[docutils:feature-requests] Re: #91 Include directive path argument should support a configurable root.

> I would argue the first option (include root) is the simpler and more explicit / less surprising choice.

This depends on what you  are using as comparison:

* `/` as "project root" is similar to handling of absolute URLs by http servers.
    However, we want to use it for *files*, not *URLS*.
    Open issue: support only `/` or also `\`?
*  `<...>` is already used for *standard “include” data files* (cf. directives.html).
    C and C++ use this syntax with a configurable search path for the`#include` preprocessor directive.


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** [feature-requests:#91] Include directive path argument should support a configurable root.**

**Status:** open
**Group:** Default
**Created:** Tue May 03, 2022 04:03 PM UTC by Michal Urbanski
**Last Updated:** Tue Sep 13, 2022 11:04 AM UTC
**Owner:** nobody


I'm building a static website using restructuredtext and I'm really annoyed by the lack of support for root-relative paths.

I have already implemented multiple directive plugins for my website build process, some of which use external files in a different format. They use the convention that if a path begins with /, they are relative to the root directory of the project.

IMO the requirement for relative paths is very limiting - I could have a directory with files intended for inclusion but:

- I would need to use `../../` which is very ugly
- relative paths are different depending on the current file path - this is very fragile and limits 

An additional argument is that C and C++ have been using #include for like 40 years and relative paths (while sometimes useful) are only for specific cases. The leading convention is to use root-relative paths.

I could implement another plugin for it but ... copy-pasting docutils own code only to change few lines is definitely smelly.


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