[GNC] GnuCash 5.5 (macOS) can't get quotes, because it doesn't see JSON::Parse
Jim DeLaHunt
list+gnucash at jdlh.com
Sat Dec 23 23:03:55 EST 2023
On 2023-12-23 19:19, Jim DeLaHunt wrote:
>
> On 2023-12-23 15:38, John Ralls wrote:
>>
>>> On Dec 23, 2023, at 12:29 PM, Jim DeLaHunt <list+gnucash at jdlh.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi, folks:
>>>
>>> I recently upgraded to GnuCash 5.5-1 on macOS, ...retrieving quotes
>>> via AlphaVantage for ... stopped working.
>>> ...
>>> But the gnucash-fq-update utility thinks everything is fine:
>>>
>>> % PATH='/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin' sudo
>>> /Applications/Gnucash.app/Contents/Resources/bin/gnc-fq-update
>>> Password:
>>>
>>> Starting with /...[elided].../ this dialog will disappear.
>>> Reading '/Users/jdlh/.cpan/Metadata'
>>> Database was generated on Fri, 22 Dec 2023 23:54:07 GMT
>>> Test2 is up to date (1.302198).
>>> Finance::Quote is up to date (1.58).
>>> JSON::Parse is up to date (0.62).
>>>
>>> And CPAN seems to think that JSON::Parse is present:
>>>
>>> % PATH='/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin' sudo cpan
>>> Password:
>>> Loading internal logger. Log::Log4perl recommended for better logging
>>>
>>> Starting with /...[elided].../ this dialog will disappear.
>>> Terminal does not support /...[elided]...
>>> /cpan shell -- CPAN exploration and modules installation (v2.36)
>>> Enter 'h' for help.
>>>
>>> cpan[1]> m JSON::Parse
>>> Reading '/Users/jdlh/.cpan/Metadata'
>>> Database was generated on Fri, 22 Dec 2023 23:54:07 GMT
>>> Module id = JSON::Parse
>>> CPAN_USERID BKB (Ben Bullock <bkb at cpan.org>)
>>> CPAN_VERSION 0.62
>>> CPAN_FILE B/BK/BKB/JSON-Parse-0.62.tar.gz
>>> UPLOAD_DATE 2022-07-15
>>> MANPAGE JSON::Parse - Parse JSON
>>> INST_FILE
>>> /Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/JSON/Parse.pm
>>> INST_VERSION 0.62
>>>
>>>
>>> cpan[2]> install JSON::Parse
>>> JSON::Parse is up to date (0.62).
>>>
>>> ...For what it's worth, MacPorts has perl 5.34.3 installed, and the
>>> perl 5.34 edition of JSON::Parse as well. The system has perl 5.30.3
>>> installed. I do not know if this difference is significant.
>>>
>>> ...Thank you in advance for your help. And many thanks to the
>>> GnuCash developers for all the improvements in the 5.x versions!
>> ...You can force using that system perl on the command line by using
>> the path instead of just `perl`, e.g.
>> sudo /usr/bin/perl
>> /Applications/Gnucash.app/Contents/Resources/bin/gnc-fq-update
>>
>> will force using the system perl and its builtin @INC as long as
>> $PERL5LIB isn't set in the environment.
>>
>> Note that if your mac is an Apple Silicon one that you need to
>> specify arch x86_64, as in
>> sudo arch -arch x86_64 /usr/bin/perl
>> /Applications/Gnucash.app/Contents/Resources/bin/gnc-fq-update
>>
>> (all on one line) because otherwise perl will build and install F::Q
>> and friends for Apple Silicon....
>
> My computer does indeed use Apple Silicon. Specifying the path to perl
> had no effect:
>
> % sudo arch -arch x86_64 /usr/bin/perl
> /Applications/Gnucash.app/Contents/Resources/bin/gnc-fq-update
>
> Starting with /...[elided].../ this dialog will disappear.
> Reading '/Users/jdlh/.cpan/Metadata'
> Database was generated on Fri, 22 Dec 2023 23:54:07 GMT
> Test2 is up to date (1.302198).
> Finance::Quote is up to date (1.58).
> JSON::Parse is up to date (0.62).
> %
>
> Maybe my installation somehow installed JSON::Parse for Apple Silicon,
> and that is why the GnuCash application cannot find it.
>
> I would try to uninstall JSON::Parse and Finance::Quote, and let cpan
> or gnc-fq-update reinstall them, but a brief web search seems to say
> that CPAN has no command to uninstall modules.
>
> I do think I have found where the actual files might be:
>
> % ls -ld
> /Library/Perl/5.30/{,darwin-thread-multi-2level/auto/}{JSON/Parse,Finance/Quote}
> ls: /Library/Perl/5.30/JSON/Parse: No such file or directory
> drwxr-xr-x 59 root wheel 1888 21 Dec 00:32
> /Library/Perl/5.30/Finance/Quote
> drwxr-xr-x 3 root wheel 96 10 May 2022
> /Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/auto/Finance/Quote
> drwxr-xr-x 4 root wheel 128 21 Dec 00:32
> /Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/auto/JSON/Parse
>
> Is it significant that Finance::Quote has an entry in
> /Library/Perl/5.30/, but JSON::Parse does not?
