opendirpath

opendirpath is a directory-handling function found in certain programming environments. It opens a directory stream for the specified path and returns a handle that can be used to enumerate the entries within that directory.

In many implementations, opendirpath resolves the provided path to an absolute, canonical form before opening it. This can include resolving relative components, expanding user home directories, and optionally following symbolic links. The exact behavior depends on the library, and some implementations may skip resolution or perform additional validation to ensure the path refers to a directory.

Return value and errors: On success, opendirpath returns a directory handle or stream object. This handle can be used with standard directory-reading operations to list entries. On failure, it returns a null value or false and signals an error condition, such as insufficient permissions, a non-existent path, or that the path refers to a non-directory.

Usage notes: The function typically requires appropriate filesystem permissions for the target path. It is commonly used as a precursor to iterating directory contents or to verify accessibility of a directory before performing operations.

Compatibility: opendirpath is not part of the core standard libraries in most common languages and may be provided as part of a specific framework, module, or legacy API. In many languages, analogous functionality exists under different names, such as opendir, scandir, os.scandir, or fs.opendir.

See also: opendir, readdir, scandir, os.scandir, fs.opendir.