an exercise: how to get the path of the current executable

Note: this is a non-portable Linux solution

src/tool/SConscript

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ rsvg    = envSvg.Program('rsvg-convert','rsvg-convert.c')
 
 # build additional test and administrative tools....
 artifacts['tools'] = [ env.Program('hello-world','hello.c', install=True)      #### hello world (checks C build)      
-                     + env.Program('try', 'try.cpp')                           #### to try out some feature...
+                     + env.Program('try', 'try.cpp', LIBS=support_lib)         #### to try out some feature...
 #                    + luidgen
                      + rsvg
                      ]

src/tool/try.cpp

@@ -15,15 +15,45 @@
 // 6/09  - investigating how to build a mixin template providing an operator bool()
 // 12/9  - tracking down a strange "warning: type qualifiers ignored on function return type"
 // 1/10  - can we determine at compile time the presence of a certain function (for duck-typing)?
+// 1/11  - how to fetch the path of the own executable -- at least under Linux?
 
 
 #include "include/nobugcfg.h"
 
 #include <iostream>
+#include <string>
+
+extern "C" {
+#include <unistd.h>
+}
+//#include "lib/error.hpp"
+//#include "lib/symbol.hpp"
 
 
 using std::string;
 using std::cout;
+//using lib::Literal;
+//using lib::STRING_MAX_RELEVANT;
+const size_t STRING_MAX_RELEVANT = 1000;
+
+//namespace error = lumiera::error;
+
+//Literal GET_PATH_TO_EXECUTABLE ("/proc/self/exe");
+const char * const GET_PATH_TO_EXECUTABLE ("/proc/self/exe");
+
+string
+catchMyself ()
+{
+  string buff(STRING_MAX_RELEVANT+1, '\0' );
+  ssize_t chars_read = readlink (GET_PATH_TO_EXECUTABLE, &buff[0], STRING_MAX_RELEVANT);
+  
+  if (0 > chars_read || chars_read == ssize_t(STRING_MAX_RELEVANT))
+//  throw error::Fatal ("unable to discover path of running executable")
+    throw string("unable to discover path of running executable");
+  
+  buff.resize(chars_read);
+  return buff;
+}
 
 
 int 
@@ -32,6 +62,7 @@ main (int, char**) //(int argc, char* argv[])
     
     NOBUG_INIT;
     
+    cout << "\n\nich bin :" << catchMyself();
     cout <<  "\n.gulp.\n";
     
     return 0;