title: NSURL path vs absoluteString
body: <p>I've seen many questions on SO concerning converting between <code>NSURL</code> and <code>NSString</code>.  They all involve using either <code>NSString *path = [myURL absoluteString];</code> or <code>NSString *path = [myURL path];</code>.  <strong>What is the actual difference between these methods?</strong>  <strong>Is there a time when one should be used over the other?</strong>  I tried consulting the <a href="https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Cocoa/Reference/Foundation/Classes/NSURL_Class/Reference/Reference.html">Apple Docs</a>, but I found it less than helpful.</p>
  
  <p>I'm used to URL's only being mentioned in discussions concerning websites and other topics regarding sending information between different machines, and never being mentioned when dealing with just the file structure on a single machine.  Perhaps this is where some of my confusion is coming from, since <code>NSURL</code> seems to be the preferred way of accessing files, regardless of whether that file exists on a network or on the local device.  Or maybe that's a totally unrelated topic.  I'm not even sure.</p>