rdblue commented on code in PR #15630: URL: https://github.com/apache/iceberg/pull/15630#discussion_r3250919301
########## format/spec.md: ########## @@ -168,6 +185,46 @@ All columns must be written to data files even if they introduce redundancy with Writers are not allowed to commit files with a partition spec that contains a field with an unknown transform. +### Paths in Metadata + +Path strings stored in Iceberg metadata location fields are classified as one of two types: + +* **Absolute path** -- A path string that includes a [URI scheme](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3986#section-3.1) (e.g., `s3:`, `gs:`, `hdfs:`, `file:`). Absolute paths are used as-is without modification. +* **Relative path** -- A path string that does not include a URI scheme. Relative paths must be resolved against the table's base location before use. + +Prior to v4, all path fields must contain fully-qualified paths. Starting with v4, path fields may contain either absolute or relative paths. [Relative resolution within a URI](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3986#section-5.2) (e.g. `.` and `..`) and other file system navigation conventions are not supported in relative paths. + +#### Path Resolution + +Path resolution is the process of producing an absolute path from a relative path by combining it with the table's base location: + +* If the path contains a URI scheme, it is absolute and is used without modification. +* If the path does not contain a URI scheme, the resolved path is the table location followed by the relative path joined by the URI separator character `/`. + +Paths used as prefixes should not end in a path separator. The relative portion is joined to the prefix without consideration of any additional separator characters. Review Comment: I would use primarily the second sentence because it is clearly defining what happens. The first sentence is more of a recommendation to provide context: > The relative portion is joined to the prefix (table location) without consideration of any additional separator characters. The recommended convention for table location is to not end in a path separator because the join process would add a second separator character. (See example below). -- This is an automated message from the Apache Git Service. To respond to the message, please log on to GitHub and use the URL above to go to the specific comment. To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For queries about this service, please contact Infrastructure at: [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
