diff --git a/qse/include/qse/cmn/path.h b/qse/include/qse/cmn/path.h
index ce38ab06..e78cf747 100644
--- a/qse/include/qse/cmn/path.h
+++ b/qse/include/qse/cmn/path.h
@@ -39,6 +39,16 @@
 #	define	qse_basename(path) qse_wcsbasename(path)
 #endif
 
+enum qse_canonpath_flag_t
+{
+	/** if the final output is . logically, return an empty path */
+	QSE_CANONPATH_EMPTYSINGLEDOT  = (1 << 0),
+	/** keep the .. segment in the path name */
+	QSE_CANONPATH_KEEPDOUBLEDOTS  = (1 << 1),
+	/** drop a trailing separator even if the source contains one */
+	QSE_CANONPATH_DROPTRAILINGSEP = (1 << 2)
+};
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
 #endif
@@ -100,10 +110,14 @@ int qse_isdrivecurpath (
  * qse_printf (QSE_T("%s\n")); // prints /usr/bin/sh
  * @endcode
  *
- * Note that the output is empty returning 0 if the input @a path is empty,
- * whereas a single period is produced if canonicalization results in the
- * current directory logically without a single period in the input @a path.
- * For example, dir/.. is canonicalized to a single period.
+ * If #QSE_CANONPATH_EMPTYSINGLEDOT is clear in the @a flags, a single dot 
+ * is produced if the input @path resolves to the current directory logically.
+ * For example, dir/.. is canonicalized to a single period; If it is set, 
+ * an empty string is produced. Even a single period as an input produces
+ * an empty string if it is set.
+ *
+ * The output is empty returning 0 regardless of @a flags if the input 
+ * @a path is empty.
  * 
  * The caller must ensure that it is large enough to hold the resulting 
  * canonical path before calling because this function does not check the
@@ -117,7 +131,8 @@ int qse_isdrivecurpath (
  */
 qse_size_t qse_canonpath (
 	const qse_char_t* path,
-	qse_char_t*       canon
+	qse_char_t*       canon,
+	int               flags
 );
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
diff --git a/qse/include/qse/fs/dir.h b/qse/include/qse/fs/dir.h
index 94e366d0..eb0760cc 100644
--- a/qse/include/qse/fs/dir.h
+++ b/qse/include/qse/fs/dir.h
@@ -67,6 +67,15 @@ struct qse_dir_t
 
 typedef struct qse_dir_t qse_dir_t;
 
+enum qse_dir_option_t
+{ 
+	/**< don't follow a symbolic link in qse_dir_change() */
+	QSE_DIR_NOFOLLOW = (1 << 0),
+
+	/**< check directories against file system in qse_dir_change() */
+	QSE_DIR_REALPATH = (1 << 1)  
+};
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
 #endif
diff --git a/qse/lib/cmn/path-canon.c b/qse/lib/cmn/path-canon.c
index 045f9bc6..8c687570 100644
--- a/qse/lib/cmn/path-canon.c
+++ b/qse/lib/cmn/path-canon.c
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ int qse_isdrivecurpath (const qse_char_t* path)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-qse_size_t qse_canonpath (const qse_char_t* path, qse_char_t* canon)
+qse_size_t qse_canonpath (const qse_char_t* path, qse_char_t* canon, int flags)
 {
 	const qse_char_t* ptr;
 	qse_char_t* dst;
@@ -155,7 +155,8 @@ qse_size_t qse_canonpath (const qse_char_t* path, qse_char_t* canon)
 		{
 			/* eat up . */
 		}
-		else if (seglen == 2 && seg[0] == QSE_T('.') && seg[1] == QSE_T('.'))
+		else if (!(flags & QSE_CANONPATH_KEEPDOUBLEDOTS) &&
+			    seglen == 2 && seg[0] == QSE_T('.') && seg[1] == QSE_T('.'))
 		{
 			/* eat up the previous segment */
 			qse_char_t* tmp;
@@ -242,11 +243,13 @@ qse_size_t qse_canonpath (const qse_char_t* path, qse_char_t* canon)
 	}
 	while (1);
 
-	if (dst > non_root_start && ISSEP(dst[-1]) && !ISSEP(ptr[-1])) 
+	if (dst > non_root_start && ISSEP(dst[-1]) && 
+	    ((flags & QSE_CANONPATH_DROPTRAILINGSEP) || !ISSEP(ptr[-1]))) 
 	{
 		/* if the canoncal path composed so far ends with a separator
 		 * and the original path didn't end with the separator, delete
-		 * the ending separator.
+		 * the ending separator. 
+		 * also delete it if QSE_CANONPATH_DROPTRAILINGSEP is set.
 		 *
 		 *   dst > non_root_start:
 		 *     there is at least 1 character after the root directory part.
@@ -267,11 +270,14 @@ qse_size_t qse_canonpath (const qse_char_t* path, qse_char_t* canon)
 
