*
* The directory part of path (i.e., everything up to the last
* dir_sep) must denote a valid, existing directory, but the last
* component need not exist. If die_on_error is set, then die with an
* informative error message if there is a problem. Otherwise, return
* NULL on errors (without generating any output).
*
* The directory part of path (i.e., everything up to the last
* dir_sep) must denote a valid, existing directory, but the last
* component need not exist. If die_on_error is set, then die with an
* informative error message if there is a problem. Otherwise, return
* NULL on errors (without generating any output).