Xbase++

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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LOCAL nSuccess
LOCAL oSftp
LOCAL nPort
LOCAL cPassword
LOCAL cHomeDir
LOCAL cResolved

nSuccess := 0

//  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.

oSftp := CreateObject("Chilkat.SFtp")

//  Step 1: Connect the SSH transport.  Port 22 is the usual port.
nPort := 22
nSuccess := oSftp:Connect("sftp.example.com", nPort)
IF (nSuccess == 0)
    ? oSftp:LastErrorText
    oSftp:destroy()
    RETURN
ENDIF

//  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.
cPassword := "mySshPassword"

nSuccess := oSftp:AuthenticatePw("mySshLogin", cPassword)
IF (nSuccess == 0)
    ? oSftp:LastErrorText
    oSftp:destroy()
    RETURN
ENDIF

//  Step 3: Open the SFTP subsystem.  This must be done after authentication and before any
//  file or directory operations.
nSuccess := oSftp:InitializeSftp()
IF (nSuccess == 0)
    ? oSftp:LastErrorText
    oSftp:destroy()
    RETURN
ENDIF

//  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.
cHomeDir := oSftp:RealPath(".", "")
IF (oSftp:LastMethodSuccess == 0)
    ? oSftp:LastErrorText
    oSftp:destroy()
    RETURN
ENDIF

? "Home directory: " + cHomeDir

//  Canonicalize a relative path with "..", resolving it to an absolute path.
cResolved := oSftp:RealPath("subdir/../otherdir", "")
IF (oSftp:LastMethodSuccess == 0)
    ? oSftp:LastErrorText
    oSftp:destroy()
    RETURN
ENDIF

? "Resolved path: " + cResolved

oSftp:Disconnect()

oSftp:destroy()