Extract the directory path from one or more file paths

Summary

The dir macro extracts and returns the parent directory path from one or more file paths. It returns the absolute path to each file’s containing directory, filtering out non-existent files.

Syntax 

${dir;<filepath>[;<filepath>...]}

Parameters

  • filepath - One or more file paths (relative to project directory)

Behavior

  • Resolves each file path relative to the project directory
  • Filters to include only files that exist
  • Returns the absolute path to each file’s parent directory
  • Multiple directory paths are concatenated with commas
  • Returns null if no file arguments are provided
  • Issues a warning if called without arguments

Examples

Get directory of a single file:

source.dir=${dir;src/main/java/Example.java}
# Returns: /path/to/project/src/main/java

Get directories of multiple files:

dirs=${dir;LICENSE.txt;README.md}
# Returns: /path/to/project,/path/to/project

Use in path construction:

parent.dir=${dir;${@}}
# Gets directory containing current bundle JAR

Build relative path:

Bundle-License: ${dir;LICENSE}/LICENSE.txt

Use Cases

  • Determining the location of source files
  • Building paths relative to file locations
  • Extracting directory structure information
  • Creating directory-based configurations
  • Referencing sibling files in the same directory
  • Computing relative paths for resources

Notes

  • File paths are resolved relative to the project base directory
  • Only existing files are processed; non-existent files are silently ignored
  • Returns absolute paths, not relative paths
  • The result uses platform-specific path separators
  • Empty result if all specified files don’t exist

See test cases in MacroTestsForDocsExamples.java