code: static File resolveAbsolutely(String pathToResolve, MavenProject project) {
          // avoid an NPE if the Maven project is not needed by DockerPathUtil
          return DockerPathUtil.resolveAbsolutely(pathToResolve,
                  (project == null) ? null : project.getBasedir().getAbsolutePath());
      }
docs: Resolves the supplied resource (a path or directory on the filesystem) relative the Maven {@link
  MavenProject#getBasedir() base directory}.  The returned {@code File} is guaranteed to be {@link
  File#isAbsolute() absolute}.  The returned file is <em>not</em> guaranteed to exist.
  <p>
  If {@code pathToResolve} is {@link File#isAbsolute() absolute}, then it is returned unmodified.  Otherwise, the
  {@code pathToResolve} is returned as an absolute {@code File} using the {@link MavenProject#getBasedir() Maven
  Project base directory} as its parent.
  </p>
  
  @param pathToResolve represents a filesystem resource, which may be an absolute path
  @param project the Maven project used to resolve non-absolute path resources, may be {@code null} if
  {@code pathToResolve} is {@link File#isAbsolute() absolute}
  @return an absolute {@code File} reference to {@code pathToResolve}; <em>not</em> guaranteed to exist
  @throws IllegalArgumentException if {@code pathToResolve} is relative, and {@code project} is {@code null} or
  provides a relative {@link MavenProject#getBasedir() base directory}