 	if (canon_len <= 0) 
 	{
-		/* when resolving to a single dot, a trailing separator is not
-		 * retained though the orignal path name contains it. */
-		canon[0] = QSE_T('.');
-		canon[1] = QSE_T('\0');
-		canon_len = 1;
+		if (!(flags & QSE_CANONPATH_EMPTYSINGLEDOT))
+		{
+			/* when resolving to a single dot, a trailing separator is not
+			 * retained though the orignal path name contains it. */
+			canon[0] = QSE_T('.');
+			canon[1] = QSE_T('\0');
+			canon_len = 1;
+		}
 	}
 	else 
 	{
diff --git a/qse/lib/fs/dir.c b/qse/lib/fs/dir.c
index 225aac5a..4915d4c7 100644
--- a/qse/lib/fs/dir.c
+++ b/qse/lib/fs/dir.c
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ int qse_dir_change (qse_dir_t* dir, const qse_char_t* name)
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	idx = qse_canonpath (dirname, dirname);
+	idx = qse_canonpath (dirname, dirname, 0);
 	/* Put an asterisk after canonicalization to prevent side-effects.
 	 * otherwise, .\* would be transformed to * by qse_canonpath() */
 	dirname[idx-1] = QSE_T('*'); 
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ int qse_dir_change (qse_dir_t* dir, const qse_char_t* name)
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	qse_canonpath (dirname, dirname);
+	qse_canonpath (dirname, dirname, 0);
 
 #if defined(QSE_CHAR_IS_MCHAR)
 	mdirname = dirname;
diff --git a/qse/samples/cmn/path01.c b/qse/samples/cmn/path01.c
index 02169721..6965ad76 100644
--- a/qse/samples/cmn/path01.c
+++ b/qse/samples/cmn/path01.c
@@ -9,6 +9,18 @@ int path_main (int argc, qse_char_t* argv[])
 {
 	qse_char_t* canon;
 	qse_size_t len;
+	int i;
+	int options[] = 
+	{ 
+		0,
+		QSE_CANONPATH_EMPTYSINGLEDOT,
+		QSE_CANONPATH_KEEPDOUBLEDOTS,
+		QSE_CANONPATH_DROPTRAILINGSEP,
+		QSE_CANONPATH_EMPTYSINGLEDOT | QSE_CANONPATH_KEEPDOUBLEDOTS,
+		QSE_CANONPATH_EMPTYSINGLEDOT | QSE_CANONPATH_DROPTRAILINGSEP,
+		QSE_CANONPATH_KEEPDOUBLEDOTS | QSE_CANONPATH_DROPTRAILINGSEP,
+		QSE_CANONPATH_EMPTYSINGLEDOT | QSE_CANONPATH_KEEPDOUBLEDOTS | QSE_CANONPATH_DROPTRAILINGSEP
+	};
 
 	if (argc != 2)
 	{
@@ -16,21 +28,32 @@ int path_main (int argc, qse_char_t* argv[])
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-/*
-	canon = QSE_MMGR_ALLOC (QSE_MMGR_GETDFL(), (qse_strlen(argv[1]) + 1) * QSE_SIZEOF(*canon));
-	if (canon == QSE_NULL)
+	canon = QSE_MMGR_ALLOC (
+		QSE_MMGR_GETDFL(), (qse_strlen(argv[1]) + 1) * QSE_SIZEOF(*canon));
+	if (!canon)
 	{
+		QSE_MMGR_FREE (QSE_MMGR_GETDFL(), canon); 
 		qse_fprintf (QSE_STDERR, QSE_T("Error: out of memory\n"));
 		return -1;
 	}
-	len = qse_canonpath (argv[1], canon);
-	qse_printf (QSE_T("[%s] => [%s] %d chars\n"), argv[1], canon, (int)len);
-	QSE_MMGR_FREE (QSE_MMGR_GETDFL(), canon); 
-*/
 
+	for (i = 0; i < QSE_COUNTOF(options); i++)
+	{
+		len = qse_canonpath (argv[1], canon, options[i]);
+		qse_printf (QSE_T("OPT[%c%c%c] [%s]: [%5d] [%s]\n"), 
+			((options[i] & QSE_CANONPATH_EMPTYSINGLEDOT)? QSE_T('E'): QSE_T(' ')),
+			((options[i] & QSE_CANONPATH_KEEPDOUBLEDOTS)? QSE_T('K'): QSE_T(' ')),
+			((options[i] & QSE_CANONPATH_DROPTRAILINGSEP)? QSE_T('D'): QSE_T(' ')),
+			argv[1], (int)len, canon);
+	}
+
+	QSE_MMGR_FREE (QSE_MMGR_GETDFL(), canon); 
+
+#if 0
 	qse_printf (QSE_T("[%s] => "), argv[1]);
-	len = qse_canonpath (argv[1], argv[1]);
+	len = qse_canonpath (argv[1], argv[1], 0);
 	qse_printf (QSE_T("[%s] %d chars\n"), argv[1], (int)len);
+#endif
 
 	return 0;
 }