8207690: Parsing API for classpath and similar path strings

[Jonathan Gibbons]

Roger,

You've run into the standard naming ambiguity problem of "when is a path 
a search path, with elements separated by File.pathSeparator (e.g. class 
path, source path), and when is it a file path, with elements separated 
by File.separator (e.g. a nio.file.Path identifying a file or directory)?"

This shows up most obviously in the method confusingly named "pathToPaths".

In other contexts (javac, jtreg, etc) I've tried to use the term "search 
path" to describe the string that is a sequence of elements separated by 
File.pathSeparator.

-- Jon

On 9/10/18 11:16 AM, Roger Riggs wrote:
> Please review the API and implementation of an API to parse Path strings.
> Two methods are added to java.nio.file.Paths to parse a string using 
> the path separator delimiter
> and return either List<String> or List<Path>.  Empty path elements are 
> ignored.
>
> For compatibility with current URLClassPath behavior the internal 
> implementation handles
> replacement of empty paths.
>
> Webrev:
> http://cr.openjdk.java.net/~rriggs/webrev-8207690_parsing_api_for_classpath_and_similar_path_strings/ 
>
>
> CSR:
>   https://bugs.openjdk.java.net/browse/JDK-8208208
>
> Thanks, Roger
>