Make pathlib extensible

Ideas
20

Some renames that might make the API clearer:

  • _Accessor → AbstractFileSystem
  • _NormalAccessor → LocalFileSystem

I’d suggest both AbstractFileSystem and LocalFileSystem gets a __new__ method that prevents direct instantiation (subclass + instantiate would be fine) to guard against direct usage, per @pitrou

The key question for me is:

I have this FileSystem object stored in a myfs variable, how can I get a Path type that uses it?

I personally haven’t come up with anything good here. Options include:

  1. Leave it entirely up to the user or library to construct a Path type with their FileSystem instance attached
  2. myfs.Path(...) - Path is an attribute that stores a subclass of pathlib.Path with our FS instance bound.
  3. pathlib.make_path_type(myfs)
  4. pathlib.Path(..., fs=myfs)
  5. Do away with FileSystem (i.e. accessors) altogether, and merge their methods into Path?
  6. Something else?

Thanks!