sago007/PlatformFolders *:

• Split libdire into totally independent modules, eg. 3 separate targets - base, user and project *,

  • The user would not pay for the modules they don't want (possible faster builds, smaller binary size, etc., shouldn't be much of an issue tho, the library is extremely small)
  • Would introduce duplication in certain modules but I guess we're fine with that, the lib is tiny

License