canonicalizePath returns a path which exists, but cannot be openned

[coot]

The following error is Windows specific, I encountered it while compiling with cabal on a VM which shares a directory with the host using a network drive (this is what VirtualBox does). The original bug report is here https://github.com/haskell/cabal/issues/6308. The gist of the problem is that:

• the current directory is a network drive iohk (\\VBOXSvr) (Z:)
• assuming that some.file in the current directory exists:

  >>> makeAbsolute "some.file" >>= doesFileExist
  True
  >>> canonicalisePath "some.file" >>= doesFileExist
  True

  but

  >>> canonicalisePath "some.file" >>= \path -> openFile path ReadMode
  *** Exception: \\VBoxSvr\iohk\test.file: openFile: does not exist (No such file or directory)

  while

  >>> makeAbsolute "some.file" >>= \path -> openFile path ReadMode

  runs fine.

>>> canonicalizePath "some.file"
"\\\\VBoxSvr\\iohk\\some.file"
>>> makeAbsolute "some.file"
"Z:\\some.file"

[coot]

I tracked down that it's getFinalPathName which is an ffi call to GetFinalPathName that returns the "\\BVoxSvr\iohk" path.

[coot]

this will be fixed upstream