user_guide_src/source/helpers/path_helper.rst
########### Path Helper ###########
The Path Helper file contains functions that permits you to work with file paths on the server.
.. contents:: :local:
.. raw:: html
<div class="custom-index container"></div>This helper is loaded using the following code::
$this->load->helper('path');
The following functions are available:
.. php:function:: set_realpath($path[, $check_existance = FALSE])
:param string $path: Path
:param bool $check_existance: Whether to check if the path actually exists
:returns: An absolute path
:rtype: string
This function will return a server path without symbolic links or
relative directory structures. An optional second argument will
cause an error to be triggered if the path cannot be resolved.
Examples::
$file = '/etc/php5/apache2/php.ini';
echo set_realpath($file); // Prints '/etc/php5/apache2/php.ini'
$non_existent_file = '/path/to/non-exist-file.txt';
echo set_realpath($non_existent_file, TRUE); // Shows an error, as the path cannot be resolved
echo set_realpath($non_existent_file, FALSE); // Prints '/path/to/non-exist-file.txt'
$directory = '/etc/php5';
echo set_realpath($directory); // Prints '/etc/php5/'
$non_existent_directory = '/path/to/nowhere';
echo set_realpath($non_existent_directory, TRUE); // Shows an error, as the path cannot be resolved
echo set_realpath($non_existent_directory, FALSE); // Prints '/path/to/nowhere'