# getFileSystemRepresentation(_:maxLength:) Interprets the receiver as a system-independent path and fills a buffer with a C-string in a format and encoding suitable for use with file-system calls. ``` func getFileSystemRepresentation(_ cname: UnsafeMutablePointer, maxLength max: Int) -> Bool ``` ## Parameters `cname` Upon return, contains a C-string that represent the receiver as a system-independent path, plus the `NULL` termination byte. The size of `buffer` must be large enough to contain `maxLength` bytes. `max` The maximum number of bytes in the string to return in `buffer` (including a terminating `NULL` character, which this method adds). ## Return Value if `buffer` is successfully filled with a file-system representation, otherwise (for example, if `maxLength` would be exceeded or if the receiver can’t be represented in the file system’s encoding). ## Discussion This method operates by replacing the abstract path and extension separator characters (’`/`’ and ‘`.`’ respectively) with their equivalents for the operating system. If the system-specific path or extension separator appears in the abstract representation, the characters it is converted to depend on the system (unless they’re identical to the abstract separators). Note that this method only works with file paths (not, for example, string representations of URLs). The following example illustrates the use of the `maxLength` argument. The first method invocation returns failure as the file representation of the string (`@"/mach_kernel"`) is 12 bytes long and the value passed as the `maxLength` argument (`12`) does not allow for the addition of a `NULL` termination byte. ```objc char filenameBuffer[13]; BOOL success; success = [@"/mach_kernel" getFileSystemRepresentation:filenameBuffer maxLength:12]; // success == NO // Changing the length to include the NULL character does work success = [@"/mach_kernel" getFileSystemRepresentation:filenameBuffer maxLength:13]; // success == YES ``` --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)