GetFullPath

Full path name for partial or relative path

Description

GetFullPath - Get absolute path of a file or folder name

This function converts a partial or relative name to an absolute full path name. The fast Mex works on Windows only (sorry), but the M-file runs on Windows, MacOS and Unix.

FullName = GetFullPath(Name)
INPUT:
  Name: String or cell string, file or folder name with relative or absolute path.
OUTPUT:
  FullName: String or cell string, file or folder name with absolute path.
      The created path need not exist.

EXAMPLES:
  cd(tempdir); % Assuming C:\Temp here
  GetFullPath('File.Ext') % ==> 'C:\Temp\File.Ext'
  GetFullPath('..\File.Ext') % ==> 'C:\File.Ext'
  GetFullPath('..\..\File.Ext') % ==> 'C:\File.Ext'
  GetFullPath('.\File.Ext') % ==> 'C:\Temp\File.Ext'
  GetFullPath('*.txt') % ==> 'C:\Temp\*.txt'
  GetFullPath('D:\Folder1\..\Folder2') % ==> 'D:\Folder2'
  GetFullPath('..') % ==> 'C:\'
  GetFullPath('\') % ==> 'C:\', current drive!
  GetFullPath('Folder\') % ==> 'C:\Temp\Folder\'
  GetFullPath('\\Server\Folder\Sub\..\File.ext')
  % ==> '\\Server\Folder\File.ext'

See also (timings converted with GetFullPath):
  WHICH: only for existing files, ~24 times slower.
  System.IO.FileInfo: .NET (thanks Urs), more features, ~50 times slower.
  java.io.File: "/.." and "/." are fixed by getCanonicalPath (~6 times slower),
      but no completing of partial/relative path.

Tested: Matlab 6.5, 2008a, 2009a, 2001b, WinXP/32, Win7/64
Compiler: LCC 2.4/3.8, OpenWatcom 1.8, BCC 5.5, MSVC 2008/2010
Precompiled Mex: http://www.n-simon.de

Suggestions and question by email or in the comment section are very welcome - especially a test under Linux and MacOS.

• MATLAB release: MATLAB 7.8 (R2009a)
• Other requirements: Mex for Windows, M for Linux/MacOS

[Thomas Schreiter]

Exactly what I needed.
I included this GetFullPath into my setup files which prepare the Matlab paths. And now these paths do not contain '\..' anymore. Effect: Matlab uses only one path for a file instead of multiple, which had confused the debugger.

[us]

jan

this should be corrected
- System.IO.FileInfo is a .NET component (available only in more recent ML versions)
- java.io.File is the java class

urs

[Jan Simon]

Thanks Urs! The doc is fixed.

[Oliver Woodford]

For those people wanting a function that works across platforms, doesn't require mexing, and who don't care so much about speed, an alternative is:
http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/23603-fullpath

[Jan Simon]

@Oliver: Or use the shipped M-version, which runs on Win/MacOS/Linux, considers the cases "C:", "..", "." and "~/", and does not change the current path.
If you comment out the warning about the unfound MEX, GetFullPath.m is 2.5 times faster than FULLPATH for files without path, and 40 times faster for file with a realtive or full path (WinXP, 2009a).

[Oliver Woodford]

Yes, the non-mex version (which I didn't originally see) is very good.

[Eugeny Sosnovsky]

 

[Igor]

 

[Daniel]

I am not sure this works on Linux ...
GetFullPath('/home/test/../')
gives /ho/home/

[Jan Simon]

@Daniel: I've tried to improve the code, but cannot test it under Linux.

[Paul Sexton]

I was having the same problem as Daniel (with the 01May2011 version). Using the 03Nov2011 version fixes that behavior.

Running the tests on Linux (32-bit) still breaks though:

>> uTest_GetFullPath
==== Test GetFullPath 09-Dec-2011 14:21:31
  Function: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011/GetFullPath.m
  Current path: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011

  ok: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011, Folder: [Folder/]
  ok: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011, File: File
  ok: ../Folder/
  ok: ../../Folder/
  ok: ../../../Folder/
  ok: ../../../../Folder/
  ok: ../../../../../Folder/
  ok: ../File
  ok: ../../File
  ok: ../../../File
  ok: ../../../../File
  ok: ../../../../../File
  ok: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011/../Folder/
  ok: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011/../../Folder/
  ok: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011/../../../Folder/
  ok: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011/../../../../Folder/
  ok: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011/../../../../../Folder/
  ok: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011/../File
  ok: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011/../../File
  ok: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011/../../../File
  ok: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011/../../../../File
  ok: /home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011/../../../../../File
Path: [/home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB/GetFullPath_03Nov2011/..] ==> error
  GetFullPath replied: [/home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB]
  Expected: [home/psexton/Documents/MATLAB]
Error using uTest_GetFullPath (line 202)
Error using uTest_GetFullPath (line 196)
uTest_GetFullPath: GetFullPath with folder failed

[Kiran]

 

[Oscar]

 

[Igor]

It looks like I've found another bug - if one try to use an 255+ long UNS path as GetFullPath argument, (for example: nested GetFullPath) this may result in duplicate prefix, i.e. invalid filename.

---------------------------------------
K>> GetFullPath('I:\ROSPAN International\Suzunskoye field\Well 969\X-ray micro-CT\1. Suzun 82180-82181\Tfit\\incomplete\smp_w_fdiff 2012-04-13 20.43.59\\fit_Tall_IR\/fit_Tall_IR_2(inscribed square)//unaligned//Histograms0001/errorbar_runmean_mask (vol1-vol2)_vs_mean(vol1(mask))')
ans =
\\?\I:\ROSPAN International\Suzunskoye field\Well 969\X-ray micro-CT\1. Suzun 82180-82181\Tfit\incomplete\smp_w_fdiff 2012-04-13 20.43.59\fit_Tall_IR\fit_Tall_IR_2(inscribed square)\unaligned\Histograms0001\errorbar_runmean_mask (vol1-vol2)_vs_mean(vol1(mask))
K>> GetFullPath( GetFullPath('I:\ROSPAN International\Suzunskoye field\Well 969\X-ray micro-CT\1. Suzun 82180-82181\Tfit\\incomplete\smp_w_fdiff 2012-04-13 20.43.59\\fit_Tall_IR\/fit_Tall_IR_2(inscribed square)//unaligned//Histograms0001/errorbar_runmean_mask (vol1-vol2)_vs_mean(vol1(mask))'))
ans =
\\?\UNC\?\I:\ROSPAN International\Suzunskoye field\Well 969\X-ray micro-CT\1. Suzun 82180-82181\Tfit\incomplete\smp_w_fdiff 2012-04-13 20.43.59\fit_Tall_IR\fit_Tall_IR_2(inscribed square)\unaligned\Histograms0001\errorbar_runmean_mask (vol1-vol2)_vs_mean(vol1(mask))
K>>

[Jan Simon]

Thanks Igor! There is another problem if the the full path has 254 characters. While Windows accept this, Matlab's DIR command doesn't. I'm going to post an improved version soon.