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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 branch_path() ✔ parent_path()
class path canonize()   Function removed
class path default_name_check() ✔ Function removed
class path default_name_check(name_check) ✔ Function removed
class path default_name_check_writable() ✔ Function removed
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() ✔ Function removed
class path path(const string_type& str, name_check) ✔ Function removed. Workaround ignores name_check argument.
class path path(const string_type::value_type* s,  name_check) ✔ Function removed. Workaround ignores name_check argument.
class path

remove_leaf()

 ✔

remove_filename()
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
path.hpp typedef basic_path<std::wstring, wpath_traits> wpath ✔ Removed; use class path instead. Workaround provides typedef path wpath
operations.hpp initial_path() ✔ Function removed
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)   Function removed
operations.hpp copy_directory(const path& from, const path& to)   Function removed, use create_directory(const path& to, const path& from) instead (note the reversed order of arguments)
class directory_entry filename() ✔ Function removed, use path().filename() instead.
class directory_entry leaf() ✔ Function removed, use path().filename() instead.
class directory_entry string() ✔ Function removed, use path().string() instead.
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 ✔ Removed; use corresponding values of enum class directory_options instead.
directory.hpp wrecursive_directory_iterator typedef ✔ Removed; use class recursive_directory_iterator instead. Workaround provides typedef recursive_directory_iterator wrecursive_directory_iterator
operations.hpp The header provides filesystem_error, file_status, directory_entry, directory_iterator, recursive_directory_iterator and associated enums and functions. ✔ These components were moved to separate headers exception.hpp, file_status.hpp and directory.hpp. The workaround is to include the new headers or filesystem.hpp. The new headers are still included by operations.hpp if BOOST_FILESYSTEM_NO_DEPRECATED is not defined.
path_traits.hpp The header contains implementation details of class path. ✔ The header is deprecated and should not be used in user's code. Unavailable if BOOST_FILESYSTEM_NO_DEPRECATED is defined and will be permanently removed in a future release.
Macro definitions BOOST_WINDOW_API   No longer supported; API selection is always automatic.
Macro definitions BOOST_POSIX_API   No longer supported; API selection is always automatic.
Macro definitions BOOST_WINDOW_PATH   No longer supported; native path format selection is always automatic.
Macro definitions BOOST_POSIX_PATH   No longer supported; native path format selection is always automatic.
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.

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, 2019-2021

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