I wanted to create a hidden files (for configuration etc) by starting the filename with a dot on a Linux system. The following line aborts the program when filename is a std::string starting with a dot:

...

boost::filesystem::path filename_complete = basepath / filename;

Are there any tricks for that?

I think in fact an exception is being thrown. Wrap it in a try block to find out what is getting thrown. Once you know, you will find that the code has traits to control the behavior in regards to non-standard naming conventions. Woolie