haiku/docs/user/storage/FindDirectory.dox

/*
 * Copyright 2011-2014 Haiku, Inc. All rights reserved.
 * Distributed under the terms of the MIT License.
 *
 * Documentation by:
 *		Adrien Destugues, pulkomandy@pulkomandy.ath.cx
 *		John Scipione, jscipione@gmail.com
 *		Ingo Weinhold, ingo_weinhold@gmx.de
 *
 * Corresponds to:
 *		headers/os/storage/FindDirectory.h	 hrev47402
 *		src/kits/storage/FindDirectory.cpp	 hrev47402
 */


/*!
	\file FindDirectory.h
	\ingroup storage
	\ingroup libbe
	\brief Provides the find_directory(), find_path(), find_paths() functions
	       as well as the \c directory_which constants.

	Haiku provides a set of directories for applications to use. These can be
	accessed using the functions find_directory(), find_path(), find_path_etc(),
	find_paths(), find_paths_etc(), find_path_for_path(),
	find_path_for_path_etc(). It is very important to use the functions at
	runtime and not hardcode the path, as it may change in future versions of
	Haiku, and already changed in past ones. Using these functions makes your
	application more future-proof, and makes sure everyone puts data in the same
	place, which makes the system cleaner and easier to manage.

	Note that while the find_directory() function is still needed for some, it
	is deprecated for many other use cases, like:
	- When collecting files from all installation locations, be it data files
	  (like fonts) or add-ons your application/library supports, use
	  find_paths(), find_paths_etc(), or BPathFinder::FindPaths() instead.
	  Formerly you had to use find_directory() and iterate through all possible
	  constants manually. Not only is this less convenient, it also doesn't
	  account for the possibility of installation locations being added or
	  removed in a later Haiku release.
	- If your code needs to access another file that also belongs to your
	  software (i.e. if packaged it is included in the same package), use
	  find_path() or BPathFinder::FindPath() instead.
	  Formerly this case could not really be handled properly. Either you had
	  to hard-code the installation location by using the respective directory
	  constant or you had to manually construct a path relative to your code's
	  image file.

	Cases for which find_directory() is still useful:
	- Getting per-volume paths like for the trash directory.
	- Getting specific paths like for the user's home directory or the user's
	  settings directory.

	Note that these functions can be accessed from C code (they are implemented
	in libroot), to make it easy to use also in ported applications. However,
	there are also a C++ version of find_directory() and the BPathFinder class
	(both implemented in libbe), which may be more convenient to use in C++
	code.
*/


/*!
	\enum directory_which
	\brief Directory constants to use with find_directory().

	There are four kind of directories. Volume-local directories exist on each
	volume, they may be at a different location in each of them. For example
	the location of the trash directory depends on the filesystem. System
	directories are system-wide, they live on only one volume. System is meant
	for internal system management and system-wide applications. User
	directories have a different value depending on the UID of the application
	calling the function. They are usually located in the user's home
	directory.

	Use system directories for system-wide files such as drivers and use user
	directories are for application settings, since each user may want
	different settings.

	\remark The \c B_COMMON_* constants have been intentionally removed in
	        Haiku R1, use the \c B_SYSTEM_* constants instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_DESKTOP_DIRECTORY
	\brief The desktop directory for a given volume.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_TRASH_DIRECTORY
	\brief The trash directory for a given volume.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_ADDONS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system add-ons directory

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_BOOT_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system boot directory.

	Contains the minimal set of files required for booting Haiku.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_FONTS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system fonts directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_LIB_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system lib directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_SERVERS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system servers directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_APPS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system applications directory.

	Contains applications with graphical user interface.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_BIN_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system bin directory.

	Contains command-line applications runnable from Terminal.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_DOCUMENTATION_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system documentation directory, contains e.g. man pages.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_PREFERENCES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system preferences directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_TRANSLATORS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system translator directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_MEDIA_NODES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system media nodes directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_SOUNDS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system sounds directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_DATA_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system data directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_DEVELOP_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system directory containing development related files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_PACKAGES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system directory where activated packages live.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_HEADERS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system directory for development header files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_ETC_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system directory used for Unix-like installation location-wide
	       settings (Unix "etc" directory).

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_SETTINGS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system directory used for installation location-wide settings.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_LOG_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system directory where log files are put.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_SPOOL_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system directory for spool data (e.g. pending printer jobs).

