pathparent

Pathparent is a term used in computer science to describe the immediate parent of a path element within a hierarchical structure. It is commonly applied in file systems, URL routing, and data models that represent resources as paths. The pathparent of a path denotes the path that precedes the final segment when traversing the hierarchy. For example, the pathparent of '/a/b/c' is '/a/b'.

In practice, pathparent is used to navigate up a level, construct relative links, and implement features such as breadcrumbs and access control checks. In file systems, it corresponds to the parent directory; in web routing, it helps resolve relative paths and manage nested routes. Some APIs expose a dedicated function or property to retrieve the pathparent, while others rely on string manipulation or path-join utilities.

Computing the pathparent typically involves removing the last path segment, with special handling for root paths and trailing slashes. For example, in POSIX style, dirname('/a/b/c') yields '/a/b', while dirname('/') is '/' depending on the API. Edge cases include empty paths, relative paths, and Windows-style backslashes.

Conceptually, pathparent is related to the notions of parent, ancestor, and path normalization. It underpins breadcrumb navigation, permission checks along a path, and route resolution in frameworks. It is distinct from the full path, focusing on the immediate higher-level component.

See also: Path, Parent, Directory, Breadcrumb, Route.