Filesystem operations based on File/URL instead of Path

[jens-kaiser]

The code still contains concepts that were used long before Java 8 in many places. Some of these can or should now be replaced by other constructs.

The tests load many resources from files and operate on file URLs. These are assembled from a base URL and string paths. The Paths API has long provided better alternatives here.

[carlosame]

The tests load many resources from files and operate on file URLs. These are assembled from a base URL and string paths. The Paths API has long provided better alternatives here.

One problem with operating with Paths and URIs instead of URLs is that the exception checking is less obvious. To check for the same thing sometimes it's IllegalArgumentException, sometimes is something else unchecked, versus the old checked exceptions. So if I find old code that uses URLs and even File, I tend to keep with it. In newer tests written from scratch I have been using Path though.

I don't believe that this is a compelling issue right now, but if you feel inclined to send a PR please do. Please keep in mind that:

1. The transcoder tests operate on URLs because it tests a bit more code than giving it a Reader for example (and you have to set the URI anyway so the external references can be retrieved).

2. The tests should run from both Gradle and the main IDEs, which in practice means different runtime CWDs. I checked the current ones with Eclipse and IntelliJ.

3. For testing, knowing the absolute parent directory of the project and tests is essential because Java policy files are generated on-the-fly based on that information. Yes this project keeps supporting security managers.

4. The test files in the samples directory are operated as plain files instead of Java resources, which makes sense because that's what will be used in production.

[jens-kaiser]

Thank you very much for the additional information. I have created the issues so that I can implement them myself if necessary. Some things are fairly simple, others are difficult, so your feedback is very valuable in advance.