>
I appear to have fixed it. I suspect that John's comment about
> ...you need to specify arch x86_64...because otherwise perl will build and install F::Q and friends for Apple Silicon. GnuCash is built for Intel only because WebKitGtk doesn't work when built for Apple Silicon and GnuCash will run an x86_64 perl under Rosetta2; if a needed module isn't available for Intel then F::Q will fail.
I followed a hypothesis that some of the Perl modules in my system
location were built for Apple Silicon, and that the GnuCash application
(being built for Intel only) could not find them.
I could run /usr/bin/cpan to look at modules in the system location. See
transcript above. It includes:
cpan[1]> m JSON::Parse
/...[elided].../
Module id = JSON::Parse
/ ...[elided].../
INST_FILE /Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/JSON/Parse.pm
INST_VERSION 0.62
I found files at that path, JSON/Parse.pm and JSON/Parse.pod. I deleted
them:
% sudo rm /Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/JSON/Parse*
Now CPAN considered the file uninstalled. So I had GnuCash do gnc-fq-update:
% sudo arch -arch x86_64 /usr/bin/perl
/Applications/Gnucash.app/Contents/Resources/bin/gnc-fq-update
Reading '/Users/jdlh/.cpan/Metadata'
Database was generated on Fri, 22 Dec 2023 23:54:07 GMT
Test2 is up to date (1.302198).
Finance::Quote is up to date (1.58).
Running install for module 'JSON::Parse'
/...[hundreds of lines elided].../
Files found in blib/arch: installing files in blib/lib into architecture
dependent library tree
Installing
/Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/auto/JSON/Parse/Parse.bundle
Installing /Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/JSON/Parse.pod
Installing /Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/JSON/Parse.pm
Appending installation info to
/Library/Perl/Updates/5.30.3/darwin-thread-multi-2level/perllocal.pod
BKB/JSON-Parse-0.62.tar.gz
/usr/bin/make install -- OK
%
I asked GnuCash-cli what it thought of my Finance::Quote installation now.
% PATH='/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin'
/Applications/Gnucash.app/Contents/MacOS/gnucash-cli --quotes info
Application Path /Applications/Gnucash.app/Contents/MacOS/gnucash-cli
Finance::Quote check returned error Can't load
'/Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/auto/DateTime/DateTime.bundle'
for module DateTime:
dlopen(/Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/auto/DateTime/DateTime.bundle,
0x0001): tried:
'/Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/auto/DateTime/DateTime.bundle'
(mach-o file, but is an incompatible architecture (have (arm64), need
(x86_64))) at /System/Library/Perl/5.30/XSLoader.pm line 96.
Apparently my DateTime module was also unsatisfactory. The message
"incompatible architecture (have (arm64), need (x86_64))" seems to point
to what John was saying about installing Perl modules for x86 not Apple
Silicon.
CPAN told me where to find the DateTime module:
cpan[1]> i DateTime
/...[elided].../
Module id = DateTime
/ ...[elided].../
INST_FILE /Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/DateTime.pm
INST_VERSION 1.58
That module seemed to be a single file. I deleted that file:
% sudo rm /Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/DateTime.pm
Then I used CPAN, guided to the x86 architecture, to install the
DateTime module again,
% sudo arch -arch x86_64 /usr/bin/cpan
/...[elided].../
cpan[1]> install DateTime
Reading '/Users/jdlh/.cpan/Metadata'
Database was generated on Fri, 22 Dec 2023 23:54:07 GMT
Running install for module 'DateTime'
/...[elided]...
/Installing
/Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/auto/DateTime/DateTime.bundle
Installing /Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/DateTime.pm
Installing
/Library/Perl/5.30/darwin-thread-multi-2level/DateTime/Infinite.pm
/...[elided]...
/ DROLSKY/DateTime-1.65.tar.gz
/usr/bin/make install -- OK
Again, I asked GnuCash-cli what it thought of my Finance::Quote
installation.
% PATH='/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin'
/Applications/Gnucash.app/Contents/MacOS/gnucash-cli --quotes info
Application Path /Applications/Gnucash.app/Contents/MacOS/gnucash-cli
Found Finance::Quote version 1.58.
Finance::Quote sources:
aex alphavantage amfiindia asegr asx
/...[elided]...
/xetra yahoo_json yahooweb za
Then I launched the GnuCash application. Now, the "Get Quotes" button in
the Price Database dialogue was active, and I could retrieve quotes
successfully.
Yay!
Conclusions I tentatively draw from this experience:
1. GnuCash users on macOS with Apple Silicon must be careful to run
gnc-fq-update with the arch -arch x86_64 qualifier.
2. gnc-fq-update fails to report at least some problems with Perl
modules compiled for Apple Silicon, where the GnuCash application
rejects the configuration.
3. When the GnuCash application rejects the configuration due to Perl
modules compiled for Apple Silicon, neither the diagnostics printed
by gnucash-cli nor the telemetry in the --debug log written by the
GnuCash application mentions that Perl modules compiled for the
wrong architecture are the problem.
4. It would be nice if the GnuCash + Finance::Quote system did not
suffer from this fragility. But I understand that the root cause of
the fragility is that WebKitGtk doesn't work when built for Apple
Silicon, and that is not trivial to overcome.
5. The Online Quotes wiki page should get some information about the
need to get Perl modules compiled for x86 architecture, but I don't
think I know enough to write that information correctly.
Does that sound right?
Again, thank you for your help, John.
—Jim DeLaHunt
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