Re: Tilde expansion on Win32

> -----Original Message-----
> From: pgsql-hackers-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org
> [mailto:pgsql-hackers-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org] On Behalf Of Bruce Momjian
> Sent: 10 June 2005 15:31
> To: PostgreSQL-development
> Subject: [HACKERS] Tilde expansion on Win32
>
> I noticed that we don't expand tildes in Win32 because of the use of
> tilde in short versions of long file names:
>
> char *
> expand_tilde(char **filename)
> {
> if (!filename || !(*filename))
> return NULL;
>
> /* MSDOS uses tilde for short versions of long file
> names, so skip it. */
> #ifndef WIN32
>
> /* try tilde expansion */
> if (**filename == '~')
> {
>
> However, I thought the tilde was usually used toward the end
> of the file
> name, not at the beginning. Is this true? Should this code
> be modified?

Yes, it's true - long filenames may be shortened to something like

Long filename.document -> longfi~1.doc

To munge them into 8.3 format. Without looking at the code I assume that
it is expanding ~dpage into /home/dpage or whatever? If so, I'd be
inclined to leave it - tilde isn't used like that on Windows.

Regards, Dave