Re: file access FAQ

[kab (Kim Barrett)]

> This should be an FAQ:  What's a good way to access files in
> different directories in MCL, in a way that will not require code
> changes to run in other CL implementations or on other  Macs, and
> allows some independence of the directory hierarchy?   
> 
> ...
> 
> It isn't intuitively obvious how to do this in MCL in a way that
> will allow the code to similarly load correctly without being
> changed across machines or platforms. So the solution has to be
> pure CL, but using aliases to mimic links would be fine too. 
> 
> E.g. the ugly thing I am doing now is to spell out the complete
> path in the loads, and then when I move the code to another Mac
> or machine, I alter the paths in the code with a global
> substitution;  I constrain the Macs to have isomorphic file
> structures, so only the name of the disk drive has to be changed.
> Expedient, but ugly, and a constant nuisance.
> 
> A better approach would be appreciated!

Use logical pathnames (CLtL2, p.628).