Python and pathlib and Windows -- this problem has been solved -- and yet...

The Passive-Aggressive Programmer strikes again. A sad story of sadness.

I tell everyone to stop using os.path and use pathlib. Everyone. Here's the link: https://docs.python.org/3/library/pathlib.html

It's essential to realize the semantic richness of OS filesystem paths. They're not simply strings. They have a string representation, but there's quite a bit going on there that is not captured trivially by strings and string parsing.  "path/basename.extension" is more than just slashes and dots.

Windows users, of course, have a nightmarish problem. Actually many nightmarish problems, one of which is pathnames.

I tell Windows developers to use pathlib, it will make their life somewhat more bearable.

And Yet. The Passive-Aggressive Programmer insists on using Windows as if it doesn't have a problem with \ in path strings.

Line 110 has a literal r"C:\windows\is\xtreme\evil" Note the \x in the path. Without the r"" string, this literal raises a SyntaxError.

Line 50 had subprocess.run(r"C:\path\to\xectuable -option" + " " + options + " " + filename). Note the r"" string. Note the Linux-style -option, too. They're wrapping an open source app in a Python shell.

You're with me so far? They're Windows devs. They've managed to use raw strings in two places. Right?

But. They're Passive-Aggressive. They don't like PR comments of any kind. They'll "agree" to a change, but then... This...

Line 50 should change. It's needs to use a list.

The Passive Aggressive Programmer can't make a list work.

list_of_arguments = ["C:\path\to\xectuable -option"] + options_list + ["C:\windows\is\xtreme\evil"]

See what they did there? They didn't want to change from string to list. (We had to go over it more than once.) They wanted to leave it alone. Grudgingly, they agreed to change from string to list.

But.

SyntaxError. See? The list just doesn't work. Python is weird. It's an undocumented WAT.

[Yes, some of us know the r's vanished. They author couldn't figure that out, though.]

And the pathlib suggestion?

Since the strings are now a SyntaxError, they need me to fix that for them. I made them change to a list, therefore, I caused the SyntaxError. It would be a distraction to spend tome researching pathlib. "I need to Google and think about how to handle the Unicode error" was the response.

Using Path("C:/path/to/xecutable") to avoid any Window-ism of any kind is an impossible burden. Impossible. It requires them to Google. Instead, the SyntxError is all my fault.

The previous examples of the use of raw strings?  Don't know why they're not helpful, but I'm not the one who's struggling to implement a change.