[GNC] Where does gnucash put the lock file on Linux?

Chris Green cl at isbd.net
Wed Jan 20 08:33:33 EST 2021


On Wed, Jan 20, 2021 at 08:23:23AM -0500, Derek Atkins wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> The lock file is created in the same directory as the data file.
> Is that directory not writeable?  That would cause the error.

The directory is definitely writeable and there definitely isn't any
sort of lock file in the directory:-

    chris$ cd tmp/pcc/2020
    /home/chris/tmp/pcc/2020
    chris$ ls
    building.gnucash  building.gnucash.20210120121447.log  general.gnucash
    chris$ ls -al
    total 504
    drwxrwxr-x 2 chris chris   4096 Jan 20 12:14 .
    drwxrwxr-x 3 chris chris   4096 Jan 20 12:13 ..
    -rw-r--r-- 1 chris chris 212992 Jan 20 12:14 building.gnucash
    -rw-rw-r-- 1 chris chris    381 Jan 20 12:14 building.gnucash.20210120121447.log
    -rw-r--r-- 1 chris chris 290816 Jan 20 12:14 general.gnucash
    chris$ gnucash general.gnucash
    Found Finance::Quote version 1.49.
    chris$ 

The above sequence pops up the can't create lock file error.

> If GnuCash cannot create (and lock) the lock file then it will throw the
> error.
> If you are SURE that there is not another process running, you can "Open
> Anyways" and that will clear the error.
> 
Yes, I realise that, but it's not "right". :-)


> NB that gnucash may mix the metadata for two versions of the same-named
> file located in different directories.  The GCM file does not contain the
> file location information.
> 
I'm not quite sure I follow that, I do have general.gnucash in two
different places.  Are you saying that this may cause problems and
that I should rename my 'previous year' accounts to (for example)
general2020.gnucash as well as moving them to a suitably named
sub-directory?

-- 
Chris Green


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