| # camino - UTF-8 paths |
| |
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| [![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-green.svg)](LICENSE-MIT) |
| |
| This repository contains the source code for `camino`, an extension of the `std::path` module that adds new |
| [`Utf8PathBuf`] and [`Utf8Path`] types. |
| |
| ## What is camino? |
| |
| `camino`'s [`Utf8PathBuf`] and [`Utf8Path`] types are like the standard library's [`PathBuf`] and [`Path`] types, except |
| they are guaranteed to only contain UTF-8 encoded data. Therefore, they expose the ability to get their |
| contents as strings, they implement `Display`, etc. |
| |
| The `std::path` types are not guaranteed to be valid UTF-8. This is the right decision for the standard library, |
| since it must be as general as possible. However, on all platforms, non-Unicode paths are vanishingly uncommon for a |
| number of reasons: |
| |
| - Unicode won. There are still some legacy codebases that store paths in encodings like [Shift JIS], but most |
| have been converted to Unicode at this point. |
| - Unicode is the common subset of supported paths across Windows and Unix platforms. (On Windows, Rust stores paths |
| as [an extension to UTF-8](https://simonsapin.github.io/wtf-8/), and converts them to UTF-16 at Win32 |
| API boundaries.) |
| - There are already many systems, such as Cargo, that only support UTF-8 paths. If your own tool interacts with any such |
| system, you can assume that paths are valid UTF-8 without creating any additional burdens on consumers. |
| - The ["makefile problem"](https://www.mercurial-scm.org/wiki/EncodingStrategy#The_.22makefile_problem.22) asks: given a |
| Makefile or other metadata file (such as `Cargo.toml`) that lists the names of other files, how should the names in |
| the Makefile be matched with the ones on disk? This has _no general, cross-platform solution_ in systems that support |
| non-UTF-8 paths. However, restricting paths to UTF-8 eliminates this problem. |
| |
| [Shift JIS]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shift_JIS |
| |
| Therefore, many programs that want to manipulate paths _do_ assume they contain UTF-8 data, and convert them to `str`s |
| as necessary. However, because this invariant is not encoded in the `Path` type, conversions such as |
| `path.to_str().unwrap()` need to be repeated again and again, creating a frustrating experience. |
| |
| Instead, `camino` allows you to check that your paths are UTF-8 _once_, and then manipulate them |
| as valid UTF-8 from there on, avoiding repeated lossy and confusing conversions. |
| |
| ## Examples |
| |
| The documentation for [`Utf8PathBuf`] and [`Utf8Path`] contains several examples. |
| |
| For examples of how to use `camino` with other libraries like `serde` and `clap`, see the [`camino-examples`] directory. |
| |
| ## API design |
| |
| `camino` is a very thin wrapper around `std::path`. [`Utf8Path`] and [`Utf8PathBuf`] are drop-in replacements |
| for [`Path`] and [`PathBuf`]. |
| |
| Most APIs are the same, but those at the boundary with `str` are different. Some examples: |
| |
| - `Path::to_str() -> Option<&str>` has been renamed to `Utf8Path::as_str() -> &str`. |
| - [`Utf8Path`] implements `Display`, and `Path::display()` has been removed. |
| - Iterating over a [`Utf8Path`] returns `&str`, not `&OsStr`. |
| |
| Every [`Utf8Path`] is a valid [`Path`], so [`Utf8Path`] implements `AsRef<Path>`. Any APIs that accept `impl AsRef<Path>` |
| will continue to work with [`Utf8Path`] instances. |
| |
| ## Should you use camino? |
| |
| `camino` trades off some utility for a great deal of simplicity. Whether `camino` is appropriate for a project or not |
| is ultimately a case-by-case decision. Here are some general guidelines that may help. |
| |
| _You should consider using camino if..._ |
| |
| - **You're building portable, cross-platform software.** While both Unix and Windows platforms support different kinds |
| of non-Unicode paths, Unicode is the common subset that's supported across them. |
| - **Your system has files that contain the names of other files.** If you don't use UTF-8 paths, you will run into the |
| makefile problem described above, which has no general, cross-platform solution. |
