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Filesystem Deprecated Features

Deprecated names and features

As the library evolves over time, names sometimes change or old features are removed to make way for new features. To ease transition, Boost.Filesystem deprecates the old names and features, but by default continues to provide many of them. The deprecated names and other workarounds can be suppressed by defining macro BOOST_FILESYSTEM_NO_DEPRECATED, and this is recommended for all new code.

In the table, ✔ indicates a synonym or other workaround is provided unless BOOST_FILESYSTEM_NO_DEPRECATED is defined.

Additionally, when not disabled, most of the deprecated components will generate compilation warnings when used. These warnings are intended to highlight the library usage that needs to be updated. For convenience during the transition period, these warnings can be suppressed by defining BOOST_FILESYSTEM_ALLOW_DEPRECATED macro.

Component or location

Old name, now deprecated

New name

class path

Construction, assignment and appending from container types.

 

Use string types or iterators as the source for path construction, assignment and appending.

path.hpp template<class String, class Traits>
  class basic_path;
  Class template basic_path is replaced by class path. No workaround for an explicitly coded basic_path is provided, but see the next row - path.
path.hpp typedef basic_path<std::string, path_traits> path class path
operations.hpp initial_path() Function removed. Cache current_path() early in the application startup.
Build system Auto-linking on Windows   No longer supported. When users are linking against static library of Boost.Filesystem, they are recommended to explicitly add Boost.Filesystem dependencies to their linker command line. Shared library of Boost.Filesystem is not affected by this as it is already linked with all its dependencies.

Some library features were removed in one of the past releases. The table below lists some of those features along with suggested replacements.

Component or location

Removed name

Possible replacement

class path branch_path() parent_path()
class path directory_string() string
class path external_directory_string() native()
class path external_file_string() native()
class path file_string() string()
class path has_branch_path() has_parent_path()
class path has_leaf() has_filename()
class path is_complete() is_absolute()
class path leaf() filename()
class path native_directory_string() string()
class path native_file_string() string()
class path normalize() Replace p.normalize() with p = p.lexically_normal().
class path

remove_leaf()

remove_filename()

path.hpp typedef basic_path<std::wstring, wpath_traits> wpath class path
convenience.hpp std::string extension(const path& p) Replace extension(p) with p.extension().string().
convenience.hpp std::string basename(const path& p) Replace basename(p) with p.stem().string().
convenience.hpp path change_extension(const path& p, const path& new_extension) Replace path new_p = change_extension(p, ext); with path new_p = p; new_p.replace_extension(ext);.
operations.hpp

template <class Path>
Path complete(const Path& p,
 const Path& base=
   initial_path<Path>())

path absolute(const path& p, const path& base=
  current_path())

operations.hpp is_regular(file_status f)

is_regular_file(file_status f)

operations.hpp symbolic_link_exists(const path& ph) Replace symbolic_link_exists(p) with is_symlink(symlink_status(p)).
operations.hpp copy_directory(const path& from, const path& to) create_directory(const path& to, const path& from). Note the reversed order of arguments.
class directory_entry filename() Replace de.filename() with de.path().filename().
class directory_entry leaf() Replace de.leaf() with de.path().filename().
class directory_entry string() Replace de.string() with de.path().string().
class recursive_directory_iterator level() depth()
class recursive_directory_iterator no_push_pending() !recursion_pending()
class recursive_directory_iterator no_push() disable_recursion_pending()
directory.hpp enum class symlink_option Use corresponding values of enum class directory_options instead.
directory.hpp wrecursive_directory_iterator typedef class recursive_directory_iterator.
operations.hpp The header provides filesystem_error, file_status, directory_entry, directory_iterator, recursive_directory_iterator and associated enums and functions. Explicitly include headers exception.hpp, file_status.hpp and/or directory.hpp to introduce the required components.
path_traits.hpp The header contained implementation details of class path. Remove the include.
convenience.hpp The header contained helper functions that were deprecated and then removed. Remove the include.

Deprecation rationale

initial_path function

Full implementation of initial_path() would require support from the C++ runtime startup code, and that doesn't seem likely to happen. Depending on the user to call initial_path() at the beginning of main() is too error prone.  An equivalent function can trivially be provided by a user.


© Copyright Beman Dawes, 2002-2005, 2010

© Copyright Andrey Semashev, 2019-2024

Use, modification, and distribution are subject to the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. See www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt