[GNC-dev] gnucash 3.906-1 fails to launch on clicked icon

Mon Jun 22 23:20:05 EDT 2020

I'd go with some security issue. Check it with
  spctl --assess -vv /Applications/Gnucash.app
  xattr -p com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Gnucash.app

I get  
  /Applications/Gnucash.app/: accepted
  source=Notarized Developer ID
  origin=Developer ID Application: John D Ralls (Y9EHT5WMK7)

and
  01c1;5eeff24b;Firefox;BC474A13-F338-4CD7-BD10-3FB16BB8BFEE

You can force acceptance with 
  spctl --add --label 'Approved' /Applications/Gnucash.app
  xattr -d -r com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Gnucash.app

*But* if spctl fails something is wrong with the download as it should be cryptographically signed with my Apple certificate and notarized by Apple. 

Regards,
John Ralls

> On Jun 22, 2020, at 4:10 PM, Jeff Earickson <jaearick at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> John,
> 
> I fired up the console and looked in Crash Reports.  Nothing from gnucash.
> 
> Doing "open Gnucash.app --args --debug" works great.  The app fires up and acts normally.  I get a trace file (attached).  I get a normal termination when closing out.  No system.log complaints.
> 
> So I created a new user (no admin capabilities), logged in, and tried to fire up Gnucash.  It did not work via click nor via open from the command line.  Both gave the err code 1 to system.log like before.  However it also worked just fine via "open Gnucash.app --args --debug" as well, and I got a tracefile there too.  I went thru the new account setup, no crashes, no problems, looked good.
> 
> Gnucash seems to get stomped by the OS during launch really early, before gnucash gets to the point of opening files like the trace file or doing anything useful.  Almost like the fork/exec of the process fails, or some security setting someplace just says NOPE to the process.
> 
> Jeff
> 
> On Mon, Jun 22, 2020 at 4:58 PM John Ralls <jralls at ceridwen.us> wrote:
> No doubt the crash left a crash report in Console, please open a bug (https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Bugzilla#Commenting_on_existing_bugs_or_entering_new_ones) and attach it.
> 
> Try
>   open Gnucash.app --args --debug
> 
> And check the trace file again.
> 
> You might also try creating a new user and trying to start GnuCash as that user just in case there's something about your user configuration that's triggering the problem.
> 
> Regards,
> John Ralls
> 
> > On Jun 22, 2020, at 12:22 PM, Jeff Earickson <jaearick at gmail.com> wrote:
> > 
> > John,
> > 
> > "open Gnucash.app" via command-line gives the same error code 1 in system.log, nothing else happens.
> > 
> > I had to hunt for a gnucash.trace file by walking the root directory with find.  Finally found something in /System/Volumes/data/private/var/folders/(other stuff)/gnucash.trace.  I zeroed out the tile via "cat /dev/null > gnucash.trace" then started clicking and trying to open the app via command-line.  Not a single byte went to this file.  Just the errcode 1 to system.log.
> > 
> > Then I tried via the commond-line, running the executable:
> > 
> > cd /Applications/Gnucash/Gnucash.app/Contents/MacOS
> > ./Gnucash --debug --extra --logto /tmp/gnucash.trace
> > 
> > The application opened up, wanted me to create a new account, I clicked thru the "next" buttons to do so, and then it crashed.  I realize this may be a different problem than the "fail to open" issue, but the latter problem refuses to cough up a tracefile anyplace.  See attached.
> > 
> > Thanks,
> > Jeff Earickson
> > 
> > 
> > On Sun, Jun 21, 2020 at 11:02 PM John Ralls <jralls at ceridwen.us> wrote:
> > And I presume no crash report since it seems to be exiting with an error code rather than crashing.
> > 
> > Is there anything in the trace file (https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Tracefile)? Does it open if you do
> >   open Gnucash.app
> > from the command line?
> > 
> > Regards,
> > John Ralls
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > > On Jun 21, 2020, at 5:18 PM, Jeff Earickson <jaearick at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > 
> > > John,
> > > 
> > > My System Preferences is (and was) as you recommend, and has been for a while.  I've seen this behavior with programs before, including Gnucash, where it flops on the first launch but works thereafter.  So, I tried this "jiggle the handle" approach here.  No go in this case.
> > > 
> > > Gnucash 3.906 launches flawlessly via command-lien, but coughs up the err code 1 in system.log via clicking every time.  No love from it in this corner.  :(
> > > 
> > > Jeff Earickson
> > > 
> > > On Sun, Jun 21, 2020 at 7:57 PM John Ralls <jralls at ceridwen.us> wrote:
> > > 
> > > 
> > > > On Jun 21, 2020, at 2:35 PM, Jeff Earickson <jaearick at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > 
> > > > Releases 3.905-1 and previous 3.9x releases
> > > > 
> > > > OS: MacOS 10.15.5 (Catalina) MacBook Pro and Mac Mini hardwares
> > > > 
> > > > System log says (/var/log/system.log):
> > > > 
> > > > *Jun 21 17:15:55 rongovia com.apple.xpc.launchd[1]
> > > > (com.apple.xpc.launchd.oneshot.0x10000001.Gnucash[602]): Service exited
> > > > with abnormal code: 1*
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > (could not find other references to Gnucash in any other syslogs)
> > > > 
> > > > The problem: When you click on the application icon to launch Gnucash, you
> > > > get the "verifying Gnucash" scrollbar, then -- nothing.  Checking the
> > > > syslogs, you see the message above.  This is true when the program is
> > > > installed in /Applications, or clicked on directly from the mounted volume
> > > > from the dmg.
> > > > 
> > > > However, the program will start up correctly if you open a terminal window
> > > > and launch it via command-line, ie
> > > > 
> > > > cd /Applications/GnucashGnucash.app/Contents/MacOS
> > > > ./Gnucash
> > > > 
> > > > I get:
> > > > 
> > > > *rongovia:MacOS jaearick$ ./Gnucash*
> > > > 
> > > > *Application Path
> > > > /Applications/Gnucash/Gnucash.app/Contents/MacOS/./Gnucash*
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > *(process:878): gnc.gui-**WARNING** **: **17:30:10.516**:
> > > > [mac_set_languages()] Language list: en:en_US:C*
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > and the splash screen and everything else appears normally.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > I googled about this topic, and it has appeared in the past, but I did not
> > > > find an actual fix to the problem.
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > FYI, before this turns into a real 4.0 release.
> > > 
> > > This is pretty common, the verification blocks the launch. It generally starts right up on the second and subsequent launch attempts, as it did for me just now. Do make sure that you have "App Store and identified developers" checked in System Preferences>Security & Privacy>General under Allow apps downloaded from:.
> > > 
> > > Regards,
> > > John Ralls
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > -- 
> > > --- Jeff Earickson
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > -- 
> > --- Jeff Earickson
> > <gnucash.trace>
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> --- Jeff Earickson
> <gnucash.trace>