File path to ${HOME}
lazarus / 66-Unix

----------------------------------------------------------------------
cryppyrc · 2023-05-01 06:16

I am new to this forum (and new to pascal) so I hope this question is
in the appropriate sub section.

I am trying to compile an app for macOS that was written with a focus
on Windows users and I don't understand how I need to adjust the code
to make it work on Darwin.

If executed on Linux or Windows from CLI, the app creates two folders
(wallet and data) in the app directory. On Darwin this obviously does
not work because apps have no permission to write to the app bundle.
Therefore I am trying to find a way to adjust the paths of the code
snippet below to point to the respective user's home directory ${HOME}
in Darwin.

Path definition:
Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]window.onload = function(){var x1 =
document.getElementById("main_content_section"); if (x1) { var x =
document.getElementsByClassName("geshi");for (var i = 0; i CONST 
WalletDirectory   = 'wallet'+directoryseparator;  // Wallet folder 
DataDirectory     = 'data'+directoryseparator;  WalletFileName    =
WalletDirectory+'wallet.pkw';  // Wallet keys file 
I would be very happy for any hints.

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simone · 2023-05-01 08:23

I have no experience in developing under Mac OS, but about environment
variables, maybe this wiki can help:

https://wiki.freepascal.org/Command_line_parameters_and_environment_va
riables#Environment_variables

----------------------------------------------------------------------
KodeZwerg · 2023-05-01 09:23

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]window.onload = function(){var x1 =
document.getElementById("main_content_section"); if (x1) { var x =
document.getElementsByClassName("geshi");for (var i = 0; i {$mode
objfpc}{$H+}{$modeswitch objectivec1}  ... uses  CocoaAll; // for
NSBundle ... function GetBundlePath: string;begin  Result :=
NSBundle.mainBundle.bundlePath.UTF8String;end;Taken from
https://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/macOS_Programming_Tips

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dbannon · 2023-05-01 10:42

On the Mac, only files that would be discareded in the even, eg, of an
update would be kept in the bundle.  Given we don't see Trev very
often these days, here is how I do it ("tomboy-ng" being the name of
my app, you will need to set your own !)-

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]window.onload = function(){var x1 =
document.getElementById("main_content_section"); if (x1) { var x =
document.getElementsByClassName("geshi");for (var i = 0; i function
TSett.GetDefaultNoteDir : string;begin    {$IFDEF UNIX}    Result :=
GetEnvironmentVariable('HOME') + '/.local/share/tomboy-ng/';   
{$ENDIF}    {$IFDEF DARWIN}    Result :=
GetEnvironmentVariable('HOME') + '/Library/Application Support/Tomboy-
ng/Notes/';    {$ENDIF}    {$IFDEF WINDOWS}    Result :=
GetEnvironmentVariable('APPDATA') + '\tomboy-ng\notes\';   
{$ENDIF}end;
Yes, I know, the UNIX line will be activated in Cocoa too but it will
be overwritten by the correct one. There is a historical reason ....

Davo

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WayneSherman · 2023-05-20 02:47

Quote from: dbannonYes, I know, the UNIX line will be activated in
Cocoa too but it will be overwritten by the correct one.
Possibly a better way (?) using newer {$IF} and {$ELSEIF} directives:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]window.onload = function(){var x1 =
document.getElementById("main_content_section"); if (x1) { var x =
document.getElementsByClassName("geshi");for (var i = 0; i function
TSett.GetDefaultNoteDir : string;begin  {$IF DEFINED(DARWIN)}   
Result := GetEnvironmentVariable('HOME') + '/Library/Application
Support/Tomboy-ng/Notes/';  {$ELSEIF DEFINED(UNIX)}    Result :=
GetEnvironmentVariable('HOME') + '/.local/share/tomboy-ng/';  {$ELSEIF
DEFINED(WINDOWS)}    Result := GetEnvironmentVariable('APPDATA') +
'\tomboy-ng\notes\';  {$ENDIF}end;
Reference:
https://wiki.freepascal.org/Conditional_compilation#.24else_and_.24els
eif
https://wiki.freepascal.org/$IF

----------------------------------------------------------------------
colo · 2023-05-20 07:42

Sorry for raising this maybe slightly off-topic remark, but since I've
seen something along the lines of

Code: [Select]GetEnvironmentVariable('HOME')

to determine a user's home directory on GNU/Linux and other UNIX-like
OSes quite often, I would like to remind everyone that it's not a
given this environment variable exists or is set to the proper value.
Most interactive shell sessions will have it set, but not all commonly
encountered (and even less so, all possible) execution environments
will have it. Even getuserdir seems to get it wrong, at least per its
docs, and if you call it with an empty HOME value in the env, it will
return "/tmp", which is its own can of worms entirely.

