Working with File Paths in Programming
Relative vs Absolute Paths Explained

Understanding File Paths

File paths are the directions your program follows to access files and folders stored in a computer's file system. Without a correct file path, your program won't be able to open or save data properly.

Types of File Paths

• Absolute Path: A complete path from the root directory to the target file or folder.
• Relative Path: A path that starts from the program’s current directory and points to the target file or folder.

Example 1: Absolute vs Relative Path

Let's say you have a file named data.txt inside a folder called files.

// Absolute path example
filePath = "/Users/username/Documents/project/files/data.txt"

// Relative path example (assuming current directory is 'project')
filePath = "files/data.txt"

Accessing file at /Users/username/Documents/project/files/data.txt
Accessing file at files/data.txt

How to Decide Between Relative and Absolute Paths?

Question: When should I use a relative path?

Answer: Use a relative path when your files are part of your project structure and you want your code to be portable across machines.

Question: When is an absolute path more appropriate?

Answer: Use an absolute path when accessing a file stored in a fixed location outside your project folder.

Example 2: Navigating Up and Down the Directory Tree

You can use special path symbols to move around in the directory structure:

// Going up one level
filePath = "../config/settings.ini"

// Going down into a folder
filePath = "assets/images/logo.png"

Accessing settings.ini from parent directory
Accessing logo.png from assets/images

Example 3: Path Joining for Cross-Platform Compatibility

Instead of manually adding slashes, it's safer to use path joining functions to build paths dynamically:

basePath = "data"
filename = "input.txt"
fullPath = joinPath(basePath, filename)

print(fullPath)

data/input.txt

Question: Why use joinPath() instead of string concatenation?

Answer: joinPath() handles the correct separators (like '/' or '\') for the operating system automatically, making your code portable.

Points to Remember

• Always know your current working directory.
• Use relative paths to keep your code portable.
• Prefer path joining functions to avoid cross-platform issues.
• Use .. to move up directories, and folder names to move down.