| - **You're interacting with existing systems that already assume UTF-8 paths.** In that case you won't be adding any new |
| burdens on downstream consumers. |
| - **You're building something brand new and are willing to ask your users to rename their paths if necessary.** Projects |
| that don't have to worry about legacy compatibility have more flexibility in choosing what paths they support. |
| |
| In general, using camino is the right choice for most projects. |
| |
| _You should **NOT** use camino, if..._ |
| |
| - **You're writing a core system utility.** If you're writing, say, an `mv` or `cat` replacement, you should |
| **not** use camino. Instead, use [`std::path::Path`] and add extensive tests for non-UTF-8 paths. |
| - **You have legacy compatibility constraints.** For example, Git supports non-UTF-8 paths. If your tool needs to handle |
| arbitrary Git repositories, it should use its own path type that's a wrapper around `Vec<u8>`. |
| - [`std::path::Path`] supports arbitrary bytestrings [on Unix] but not on Windows. |
| - **There's some other reason you need to support non-UTF-8 paths.** Some tools like disk recovery utilities need to |
| handle potentially corrupt filenames: only being able to handle UTF-8 paths would greatly diminish their utility. |
| |
| [on Unix]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/os/unix/ffi/index.html |
| |
| ## Optional features |
| |
| By default, `camino` has **no dependencies** other than `std`. There are some optional features that enable |
| dependencies: |
| |
| - `serde1` adds serde [`Serialize`] and [`Deserialize`] impls for [`Utf8PathBuf`] and [`Utf8Path`] |
| (zero-copy). |
| - `proptest1` adds [proptest](https://altsysrq.github.io/proptest-book/) [`Arbitrary`] |
| implementations for [`Utf8PathBuf`] and `Box<Utf8Path>`. |
| |
| > NOTE: Enabling the `serde` or `proptest` features will not do anything. You must enable the `serde1` and `proptest1` features, respectively. |
| |
| ## Rust version support |
| |
| The minimum supported Rust version (MSRV) for `camino` with default features is **1.34**. This project is tested in CI |
| against the latest stable version of Rust and the MSRV. |
| |
| - _Stable APIs_ added in later Rust versions are supported either through conditional compilation in `build.rs`, or through backfills that also work on older versions. |
| - _Deprecations_ are kept in sync with the version of Rust they're added in. |
| - _Unstable APIs_ are currently not supported. Please |
| [file an issue on GitHub](https://github.com/camino-rs/camino/issues/new) if you need an unstable API. |
| |
| `camino` is designed to be a core library and has a conservative MSRV policy. MSRV increases will only happen for |
| a compelling enough reason, and will involve at least a minor version bump. |
| |
| Optional features may pull in dependencies that require a newer version of Rust. |
| |
| ## License |
| |
| This project is available under the terms of either the [Apache 2.0 license](LICENSE-APACHE) or the [MIT |
| license](LICENSE-MIT). |
| |
| This project's documentation is adapted from [The Rust Programming Language](https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/), which is |
| available under the terms of either the [Apache 2.0 license](https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/blob/master/LICENSE-APACHE) |
| or the [MIT license](https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/blob/master/LICENSE-MIT). |
| |
| [`Utf8PathBuf`]: https://docs.rs/camino/*/camino/struct.Utf8PathBuf.html |
| [`Utf8Path`]: https://docs.rs/camino/*/camino/struct.Utf8Path.html |
| [`PathBuf`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/path/struct.PathBuf.html |
| [`Path`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/path/struct.Path.html |
| [`std::path::Path`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/path/struct.Path.html |
| [`Serialize`]: https://docs.rs/serde/1/serde/trait.Serialize.html |
| [`Deserialize`]: https://docs.rs/serde/1/serde/trait.Deserialize.html |
| [`camino-examples`]: https://github.com/camino-rs/camino/tree/main/camino-examples |
| [`Arbitrary`]: https://docs.rs/proptest/1/proptest/arbitrary/trait.Arbitrary.html |