Ticket #4515 - Preferences folder misused in Mac version (was: Lost my menu/icons)

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qwerty_f
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Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:22 pm

Ticket #4515 - Preferences folder misused in Mac version (was: Lost my menu/icons)

Post by qwerty_f »

I had to install a FC version via homebrew for Mac OS Big Sur (and somehow can't repeat that installation). Now, for some reason, all the menus are gone and FC starts with a very minimal set of icons/menus. Is there a way to restore the menus, e.g. by copying some config file from 0.18 (which still works under Big Sur)?
chrisb
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Re: Lost my menu/icons

Post by chrisb »

Different versions on the Mac all use the same config directory: /Users/YourUser/Library/Preferences/FreeCAD.
- Stop all FreeCADs and rename the folder
- restart FreeCAD0.19, this creates a new FreeCAD folder, and resets everything to default
- if things don't improve, delete the new folder and restore the old one.

Usually it is sufficient to rename the file user.cfg inside the FreeCAD folder.
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qwerty_f
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Re: Lost my menu/icons

Post by qwerty_f »

Well, a new folder was created, but the menus still are missing. Even more mysterious: I shrinked the workbench menu before and that shrunken menu is still present. There must be some secret other menu location?!
chrisb
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Re: Lost my menu/icons

Post by chrisb »

If you switch applications, does the menu return?
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qwerty_f
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Re: Lost my menu/icons

Post by qwerty_f »

Strangely it does not. When I launch 0.18 the menus are still not there even after cleaning Preferences (which by the way is not the right location for those files which should be in Application Support).

P.S. Ended up restoring the menus manually.
chrisb
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Re: Lost my menu/icons

Post by chrisb »

qwerty_f wrote: Fri Dec 18, 2020 9:58 am (which by the way is not the right location for those files which should be in Application Support).
See https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=52329.
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qwerty_f
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Re: Lost my menu/icons

Post by qwerty_f »

Yeah, but obviously nobody seems to care :-/
chrisb
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Re: Lost my menu/icons

Post by chrisb »

qwerty_f wrote: Fri Dec 18, 2020 11:47 am Yeah, but obviously nobody seems to care :-/
Probably because 1) it works very well the way it is and 2) there are more important things to do. Better solve a problem and fix an issue than to fix an issue and (potentially) create a problem.

I admit that I am not familiar with the MacOS directives where to put things, but does the current situation cause any problems beyond "it's not the way how it should be done"?
If that's the case - I can imagine some administration tools showing issues - you may write a feature request. The highest chance of getting this into FreeCAD is to code it yourself and make a pull request.
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qwerty_f
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Re: Lost my menu/icons

Post by qwerty_f »

Well, it's just misbehaving (need to clap your cheek). You can store things in worse places, but such data are per definition to be stored in Application support. Preferences is for .plist files only. Of course, lots of applications do their own thing (like storing data directly under the user root, in ~/.config or where ever). That's definitely the nasty Windoze way. For now it does not really hurt but the Apple guys often do housekeeping and in that case such things get swept away and will then cause trouble (like when sandboxing was introduced and a shadow of the preferences was copy/linked to Containers). I know the "I have more important issues". That's why I'm not astonished or upset. That's just the way I see it everywhere. The grumpy old man sneezes loudly.
chrisb
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Re: Lost my menu/icons

Post by chrisb »

qwerty_f wrote: Fri Dec 18, 2020 8:54 pm For now it does not really hurt but the Apple guys often do housekeeping and in that case such things get swept away and will then cause trouble.
Yeah, the Apple guys are not known for caring much about unwanted structures. Care to write a feature request? Or should we just wait until such things happen? It will not get really bad if we do.
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