How do you envision constructing functions to create and manage a file tree, including adding directories, files, navigating the tree, and removing items?

Question Analysis

The question is asking about your understanding and approach to designing functions for managing a file tree, which is a hierarchical structure of directories and files similar to a filesystem. Key components to consider include:

• Adding Directories and Files: How you would implement functionality to create new directories and files within the tree.
• Navigating the Tree: How you plan to allow traversal through the tree, moving between directories and accessing files.
• Removing Items: The process for deleting directories and files, including considerations for both empty and non-empty directories.

Answer

To construct functions that create and manage a file tree, I would approach the problem with the following considerations:

1. Data Structure Choice:

   • Use a tree structure where each node represents a directory or a file.
   • Each directory node contains a list of children nodes, which can be either directories or files.
   • File nodes contain file-specific information, such as content or metadata.

2. Adding Directories and Files:

   • Implement a function addDirectory(parentPath, directoryName) to create a new directory under a specified parent directory.
   • Implement a function addFile(parentPath, fileName, content) to create a new file under a specified directory, with optional content.

3. Navigating the Tree:

   • Use a function navigate(path) that returns the node (directory or file) corresponding to a given path.
   • Implement helper functions like listContents(directoryPath) to list all files and directories within a specified directory.

4. Removing Items:

   • Implement a function removeItem(path) to delete a specified file or directory.
   • Ensure that when removing a directory, you handle recursive deletion of its contents to prevent errors or orphaned nodes.

5. Error Handling:

   • Include error handling for cases such as attempting to access a non-existent path, adding a duplicate file or directory, or attempting to remove a non-empty directory without confirmation.

By structuring these functions and handling the specified tasks, you can create a robust system for managing a file tree.