[GNC-dev] running freshly built gnucash without reinstalling the entire package

[Platon Pronko]

Hi!

I'm trying to apply some changes to the code and test them. Previously I could just execute `make` in the build directory and then run `./bin/gnucash`, however on 5.x versions that stopped working. My current workaround is to build and reinstall the entire package (I'm on Arch Linux), but that's very slow and inconvenient.

Is there some way to run the code directly from the build tree, or install into some temporary location and run from there?


Below are my attempts so far.

When I run ./build/bin/gnucash (in the repository) I get some error about inability to find app-utils module:

```
ice-9/boot-9.scm:3330:6: In procedure resolve-interface:
no code for module (gnucash app-utils)
```

I looked through the docs, and in "Starting GnuCash from the build tree" I found some reference to installing it using some custom --prefix. My next attempt was to run `make DESTDIR=/var/tmp/gnucash/ install`. Then I tried starting gnucash from that temp location:

```
$ /var/tmp/gnucash/usr/bin/gnucash
/var/tmp/gnucash/usr/bin/gnucash: error while loading shared libraries: libgnc-module.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
```

Which is logical, because the binaries were not installed in the global library dirs. I tried adding the paths to LD_LIBRARY_PATH:

```
$ LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/var/tmp/gnucash/usr/lib/:/var/tmp/gnucash/usr/lib/gnucash/ ./usr/bin/gnucash
This is a development version. It may or may not work.
Report bugs and other problems to gnucash-devel at gnucash.org
You can also lookup and file bug reports at https://bugs.gnucash.org
To find the last stable version, please refer to https://www.gnucash.org/
Backtrace:
In ice-9/boot-9.scm:
   1752:10  5 (with-exception-handler _ _ #:unwind? _ # _)
In unknown file:
            4 (apply-smob/0 #<thunk 7f00bc1cd2a0>)
In ice-9/boot-9.scm:
   3935:20  3 (process-use-modules _)
    222:17  2 (map1 (((gnucash app-utils))))
   3936:31  1 (_ ((gnucash app-utils)))
    3330:6  0 (resolve-interface (gnucash app-utils) #:select _ #:hide …)

ice-9/boot-9.scm:3330:6: In procedure resolve-interface:
no code for module (gnucash app-utils)
```

Now I again get the error about inability to find the modules. Tried setting GNC_MODULE_PATH - no effect. Then I tried setting GUILE_LOAD_PATH, and observed some change in file open syscalls in strace. After tweaking GUILE_LOAD_PATH some more I arrived at:

```
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/var/tmp/gnucash/usr/lib/:/var/tmp/gnucash/usr/lib/gnucash/ GUILE_LOAD_PATH=/var/tmp/gnucash/usr/share/guile/site/3.0/ ./usr/bin/gnucash
```

It starts, but fails with coredump when I try to do "File > Open...":

```
gnucash/gnome-utils/dialog-file-access.c:487:gnc_ui_file_access: assertion failed: (active_access_method_index >= 0)
```

-- 
Best regards,
Platon Pronko
PGP 2A62D77A7A2CB94E