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_TEMP_DIRECTORY
	\brief The global directory for temporary files (Unix "tmp" directory).

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_VAR_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system directory for variable data (Unix "var" directory).

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_CACHE_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system directory used for cache files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_NONPACKAGED_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system non-packaged installation location directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_NONPACKAGED_ADDONS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system non-packaged add-ons directory

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_NONPACKAGED_TRANSLATORS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system non-packaged translator directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_NONPACKAGED_MEDIA_NODES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system non-packaged media nodes directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_NONPACKAGED_BIN_DIRECTORY
	The system non-packaged bin directory. Contains command-line applications
	\brief runnable from Terminal.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_NONPACKAGED_DATA_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system non-packaged data directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_NONPACKAGED_FONTS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system non-packaged fonts directory

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_NONPACKAGED_SOUNDS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system non-packaged sounds directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_NONPACKAGED_DOCUMENTATION_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system non-packaged documentation directory. Contains e.g. man pages.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_NONPACKAGED_LIB_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system non-packaged lib directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_NONPACKAGED_HEADERS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system non-packaged directory for development header files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_SYSTEM_NONPACKAGED_DEVELOP_DIRECTORY
	\brief The system non-packaged directory containing development related
	       files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user home directory.

	Do NOT store application settings here as on unix, instead use
	\c B_USER_SETTINGS_DIRECTORY.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_CONFIG_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user packaged installation location directory.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_ADDONS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user add-ons directory

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_BOOT_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user directory containing booting related files.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_FONTS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user fonts directory.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_LIB_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user lib directory.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_SETTINGS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user settings directory.

	You may store your application settings here. Create a subdirectory for
	your application if you have multiple files to store, else, put a single
	file. The file or directory should have the same name as your
	application, so the user knows what it's used for.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_DESKBAR_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user Deskbar directory.

	You may add a link to your application here, so it shows up in the user's
	Deskbar leaf menu.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_PRINTERS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user directory for printer settings.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_TRANSLATORS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user translator directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_MEDIA_NODES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user media nodes directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_SOUNDS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user sounds directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_DATA_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user data directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_CACHE_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user directory used for cache files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_PACKAGES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user directory where activated packages live.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_HEADERS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user directory for development header files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_DEVELOP_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user directory containing development related files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_DOCUMENTATION_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user documentation directory, contains e.g. man pages.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_SERVERS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user servers directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_APPS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user applications directory.

	Contains applications with graphical user interface.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_BIN_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user bin directory.

	Contains command-line applications runnable from Terminal.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_PREFERENCES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user preference applications directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_ETC_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user directory used for Unix-like installation location-wide
	       settings (Unix "etc" directory).

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_LOG_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user directory where log files are put.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_SPOOL_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user directory for spool data, e.g. pending printer jobs.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_VAR_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user directory for variable data (Unix "var" directory).

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_NONPACKAGED_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user non-packaged installation location directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_NONPACKAGED_ADDONS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user non-packaged add-ons directory

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_NONPACKAGED_TRANSLATORS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user non-packaged translator directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_NONPACKAGED_MEDIA_NODES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user non-packaged media nodes directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_NONPACKAGED_BIN_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user non-packaged bin directory.

	Contains command-line applications runnable from Terminal.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_NONPACKAGED_DATA_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user non-packaged data directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_NONPACKAGED_FONTS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user non-packaged fonts directory

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_NONPACKAGED_SOUNDS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user non-packaged sounds directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_NONPACKAGED_DOCUMENTATION_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user non-packaged documentation directory, contains e.g. man
	       pages.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_NONPACKAGED_LIB_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user non-packaged lib directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_NONPACKAGED_HEADERS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user non-packaged directory for development header files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_USER_NONPACKAGED_DEVELOP_DIRECTORY
	\brief The user non-packaged directory containing development related
	       files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_APPS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The global applications directory.

	Contains applications with graphical user interface.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_PREFERENCES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The global preference applications directory.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_UTILITIES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The global utility applications directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_PACKAGE_LINKS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The global package links directory.

	This is where symlink directories for all activated packages are exposed.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_SYSTEM_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS system directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_ADDONS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS Add-ons directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_ADDONS_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_BOOT_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS boot directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_BOOT_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_FONTS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS fonts directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_FONTS_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_LIB_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS lib directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_LIB_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_SERVERS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS servers directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_SERVERS_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_APPS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS apps directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_APPS_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_BIN_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS bin directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_BIN_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_ETC_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS etc directory used for Unix-like installation location-wide
	       settings (Unix "etc" directory).

