Can't save gnucash files

[David T.]

Raven,

As Michael notes (and I believe you understand), the lock file is simply a method to ensure that multiple users don’t try to access the same file simultaneously. 

To be honest, it sounds as if your problem has to do with Google Drive and how its various pieces interact, rather than GnuCash proper. Cloud storage apps sync files in a local folder to your account on the web in background processes. It sounds as if your manual save in GnuCash is conflicting with Google’s sync process, since you say the problem goes away when you pause Google. I would figure that Google’s sync process locks the file while it is syncing, causing the permissions problem. I would liken this to trying to delete a file on your hard drive while you have it open in Word. I am not sure how you might fix the problem long term…

David


> On Jun 3, 2016, at 8:43 AM, Mike or Penny Novack <mpnovack at mtdata.com> wrote:
> 
> On 6/1/2016 9:10 PM, Raven Long wrote:
> 
>> 
>> It seems like the lock file is disappearing. At least it's gone the last
>> two times it happened. That doesn't explain the permission problem, though.
>> 
>> I'm baffled.
>> 
>> Safe Travels,
> Misunderstanding how applications use a "lock file" to control access. You were perhaps imagining that this was a file that continues to exist and that DATA in the file refers to the status (who has it open). That would not work. In order to look at the data in a file you must have permission to read that file. Instead the EXISTENCE (or non-existence) of the file is used because it is possible to check for the existence of a file you lack permission to use.
> 
> So when a gnucsh data file (a set of books) is opened a "lock file" is created in the same directory and when gnucash closes (properly) that file is deleted. In other words, when gnucash is told to open a file, it checks for a lock file in the same directory and if found, reports "in use". That's why you have to override (or delete a left behind lock file) if gnucash doesn't terminate normally because in that case the lock file wasn't deleted.
> 
> Michael D Novack
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