Forward slashes in object names

When using the HSwift API, you can view objects as being in a flat space or in a structured space:

In a flat space, objects are not grouped by any sort of structural elements, such as directories, and forward slashes (/) in object names are simply part of those names.

In a structured space, forward slashes in object names serve as directory separators, and objects can be grouped into directories.

To support the structured view, when you use HSwift to store an object that has forward slashes in its name, HCP also creates directories and subdirectories that conform to the pattern of those forward slashes. For example, if you store an object named quarterly_rpts/Q4_2012, HCP not only stores that object but also creates a directory named quarterly_rpts.

HCP does not create duplicate directories. If, after storing the object named quarterly_rpts/Q4_2012, you store an object named quarterly_rpts/Q3_2012, the single quarterly_rpts directory appears to contain two objects: Q4_2012 and Q3_2012.

Names cannot be shared between directories and objects in the same container. If a container has a directory called quarterly_rpts, it cannot have an object with the name quarterly_rpts. If a container has an object by that name already, you cannot create a directory with that name.

Directories provide a method for organizing the objects you store in a container. By using meaningful names for the portions of object names from which HCP creates directories, you can more easily manage the contents of the container.

You can also use HSwift to create directories and subdirectories by themselves. For example, you could create a directory named mktg with a subdirectory named budget_proposals. If you then store an object named mktg/budget_proposals/BudgProp-2013, that object appears to be in the mktg/budget_proposals directory. Directory names follow the same rules as object names.

When you use HCP interfaces other than HSwift to view or manage objects stored through HSwift, HCP always treats forward slashes in object names as directory separators. So, for example, in the Namespace Browser, the object you stored as quarterly_rpts/Q4_2012 shows up as an object named Q4_2012 in the quarterly_rpts directory.

Grouping objects into directories not only lets you easily manage those objects, it can also enhance HCP performance. For information on how the directory structures you create can affect performance, see structures.

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