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_ETC_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_DOCUMENTATION_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS documentation directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_DOCUMENTATION_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_PREFERENCES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS preferences directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_PREFERENCES_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_TRANSLATORS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS translators directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_TRANSLATORS_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_MEDIA_NODES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS media nodes directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_MEDIA_NODES_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_SOUNDS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS sounds directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_SOUNDS_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\var directory_which B_BEOS_DATA_DIRECTORY
	\brief The BeOS data directory.

	\deprecated Legacy BeOS definition to be phased out, use
	            \c B_SYSTEM_DATA_DIRECTORY instead.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


//// find_path[s]() flags


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_CREATE_DIRECTORY
	\brief Specifies that if the resulting path doesn't exist, it shall be
	       created a directory, including all missing ancestors.

	Failure to create the path will cause the respective function to fail.

	Flag for the find_path_etc(), find_path_for_path_etc(), find_paths_etc(),
	and BPathFinder API.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_CREATE_PARENT_DIRECTORY
	\brief Specifies that if the resulting path's parent doesn't exist, the
	       parent shall be created as a directory, including all missing
	       ancestors.

	Failure to create the directory will cause the respective function to fail.

	Flag for the find_path_etc(), find_path_for_path_etc(), find_paths_etc(),
	and BPathFinder API.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_EXISTING_ONLY
	\brief Specifies that if the resulting path doesn't exist, the respective
	       function shall skip it.

	In case multiple paths shall be retrieved and none of the paths exists,
	the function shall fail with \c B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND.

	Flag for the find_path_etc(), find_path_for_path_etc(), find_paths_etc(),
	and BPathFinder API.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\enum path_base_directory
	\brief Path constants to use with find_path(), find_paths(), et al.

	There are two kinds of constants. Those that are based off an installation
	location and those that based off an image or given path. The latter are not
	valid argument for all functions.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_INSTALLATION_LOCATION_DIRECTORY
	\brief The installation location base directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_ADD_ONS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The add-ons directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_APPS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The application directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_BIN_DIRECTORY
	\brief The command line application directory (Unix "bin" directory).

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_BOOT_DIRECTORY
	\brief The directory containing booting related files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_CACHE_DIRECTORY
	\brief The directory used for cache files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_DATA_DIRECTORY
	\brief The base directory used for read-only data.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_DEVELOP_DIRECTORY
	\brief The directory containing development related files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_DEVELOP_LIB_DIRECTORY
	\brief The the development library directory.

	This is the directory where the linker finds libraries.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_DOCUMENTATION_DIRECTORY
	\brief The base directory used for documentation.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_ETC_DIRECTORY
	\brief The directory used for Unix-like installation location wide
	       settings (Unix "etc" directory).

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_FONTS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The fonts directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_HEADERS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The development header files directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_LIB_DIRECTORY
	\brief The runtime library directory.

	This is where the runtime loader finds libraries.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_LOG_DIRECTORY
	\brief The directory where log files are put.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_MEDIA_NODES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The media node add-ons directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_PACKAGES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The directory where activated packages live.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_PREFERENCES_DIRECTORY
	\brief The preference application directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_SERVERS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The server and daemon program directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_SETTINGS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The directory used for installation location wide settings.

	Note that for the user's home config installation location, this is not
	the same as the user's settings directory. Software installed in that
	installation location puts their global settings files here.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_SOUNDS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The directory for sound files.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_SPOOL_DIRECTORY
	\brief The directory for spool data, e.g. pending printer jobs.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_TRANSLATORS_DIRECTORY
	\brief The translator add-ons directory.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_VAR_DIRECTORY
	\brief The directory for variable data (Unix "var" directory).

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_IMAGE_PATH
	\brief The path of the image file that was identified by a pointer
	       argument passed to the respective function.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\var B_FIND_PATH_PACKAGE_PATH
	\brief The path of the package the file referred to by the specified path
	       belongs to.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!


/*!
	\fn status_t find_directory(directory_which which, dev_t volume,
		bool createIt, char* pathString, int32 length)
	\brief C interface to find_directory

	Fills up to \a length characters of \a pathString with the path to \a which
	on \a volume. Creates the directory if it doesn't exists if \a createIt is
	set.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t find_directory(directory_which which, BPath* path, bool createIt,
		BVolume* volume)
	\brief C++ interface to find_directory

	Set \a path to \a which on \a volume.