Only getpwnam(3) or getpwuid(3) from the host's C library will always
yield the right thing (even in the face of more exotic circumstances,
like the user database not living in /etc/passwd due to nsswitch, for
example), which is what you should call from any fpc code to get this
right. Unfortunately, it escapes me how to do that, since the only
reference I could find is to the deprecated libc stuff in
https://www.freepascal.org/daily/packages/libc/index-8.html#SECTIONG -
but if anyone else can chime in, I'd be eager to learn!

----------------------------------------------------------------------
marcov · 2023-05-20 12:05

Maybe the "users" unit as mentioned in the libc article as alternative
?

https://wiki.freepascal.org/libc_unit

----------------------------------------------------------------------
colo · 2023-05-21 09:34

Yes! Excellent, this led me to the right thing  The procedures buried
in the related `pwd` module call `getpwnam` and friends, as it should
be.

For demonstration purposes (I'm on GNU/Linux here, with a boring
passwd/shadow-based NSS user and group database), consider this
program:
Code: [Select]program userhomedir(output);
uses sysutils, baseunix, pwd;
var
    pwrec: PPasswd;
begin
 { Sometimes wrong, don't use }
 writeLn('GetUserDir: ' + GetUserDir);

 { Correct way to determine the current user's home directory }
 pwrec := fpgetpwuid(FpGetUid);
 writeLn('FpGetPwUid: ' + pwrec^.pw_dir );
end.

The struct that contains pw_dir also carries other useful per-account
data, as documented here.


Demo shell session output:
Code: [Select]$ fpc userhomedir.pas
Free Pascal Compiler version 3.2.2 [2023/05/07] for x86_64
Copyright (c) 1993-2021 by Florian Klaempfl and others
Target OS: Linux for x86-64
Compiling userhomedir.pas
Linking userhomedir
12 lines compiled, 0.1 sec

# "happy" path
$ ./userhomedir
GetUserDir: /home/colo/
FpGetPwUid: /home/colo

# where GetUserDir gets it wrong
$ HOME= ./userhomedir
GetUserDir: /tmp/
FpGetPwUid: /home/colo


A soon as a program that uses GetUserDir ends up being run as a system
service, chances are its notion of home will be off. So I would
encourage anyone to use the `pwd` module instead, and if the value of
HOME is to be accounted for, maybe handle this in custom code.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Raskaton · 2023-07-03 19:58

Maybe just use:
ExpandFileName https://lazarus-
ccr.sourceforge.io/docs/rtl/sysutils/expandfilename.html
Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]window.onload = function(){var x1 =
document.getElementById("main_content_section"); if (x1) { var x =
document.getElementsByClassName("geshi");for (var i = 0; i uses
SysUtils; ExpandFileName('.');  //app directoryExpandFileName('~/');
 //home absolute path like: /home/username/  or
/root/ExpandFileName('~/.local/');  //
/home/username/.localExpandFileName('~/..');  // /home/ or  / Never
use it by myself 

Upd. Test it in Linux (KDE)
Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]window.onload = function(){var x1 =
document.getElementById("main_content_section"); if (x1) { var x =
document.getElementsByClassName("geshi");for (var i = 0; i  
writeln('ExpandFileName(''.'') = ', ExpandFileName('.')); 
writeln('ExpandFileName(''~/'') = ', ExpandFileName('~/')); 
writeln('ExpandFileName(''~/.local/'') = ',
ExpandFileName('~/.local/'));  writeln('ExpandFileName(''~/..'') = ',
ExpandFileName('~/..')); Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]window.onload =
function(){var x1 = document.getElementById("main_content_section");
if (x1) { var x = document.getElementsByClassName("geshi");for (var i
= 0; i ExpandFileName('.') = /home/raskaton/Projects/Lazarus-
Projects/TestConsoleAppExpandFileName('~/') =
/home/raskaton/ExpandFileName('~/.local/') =
/home/raskaton/.local/ExpandFileName('~/..') = /home wrong slashes
also converted
Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]window.onload = function(){var x1 =
document.getElementById("main_content_section"); if (x1) { var x =
document.getElementsByClassName("geshi");for (var i = 0; i
ExpandFileName('~\..') = /homeExpandFileName('~\..\') = /home/