Normalize filepath

Checks the specified filepath for formatting consistencies:

1. use slash instead of backslash;

2. do tilde etc. expansion;

3. remove trailing slash.

normPath(path)

# S4 method for character
normPath(path)

# S4 method for list
normPath(path)

# S4 method for `NULL`
normPath(path)

# S4 method for missing
normPath()

# S4 method for logical
normPath(path)

Arguments

path

A character vector of filepaths.

Value

Character vector of cleaned up filepaths.

Examples

## normalize file paths
paths <- list("./aaa/zzz",
              "./aaa/zzz/",
              ".//aaa//zzz",
              ".//aaa//zzz/",
              ".\\\\aaa\\\\zzz",
              ".\\\\aaa\\\\zzz\\\\",
              file.path(".", "aaa", "zzz"))

checked <- normPath(paths)
length(unique(checked)) ## 1; all of the above are equivalent
#> [1] 3

## check to see if a path exists
tmpdir <- file.path(tempdir(), "example_checkPath")

dir.exists(tmpdir) ## FALSE
#> [1] FALSE
tryCatch(checkPath(tmpdir, create = FALSE), error = function(e) FALSE) ## FALSE
#> [1] FALSE

checkPath(tmpdir, create = TRUE)
#> [1] "/tmp/Rtmpm0ai37/example_checkPath"
dir.exists(tmpdir) ## TRUE
#> [1] TRUE

unlink(tmpdir, recursive = TRUE) # clean up