The Boost.Filesystem library provides facilities to manipulate files and directories,
and the paths that identify them.
The features of the library include:
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A modern C++ interface, highly compatible with the C++ standard library.
Many users say the interface is their primary motivation for using Boost.Filesystem.
They like its use of familiar idioms based on standard library containers,
iterators, and algorithms. They like having errors reported by throwing
exceptions.
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Portability between operating systems.
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At the C++ syntax level, it is convenient to learn and use one interface
regardless of the operating system.
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At the semantic level, behavior of code is reasonably portable across
operating systems.
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Dual generic or native path format support encourages program portability,
yet still allows communication with users in system specific formats.
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Error handling and reporting via C++ exceptions (the default) or error
codes.
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C++ exceptions are the preferred error reporting mechanism for most
applications. The exception thrown includes the detailed error code
information important for diagnosing the exact cause of file system
errors.
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Error reporting via error code allows user code that provides detailed
error recovery to avoid becoming so littered with try-catch blocks
as to be unmaintainable.
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Suitable for a broad spectrum of applications, ranging from simple script-like
operations to extremely complex production code.
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At the simple script-like end of the spectrum, the intent is not
to compete with Python, Perl, or shell languages, but rather to provide
filesystem operations when C++ is already the language of choice.
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Finer grained control over operations and error handling is available
to support more complex applications or other cases where throwing
exceptions isn't desired.
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Forms the basis for ISO/IEC
TS 18822, the C++ standard library Filesystem Technical Specification.