	\since BeOS R3
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t find_path(const void* codePointer,
		path_base_directory baseDirectory, const char* subPath,
		char* pathBuffer, size_t bufferSize)
	\brief Retrieves a path in the file system layout based on a loaded image
	       file.

	The function determines the path of the image (i.e. executable, library, or
	add-on) file associated with \a codePointer, a pointer to a location in the
	code or static data of an image loaded in the caller's team. Based on that,
	path \a baseDirectory is evaluated. In most cases that means first
	determining the path of the installation location from the path, then
	appending the relative path corresponding to the given \a baseDirectory
	constant, and finally appending \a subPath, if given.

	If \a baseDirectory specifies a path that is architecture dependent, the
	caller's architecture (as returned by get_architecture()) is used for
	constructing the path.

	If \c B_FIND_PATH_IMAGE_PATH or \c B_FIND_PATH_PACKAGE_PATH are
	specified, \a subPath is ignored. In the former case the path of the image
	file is returned. In the latter case the path of the package containing the
	image file, if any.

	\param codePointer A pointer to code or static data belonging to the image
	       based on which the path shall be computed. The special value
	       \c B_APP_IMAGE_SYMBOL can be used to refer to the program image, and
	       \c B_CURRENT_IMAGE_SYMBOL for the caller's image.
	\param baseDirectory Constant indicating which path to retrieve.
	\param subPath Relative subpath that shall be appended. Can be \c NULL.
	\param pathBuffer Pointer to a pre-allocated buffer the retrieved path
	       shall be stored in.
	\param bufferSize Size of the \a pathBuffer buffer.
	\return A status code.
	\retval B_OK Everything went fine.
	\retval B_BUFFER_OVERFLOW The provided \a pathBuffer wasn't large enough.
	\retval B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND A file system entry required for retrieving the
	        path doesn't exist. E.g. \c B_FIND_PATH_PACKAGE_PATH was specified
	        and the image file doesn't belong to a package.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t find_path_etc(const void* codePointer, const char* dependency,
		const char* architecture, path_base_directory baseDirectory,
		const char* subPath, uint32 flags, char* pathBuffer, size_t bufferSize)
	\brief Retrieves a path in the file system layout based on a loaded image
	       file.

	The function determines the path of the image (i.e. executable, library, or
	add-on) file associated with \a codePointer, a pointer to a location in the
	code or static data of an image loaded in the caller's team. Based on that,
	path \a baseDirectory is evaluated. In most cases that means first
	determining the path of the installation location from the path, then
	appending the relative path corresponding to the given \a baseDirectory
	constant, and finally appending \a subPath, if given.

	If \a dependency is specified, instead of determining the installation
	location path from the image path, the installation location path of the
	dependency \a dependency of the package containing the image file is used.

	If \a baseDirectory specifies a path that is architecture dependent,
	\a architecture is used for constructing the path. If \a architecture is
	\c NULL, the caller's architecture (as returned by get_architecture()) is
	used.

	If \c B_FIND_PATH_IMAGE_PATH or \c B_FIND_PATH_PACKAGE_PATH are
	specified, \a dependency and \a subPath are ignored. In the former case the
	path of the image file is returned. In the latter case the path of the
	package containing the image file, if any.

