Refactor Duplicate Code in _identify_path Function

[zvaad]

• Refactored the _identify_path function to remove redundant code and improve readability. • Consolidated logic for path resolution and network path checking to avoid duplication. • Simplified handling of lists using Python's all() function for better clarity. This change ensures cleaner and more maintainable code without altering functionality.

[JessicaTegner]

hey @zvaad thank you for the pr. So we have some CI failing, so idially a refactor should not make any tests break. Could you take another look at it?