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General => Feature requests => Topic started by: owl721 on February 08, 2016, 06:08:20 pm

Title: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: owl721 on February 08, 2016, 06:08:20 pm

it would be useful to manage files. I think it will make game more portable(find save files and etc).

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: Hiura on February 08, 2016, 06:27:57 pm

Yes, that would be very useful. However, if we want a really robust and well design API for that in SFML, it will take considerable time and effort. If we are pragmatic about this, we should not do it at all.

Why? Well, many libraries already do it. I'm pretty sure boost has something for that. Also, with C++17, there will be a standard filesystem API. By the time we implement something in SFML, this would already be available to most users.

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: owl721 on February 08, 2016, 06:30:43 pm

Hiura, thank for information

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: Nexus on February 08, 2016, 07:58:00 pm

See also: Contribution Guidelines (http://www.sfml-dev.org/contribute.php)

Quote

Contributions must fit into one of the following SFML modules: [...] That clearly rules out anything specifically related to game development. Such counterexamples are: Physics, collision detection/response, AI, path finding, 3D abstraction layer (like the current graphics module), file system, etc.

Just use Boost.Filesystem, it's a really good library.

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: Mario on February 09, 2016, 08:55:41 am

But Boost as a whole is still a horrible dependency IMO. :D

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: Rosme on February 11, 2016, 07:19:47 pm

So go with Cereal (http://uscilab.github.io/cereal/). It's similar to Boost.FileSystem but it's header only and does not come with Boost dependancy.

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: dabbertorres on February 11, 2016, 10:06:51 pm

Cereal is a serialization library, right? That's nothing like Boost.Filesystem, that's like Boost.Serialization. That's not what he asked for.

But making your own isn't too much work if you don't want to use Boost.

For example, Vittoreo Romeo has one in his Utils library: https://github.com/SuperV1234/SSVUtils

I made my own once, though it does not have OSX support because I don't have OSX to try it with: https://github.com/dabbertorres/gfs

Or you can use something like PhysFS (https://icculus.org/physfs/) with a virtual filesystem.

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: Rosme on February 12, 2016, 02:13:28 am

Oh wow, was I sleeping or what? Yeah you're right. My bad.

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: dabbertorres on February 12, 2016, 06:21:47 pm

Haha, I figured it was just a mistake! I just wanted to clear things up, just in case. :)

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: fer_t on February 22, 2016, 01:47:49 am

Using POSIX and Windows API a filesystem abstraction is not that hard, a simple one could look like this:

Base class (.cpp) (http://git.os-sc.org/TILES.git/tree/src/Filesystem.cpp)
Base class (.h) (http://git.os-sc.org/TILES.git/tree/include/Filesystem.h)
Windows implementation (http://git.os-sc.org/TILES.git/tree/include/filesystem_windows.h)
Unix implementation (http://git.os-sc.org/TILES.git/tree/include/filesystem_windows.h)

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: Nexus on February 22, 2016, 10:55:35 am

@fer_t: the implementation you showed provides a tiny fraction of the features of other filesystem libraries, and it's still less portable. One would end up re-implementing a lot from scratch, which somehow misses the point...

There are of course valid reasons for one or the other filesystem library, but not choosing Boost.Filesystem just because it's Boost might not be the best reason. At least exising solutions (also PhysFS) are well-tested, widely known and portable. With Boost, you can already get used to an API that will become part of the standard, probably with only few changes.

And of course it's another component in your game for which you don't have to spend time for development and maintenance...

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: fer_t on February 22, 2016, 11:28:09 am

@Nexus I know that was a quick solution, I personally wait for C++17 (I already use C++14 functions in many projects, the only problem is the bad compiler support, at least if your users / devs use msvc), because I try to reduce dependencies.
And the linked "solution" is not designed to be used as a library, is simply a solution for the problem I had in that project, I only wanted to show that it is not that hard.

But you made a point: If you use a 3rd party library you save time.

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: jamesL on February 22, 2016, 05:16:59 pm

Quote from: fer_t on February 22, 2016, 01:47:49 am

Using POSIX and Windows API a filesystem abstraction is not that hard, a simple one could look like this:

Base class (.cpp) (http://git.os-sc.org/TILES.git/tree/src/Filesystem.cpp)
Base class (.h) (http://git.os-sc.org/TILES.git/tree/include/Filesystem.h)
Windows implementation (http://git.os-sc.org/TILES.git/tree/include/filesystem_windows.h)
Unix implementation (http://git.os-sc.org/TILES.git/tree/include/filesystem_windows.h)

I am nowhere near the level of C++ of anyone else on this forum,
there are tons of stuff I don't know

so I have a question about this code

in this file
http://git.os-sc.org/TILES.git/tree/include/filesystem_windows.h

in the function
inline const char* platform_getHome()

there is this line
strcat(home, path)

is that a bug ?
is this even possible ?

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: eXpl0it3r on February 23, 2016, 12:06:17 am

Why should it be a bug? Here (http://en.cppreference.com/w/c/string/byte/strcat) is the reference for that function.

I'm not sure what getenv guarantees, but it might be better anyways to use strncat (if possible). For me personally that looks too much like C and I'd rather stick with boost or similar.

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: jamesL on February 23, 2016, 12:42:12 am

Quote from: eXpl0it3r on February 23, 2016, 12:06:17 am

Why should it be a bug? Here (http://en.cppreference.com/w/c/string/byte/strcat) is the reference for that function.

I'm not sure what getenv guarantees...

yeah, the amount of memory returned by getenv is what I wondered about

specifically I was wondering about this (from the link you provided)
The behavior is undefined if the destination array is not large enough for the contents of both src and dest and the terminating null character.

Title: Re: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: Hapax on February 23, 2016, 12:55:19 am

I am more concerned that the parameters passed to that function are both const:

const char* home;
const char* path;
stdcat(home, path); // affects "home"

Title: function to create/delete/take list directory contents of folder
Post by: eXpl0it3r on February 23, 2016, 07:40:18 am

Hmm true to both points, didn't really think it through.