Chilkat2-Python

Resolve an Absolute Remote Path with SFTP RealPath

Demonstrates the Chilkat SFtp.RealPath method, which asks the server to canonicalize a path and returns the resulting absolute remote path. The first argument is the original path and the second is an optional compose path (SFTP v5 or later); pass an empty string when no composition is needed.

Background: The server — not the client — owns the remote filesystem's layout, so path canonicalization must happen on the server. RealPath resolves ., .., and symbolic links into a single absolute path, which is the reliable way to learn the session's home directory (canonicalize .) or to turn a relative path into an absolute one before storing or displaying it. On SFTP v5 and later, the compose path can additionally join or override the original.

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import sys
import chilkat2

success = False

# Demonstrates the SFtp.RealPath method, which asks the server to canonicalize a path and
# returns the resulting absolute remote path.  The 1st argument is the original path and the
# 2nd is an optional compose path (SFTP v5+), which may be an empty string.

sftp = chilkat2.SFtp()

# Step 1: Connect the SSH transport.  Port 22 is the usual port.
port = 22
success = sftp.Connect("sftp.example.com",port)
if (success == False):
    print(sftp.LastErrorText)
    sys.exit()

# Normally you would not hard-code the password in source.  You should instead obtain it
# from an interactive prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.
password = "mySshPassword"

success = sftp.AuthenticatePw("mySshLogin",password)
if (success == False):
    print(sftp.LastErrorText)
    sys.exit()

# Step 3: Open the SFTP subsystem.  This must be done after authentication and before any
# file or directory operations.
success = sftp.InitializeSftp()
if (success == False):
    print(sftp.LastErrorText)
    sys.exit()

# Resolve "." to the absolute path of the session's default (home) directory.  No compose path
# is needed, so the 2nd argument is an empty string.
homeDir = sftp.RealPath(".","")
if (sftp.LastMethodSuccess == False):
    print(sftp.LastErrorText)
    sys.exit()

print("Home directory: " + homeDir)

# Canonicalize a relative path with "..", resolving it to an absolute path.
resolved = sftp.RealPath("subdir/../otherdir","")
if (sftp.LastMethodSuccess == False):
    print(sftp.LastErrorText)
    sys.exit()

print("Resolved path: " + resolved)

sftp.Disconnect()