[QGIS-trac] Re: [Quantum GIS] #2433: Fix relative paths from absolute-with-symlinks

[Quantum GIS]

#2433: Fix relative paths from absolute-with-symlinks
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        Reporter:  strk                      |         Owner:  nobody       
            Type:  patch                     |        Status:  new          
        Priority:  minor: annoyance          |     Milestone:  Version 1.5.0
       Component:  Project Loading / Saving  |       Version:  HEAD         
      Resolution:                            |      Keywords:               
Platform_version:                            |      Platform:  Debian       
        Must_fix:  No                        |   Status_info:  1            
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Comment (by strk):

 Replying to [comment:3 jef]:
 > Replying to [comment:2 strk]:
 > > Replying to [comment:1 jef]:
 > > > What's the point in using two different paths to the same directory
 in one project?
 >
 > > No point. It was qgis doing that, I just used the "browse" dialog to
 select
 > > the files, and maybe I started it from my home directory so had to go
 find
 > > the files somewhere.
 >
 > I don't understand.  Didn't you use two different paths to the same
 directory and QGIS merily didn't notice or care, that there was a symlink
 involved?

 I never used paths *explicitly*. What I did was requesting the load of two
 shapefiles.
 Most likely the path to the directories containing the two shapefiles were
 the same as
 IIRC the file browser remembers last location used. In any case the paths
 found in the .qgs
 file shared the path up to (but not including) the filename, so that part
 was fine.

 Now, the "problem" (qgis problem, IMHO), is that these paths were reached
 using symlinks.

 Next, I wanted to convert my "project file" into something I could send to
 my client.
 A zip file containing the shapefiles AND the qgis project file. Easy thing
 shouldnt' it be ?
 At this time BOTH the shapefiles AND the project file were already in the
 same directory.

 So I went to "project options" and specified "save paths as relative".
 I expected qgis being able to find them, as BOTH the shapefiles AND the
 project file
 were in the same *canonical* directory.

 > I does just work, doesn't it?  It's just that the paths in the project
 file aren't the one you expected.

 Yes, if you want. It still works for me, but still can't put in the zip
 file :)

 > For GRASS rasters the "filename" isn't actually a path to a file.
 > The referred information is in multiple files in the directories within
 the GRASS mapset.
 > The path to the mapset is still valid, existing and can be expresses
 relatively to
 > the project file.

 Uhm... ok, what about passing the `dirname` to the canonicalizator
 function then ?
 Is the dirname expected to exist ? Or, if other kind of "source-
 specification" exist,
 is there a way to tell what refer to a filesystem path and what not ?

 Mind you: I didn't introduce this "relative paths" thing myself in qgis,
 so please don't
 take the chance to have me rewrite it all :P

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.osgeo.org/qgis/ticket/2433#comment:4>
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