Path. Paths point to things—they lead to files and folders. With the path package in Golang we can handle paths for web sites.
With filepath, meanwhile, we can parse Windows paths on Windows computers. Filepath supports the native path format for the present computer.
First example. To begin we have a URL from Wikipedia. We can call path.Split to get the file name from the URL. The rest of the path is the directory (the Dir).
Info The first return value from Split is the directory (this excludes the file name at the end).
And The second return value is the file name—the directory is not part of the file name.
package main
import (
"fmt""path"
)
func main() {
example := "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_version_history"// Split will get the last part after the last slash.// ... This is the file.// ... The dir is the part before the file.
dir, file := path.Split(example)
fmt.Println(dir)
fmt.Println(file)
}https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Ubuntu_version_history
Base, Dir. Sometimes we want more specific path parts in a program. We can use methods like Base() and Dir() to get parts from a path string. The Split() func is not needed.
Detail This is the file name at the end. The Dir is the directory at the start.
package main
import (
"fmt""path"
)
func main() {
example := "/home/bird"// Base returns the file name after the last slash.
file := path.Base(example)
fmt.Println(file)
// Dir returns the directory without the last file name.
dir := path.Dir(example)
fmt.Println(dir)
}bird
/home
Filepath. Suppose you are running Golang on a Windows computer. The filepath module is ideal for parsing paths on Windows—it can handle backslashes.
Detail The VolumeName() func returns the volume name like C—this is the drive letter.
package main
import (
"fmt""path/filepath"
)
func main() {
fmt.Println("[RUN ON WINDOWS]")
// Split into directory and file name.
dir, file := filepath.Split("C:\\programs\\test.file")
fmt.Println("Dir:", dir)
fmt.Println("File:", file)
// Get volume (drive letter).
volume := filepath.VolumeName("C:\\programs\\test.file")
fmt.Println("Volume:", volume)
}[RUN ON WINDOWS]
Dir: C:\programs\
File: test.file
Volume: C:
PathSeparator. Go can tell us the current platform's path separator. This is found in the "os" module, as it is OS-specific. On Windows and Linux this will return different values.
Tip The PathSeparator is a rune. But we can convert it to a string easily for concatenation or use in string methods.
package main
import (
"fmt""os"
)
func main() {
fmt.Println(string(os.PathSeparator))
// Use separator in a concatenation.
result := "dir" + string(os.PathSeparator)
fmt.Println(result)
}/
dir/
A summary. Paths can be parsed directly in Golang, with loops and char tests. But the path and filepath packages provide built-in functions that are easier to add.
Dot Net Perls is a collection of tested code examples. Pages are continually updated to stay current, with code correctness a top priority.
Sam Allen is passionate about computer languages. In the past, his work has been recommended by Apple and Microsoft and he has studied computers at a selective university in the United States.
This page was last updated on Feb 18, 2023 (edit).