The purpose of this module is to allow you to segregate your string data that
represent a path from the rest. A string-that-is-a-type have specific
characteristics that we want to represent. This module have two types that help
you encode these characteristics.
This allows you to construct type safe APIs wherein a parameter that takes a
path can be assured that the data **actually** is a path. The API can further
e.g. require the parameter to be have the even higher restriction that it is an
absolute path.
I have found it extremely useful in my own programs to internally only work
with AbsolutePath types. There is a boundary in my programs that takes data
and converts it appropriately to AbsolutePaths. This is usually configuration
data, command line input, external libraries etc. This conversion layer handles
the defensive coding, validity checking etc that is needed of the data.
This has overall lead to a significant reduction in the number of bugs I have
had when handling paths and simplified the code. The program normally look
something like this:
user input as raw strings via e.g. getopt.
wrap path strings as either Path or AbsolutePath. Prefer AbsolutePath
when applicable but there are cases where this is the wrong behavior. Lets
say that the user input is relative to some working directory. Then later on
in your program the two are combined to produce an AbsolutePath.
internally in the program all parameters are AbsolutePath. A function that
takes an AbsolutePath can be assured it is a path, full expanded and thus
do not need any defensive code. It can use it as it is.
I have used an equivalent program structure when interacting with external
libraries.