Function safe_canonicalize 

pub fn safe_canonicalize(path: &Path) -> Result<PathBuf>

Canonicalizes a path with proper cross-platform handling.

This function resolves a path to its canonical, absolute form while handling platform-specific issues like Windows long paths. It resolves symbolic links, removes . and .. components, and ensures the path is absolute.

Arguments

• path - The path to canonicalize

Returns

The canonical absolute path, or an error if canonicalization fails

Examples

use agpm_cli::utils::platform::safe_canonicalize;
use std::path::Path;

// Canonicalize a relative path
let canonical = safe_canonicalize(Path::new("../src/main.rs"))?;
println!("Canonical path: {}", canonical.display());

// Works with existing files and directories
let current_dir = safe_canonicalize(Path::new("."))?;
println!("Current directory: {}", current_dir.display());

Features

• Cross-platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Long path support: Handles Windows paths >260 characters
• Symlink resolution: Follows symbolic links to their targets
• Path normalization: Removes . and .. components
• Absolute paths: Always returns absolute paths

Error Cases

• Path does not exist
• Permission denied accessing path components
• Invalid path characters for the platform
• Path too long (even with Windows long path support)
• Circular symbolic links

Platform Notes

• Windows: Automatically applies long path prefixes when needed
• Unix-like: Resolves symbolic links following POSIX semantics
• All platforms: Provides helpful error messages for common issues

Security

This function safely resolves paths and prevents directory traversal by returning absolute, normalized paths.

See Also

• normalize_path for logical path normalization (no filesystem access)
• windows_long_path for Windows-specific path handling