	\param codePointer A pointer to code or static data belonging to the image
	       based on which the path shall be computed. The special value
	       \c B_APP_IMAGE_SYMBOL can be used to refer to the program image, and
	       \c B_CURRENT_IMAGE_SYMBOL for the caller's image.
	\param dependency The name of the package's "requires" entry to be used for
	       resolving the installation location. Can be \c NULL.
	\param architecture The name of the architecture to be used for resolving
	       architecture dependent paths. Can be \c NULL, in which case the
	       caller's architecture is used.
	\param baseDirectory Constant indicating which path to retrieve.
	\param subPath Relative subpath that shall be appended. Can be \c NULL.
	\param flags Bitwise OR of any of the following flags:
	       - \c B_FIND_PATH_CREATE_DIRECTORY: If the resulting path doesn't
	         exist, create it as a directory (including all missing ancestors).
	       - \c B_FIND_PATH_CREATE_PARENT_DIRECTORY: If the resulting path's
	         parent doesn't exist, create the parent directory (including all
	         missing ancestors).
	       - \c B_FIND_PATH_EXISTING_ONLY: If the resulting path doesn't exist,
	         fail with \c B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND.
	\param pathBuffer Pointer to a pre-allocated buffer the retrieved path
	       shall be stored in.
	\param bufferSize Size of the \a pathBuffer buffer.
	\return A status code.
	\retval B_OK Everything went fine.
	\retval B_BUFFER_OVERFLOW The provided \a pathBuffer wasn't large enough.
	\retval B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND A file system entry required for retrieving the
	        path doesn't exist. E.g. \c B_FIND_PATH_PACKAGE_PATH was specified
	        and the image file doesn't belong to a package, or \c dependency
	        was specified, but isn't a "requires" entry of the package, or
	        \c B_FIND_PATH_EXISTING_ONLY was specified and the resulting path
	        doesn't exist.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t find_path_for_path(const char* path,
		path_base_directory baseDirectory, const char* subPath,
		char* pathBuffer, size_t bufferSize)
	\brief Retrieves a path in the file system layout based on a given path.

	Based on the given path \a path the function evaluates \a baseDirectory. In
	most cases that means first determining the path of the installation
	location from the given path, then appending the relative path corresponding
	to the given \a baseDirectory constant, and finally appending \a subPath, if
	given.

	If \a baseDirectory specifies a path that is architecture dependent, the
	architecture associated with the given path (as returned by
	guess_architecture_for_path()) is used for constructing the path.

	If \c B_FIND_PATH_PACKAGE_PATH is specified, \a subPath is ignored. In
	this case the path of the package containing the file referred to by \a path
	is returned. \c B_FIND_PATH_IMAGE_PATH is not a valid argument for this
	function.

	\param path A path based on which the path shall be computed.
	\param baseDirectory Constant indicating which path to retrieve.
	\param subPath Relative subpath that shall be appended. Can be \c NULL.
	\param pathBuffer Pointer to a pre-allocated buffer the retrieved path
	       shall be stored in.
	\param bufferSize Size of the \a pathBuffer buffer.
	\return A status code.
	\retval B_OK Everything went fine.
	\retval B_BUFFER_OVERFLOW The provided \a pathBuffer wasn't large enough.
	\retval B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND A file system entry required for retrieving the
	        path doesn't exist. E.g. \c B_FIND_PATH_PACKAGE_PATH was specified
	        and \a path does refer to a file that belongs to a package.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t find_path_for_path_etc(const char* path,
		const char* dependency, const char* architecture,
		path_base_directory baseDirectory, const char* subPath, uint32 flags,
		char* pathBuffer, size_t bufferSize)
	\brief Retrieves a path in the file system layout based on a given path.

	Based on the given path \a path the function evaluates \a baseDirectory. In
	most cases that means first determining the path of the installation
	location from the given path, then appending the relative path corresponding
	to the given \a baseDirectory constant, and finally appending \a subPath, if
	given.

	If \a dependency is specified, instead of determining the installation
	location path from the given path, the installation location path of the
	dependency \a dependency of the package containing the file referred to by
	\a path is used.

	If \a baseDirectory specifies a path that is architecture dependent,
	\a architecture is used for constructing the path. If \a architecture is
	\c NULL, the architecture associated with the given path (as returned by
	guess_architecture_for_path()) is used.

	If \c B_FIND_PATH_PACKAGE_PATH is specified, \a dependency and
	\a subPath are ignored. In this case the path of the package containing the
	file referred to by \a path is returned. \c B_FIND_PATH_IMAGE_PATH is not
	a valid argument for this function.

