gnc-backend-file.c: ERR_BACKEND_PERM too unspecific

[Derek Atkins]

I'm wondering why we even try to chown the old backup file at all?
I can understand why we want to chmod the NEW data file, but I
don't understand why we'd want to do anything but "rename" the
old backup file?

-derek

Christian Stimming <stimming at tuhh.de> writes:

> I just recently got a new error message from the gnucash-HEAD that didn't show 
> up with 1.8. Here's the deal: I have two linux users accessing the gnucash 
> file alternating. The directory of that file has 775 permissions and both of 
> them are in the same group, so both are able to write the file in that 
> directory.  However, on file saving in 1.8 I always got the PWARN message on 
> the cmdline saying that the new user is "unable to chown filename", which was 
> quite understandable because the new user cannot chown the previous file that 
> was written by the old user. In 1.8 this was a not-too-noisy warning on the 
> cmdline.
>
> However, with SVN-HEAD on "save file" this "unable to chown filename" warning 
> in  src/backend/file/gnc-backend-file.c:556 results in a ERR_BACKEND_PERM 
> error code being passed to gnucash, which will then show a big red error 
> window saying "You do not have permission to access  %s\n"! Uh oh! Very 
> frightening.
>
> As it turns out, the file saving went just fine. Only the old backup file 
> couldn't be chown'd to the new user, because it is still being owned by that 
> other user.
>
> Conclusion: This ERR_BACKEND_PERM either needs to be removed from these two 
> particular warnings, or these particular warnings need to have (new, 
> additional) error codes. That ERR_BACKEND_PERM error message is really meant 
> for the case when the actual data file cannot be accessed because of 
> permissions, isn't it? This user feedback needs to be crystal clear in such 
> respect. Any ideas?
>
> Christian
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>

-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
       warlord at MIT.EDU                        PGP key available