File handling involves managing files and directories in a computer system. Working with file paths is a key part of this process. A file path is a string that specifies the location of a file or directory in the file system. It can be either absolute or relative.

An absolute path provides the complete path from the root directory to the file. For example, on a Windows system, an absolute path might look like C:UsersUsernameDocumentsfile.txt, while on a Unix-based system, it might be /home/username/documents/file.txt. Absolute paths are useful when you need to ensure that your application always accesses the same file, regardless of the current working directory.

A relative path specifies the location of a file relative to the current working directory. For instance, if your current directory is C:UsersUsernameDocuments, a relative path like file.txt refers to a file within that directory. Relative paths are helpful for moving files or directories around without needing to adjust the path information in your code.

When handling files, you might need to navigate through directories, create new files, or delete existing ones. To do this, you use functions provided by programming languages to manipulate file paths and perform file operations. Always ensure that the paths you use are correct and that you have the necessary permissions to access or modify the files.