[PD] Cross platform path for externals ?

[Jaime E Oliver via Pd-list]

Hi Everyone, 

I'm trying to get my head around this problem, and I am not sure the subject describes it well…:

In an external, I'm writing into a file with:

FILE *fp1;
fp1 = fopen(x->globalpath, "w");

I provide the external with x->globalpath through a message such as "open /home/user/filename.txt", but I am trying to find a path that would work on both os x and linux, so that it at least works in two platforms and my help file isn't platform specific.

In Linux, I call Pd from the console with "pd" and I send several relative paths like "filename.txt" , "~/filename.txt", or "./filename.txt" work.

In OS X, If I call Pd from the Terminal, I can also use these relative paths. By relative i mean relative to the Pd executable (bin).

However, in OS X, when I double click on the Pd Icon, these same paths are not valid. I am trying to figure how textfile's write message does it, but I cannot locate the point in source where this is done.

Anybody has any pointers?

best,

J