	\param path A path based on which the path shall be computed.
	\param dependency The name of the package's "requires" entry to be used for
	       resolving the installation location. Can be \c NULL.
	\param architecture The name of the architecture to be used for resolving
	       architecture dependent paths. Can be \c NULL, in which case the
	       architecture associated with \a path is used.
	\param baseDirectory Constant indicating which path to retrieve.
	\param subPath Relative subpath that shall be appended. Can be \c NULL.
	\param flags Bitwise OR of any of the following flags:
	       - \c B_FIND_PATH_CREATE_DIRECTORY: If the resulting path doesn't
	         exist, create it as a directory (including all missing ancestors).
	       - \c B_FIND_PATH_CREATE_PARENT_DIRECTORY: If the resulting path's
	         parent doesn't exist, create the parent directory (including all
	         missing ancestors).
	       - \c B_FIND_PATH_EXISTING_ONLY: If the resulting path doesn't exist,
	         fail with \c B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND.
	\param pathBuffer Pointer to a pre-allocated buffer the retrieved path
	       shall be stored in.
	\param bufferSize Size of the \a pathBuffer buffer.
	\return A status code.
	\retval B_OK Everything went fine.
	\retval B_BUFFER_OVERFLOW The provided \a pathBuffer wasn't large enough.
	\retval B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND A file system entry required for retrieving the
	        path doesn't exist. E.g. \c B_FIND_PATH_PACKAGE_PATH was specified
	        and \a path does refer to a file that belongs to a package, or
	        \c dependency was specified, but isn't a "requires" entry of the
	        package, or \c B_FIND_PATH_EXISTING_ONLY was specified and the
	        resulting path doesn't exist.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t find_paths(path_base_directory baseDirectory,
		const char* subPath, char*** _paths, size_t* _pathCount)
	\brief Retrieves a list of paths in the file system layout.

	For each installation location -- in the order most specific to most
	generic, non-packaged before packaged -- the function evaluates
	\a baseDirectory to a path and appends \a subPath, if given.

	If \a baseDirectory specifies a path that is architecture dependent,
	the caller's architecture (as returned by get_architecture()) is used for
	constructing each path.

	\c B_FIND_PATH_PACKAGE_PATH and \c B_FIND_PATH_IMAGE_PATH are not
	valid arguments for this function.

	The array of paths retrieved is allocated on the heap and returned via
	\a _paths. The caller is responsible for calling free() for the returned
	pointer.

	\param baseDirectory Constant indicating which paths to retrieve.
	\param subPath Relative subpath that shall be appended. Can be \c NULL.
	\param _paths Pointer to a pre-allocated variable where the pointer to the
	       allocated path array shall be stored on success.
	\param _pathCount Pointer to a pre-allocated variable where the number of
	       paths in the path array shall be stored on success.

	\return A status code.
	\retval B_OK Everything went fine.
	\retval B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND A file system entry required for retrieving the
	        paths doesn't exist.

	\since Haiku R1
*/


/*!
	\fn status_t find_paths_etc(const char* architecture,
		path_base_directory baseDirectory, const char* subPath, uint32 flags,
		char*** _paths, size_t* _pathCount)
	\brief Retrieves a list of paths in the file system layout.

	For each installation location -- in the order most specific to most
	generic, non-packaged before packaged -- the function evaluates
	\a baseDirectory to a path and appends \a subPath, if given.

	If \a baseDirectory specifies a path that is architecture dependent,
	\a architecture is used for constructing each path. If \a architecture is
	\c NULL, the caller's architecture (as returned by get_architecture()) is
	used.

	\c B_FIND_PATH_PACKAGE_PATH and \c B_FIND_PATH_IMAGE_PATH are not
	valid arguments for this function.

	The array of paths retrieved is allocated on the heap and returned via
	\a _paths. The caller is responsible for calling free() for the returned
	pointer.

	\param architecture The name of the architecture to be used for resolving
	       architecture dependent paths. Can be \c NULL, in which case the
	       caller's architecture is used.
	\param baseDirectory Constant indicating which paths to retrieve.
	\param subPath Relative subpath that shall be appended. Can be \c NULL.
	\param flags Bitwise OR of any of the following flags:
	       - \c B_FIND_PATH_CREATE_DIRECTORY: If the resulting path doesn't
	         exist, create it as a directory (including all missing ancestors).
	       - \c B_FIND_PATH_CREATE_PARENT_DIRECTORY: If the resulting path's
	         parent doesn't exist, create the parent directory (including all
	         missing ancestors).
	       - \c B_FIND_PATH_EXISTING_ONLY: If the resulting path doesn't exist,
	         fail with \c B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND.
	\param _paths Pointer to a pre-allocated variable where the pointer to the
	       allocated path array shall be stored on success.
	\param _pathCount Pointer to a pre-allocated variable where the number of
	       paths in the path array shall be stored on success.
	\return A status code.
	\retval B_OK Everything went fine.
	\retval B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND A file system entry required for retrieving the
	        paths doesn't exist. E.g. \c B_FIND_PATH_EXISTING_ONLY was
	        specified and none of the resulting paths do exist.

	\since Haiku R1
*/