[issue1934] os.path.isabs documentation error

Giampaolo Rodola' report at bugs.python.org
Fri Jan 25 22:55:53 CET 2008


New submission from Giampaolo Rodola':

The current os.path.isabs documentation says:

> isabs(path) 
>    Return True if path is an absolute pathname (begins with a slash). 

The "begins with a slash" part is incorrect since certain systems use a
different pathname notation.
For example, on Macintosh (where os.sep == ":") this is an absolute
pathname:

hardDriveName:folderName1:folderName2:fileName.ext

...and this is a relative one:

:folderName1:fileName.ext


Moreover, on Windows os.path.isabs('\\') returns True since '\\' is an
alias for the current drive letter (e.g. C:\\) hence, independently from
what said before, the documentation should include also the "backslash"
term.
I think it would be better removing the "(begins with a slash)" part at all.

----------
components: Documentation
messages: 61692
nosy: giampaolo.rodola
severity: normal
status: open
title: os.path.isabs documentation error
versions: Python 2.4, Python 2.5, Python 2.6, Python 3.0

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Tracker <report at bugs.python.org>
<http://bugs.python.org/issue1934>
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