How to change Windows path ('\') to LaTeX path ('/')?

Question

Windows paths use backslash, but paths in LaTeX documents require foreslash. When copying filepaths from Windows Explorer they will contain backslash.

I know that I could use a text editor using find & replace to change backslashs into a foreslashs which would be pretty painful for every path.

So, I hoped that there might be either

• a feature in TeXStudio (Win10) to account for that
• or a TeX function which does the replacement, e.g. like a function \bs2fs{C:\user\test\path\subdir\file.pdf}

I have found this question with answer and so far ended up in shortening my case to the following:

\documentclass[a4paper,10pt]{article}
\usepackage{pdfpages}

\makeatletter
\newcommand{\replaceBS}[2]{{\escapechar=`/ 
  \xdef#2{\expandafter\zap@space\detokenize\expandafter{#1} \@empty}}}
\makeatother

\begin{document}

\replaceBS{C:\user1\test\path\sub dir\sub dir2\file_name with Umlauts äöü.pdf}{\TeXFilename}
\includepdf[pages=-]{\TeXFilename}

\replaceBS{C:\user2\test\path\sub dir\sub dir2\file_name with Accents àèòù.pdf}{\TeXFilename}
\includepdf[pages={1,3,4,2}]{\TeXFilename}

\replaceBS{C:\user3\test\path\sub dir\sub dir3\file_name with Umlauts.pdf}}{\TeXFilename}
\includepdf[pages={4,3,2,1}]{\TeXFilename}

\replaceBS{C:\user4\test\path\sub dir\sub dir4\file_name with Umlauts.pdf}{\TeXFilename}
\includepdf[pages={1,4,3,2}]{\TeXFilename}

\end{document}

This basically works but doesn't seem to handle spaces in the path. Can't this be shortened to a simple "function" like \bs2fs{<path>} which would make the document more readable? Actually, a function which additionally handles spaces, umlauts and accents as well?

\includepdf[pages=-]        {\bs2fs{C:\user1\test\path\sub dir\sub dir2\file_name with Umlauts äöü.pdf}}
\includepdf[pages={1,3,4,2}]{\bs2fs{C:\user2\test\path\sub dir\sub dir2\file_name with Accents àèòù.pdf}}
\includepdf[pages={4,3,2,1}]{\bs2fs{C:\user3\test\path\sub dir\sub dir3\file_name with Umlauts.pdf}}
\includepdf[pages={1,4,3,2}]{\bs2fs{C:\user4\test\path\sub dir\sub dir4\file_name with Umlauts.pdf}}

Answer 1

\documentclass[a4paper,10pt]{article}
\usepackage{pdfpages}

\newcommand\windowsincludepdf{\begingroup\catcode`\\=11 \windowsincludepdfaux}
\newcommand\windowsincludepdfaux[2][]{\endgroup\includepdf[#1]{#2}}
 
\begin{document}

\windowsincludepdf[pages=1-4]{C:\texlive\2022\texmf-dist\doc\latex\pdfpages\pdfpages.pdf}

\windowsincludepdf[pages=1-4]{C:/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/doc/latex\pdfpages\pdfpages.pdf}

\end{document}