[GNC] Migrating from PC to Mac

[Flyeta]

The location is actually /Users/yourusername/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs. I tried copying my GnuCash data file there and opening it from within GnuCash (File>Open) and everything looked OK, though I think my View preferences on the accounts were not set the same (Double Line, etc.). 

I would be a bit reluctant to use this location for GnuCash data. While I couldn’t point to anything specifically outlawing it, Apple has set up a system of granting apps permission to use the iCloud folder (the Privacy & Security preferences Adrien describes), and the apps that store there via this method don’t just throw their data files in the “iCloud Folder”; they put them in subfolders like "com~apple~Keynote/Documents”. 

That is all invisible in the Finder, where they appear to be in just a subfolder (e.g., “Keynote”). The “com~apple~CloudDocs” seems to be where anything not saved by an iCloud-authorized app goes, including things you just copy in using Finder. Nothing wrong with it, that I can see, but since the Open>File dialog in an app like GnuCash doesn’t read all of Apple’s cleverness in making the folders appear differently than they’re actually stored, it could be confusing.f

Andrew

> On Feb 18, 2023, at 11:17 PM, Adrien Monteleone <adrien.monteleone at lusfiber.net> wrote:
> 
> As an example, I have an iCloud 'Shared' folder in my Finder sidebar, dragging that icon to a Terminal.app window reveals the true location as:
> 
> /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/Resources/MyLibraries/SharedDocuments.cannedSearch
> 
> Unfortunately, that doesn't work for the iCloud Drive location folder itself. But I'm sure a web search would turn up the proper result. (and even that 'location' above isn't real, as it just invokes a 'find' type of operation rather than revealing a mount-point)
> 
> The short of all of this is: navigate to the *real* mapped location in the filesystem tree (rather than looking for the sidebar shortcut) and you *should* be able to find your files.
> 
> Many other folks here use MacOS as well, and some store their files on iCloud for access from other locations so they might be able to offer more concrete/specific assistance.
> 
> Regards,
> Adrien
> 
> On 2/18/23 10:00 PM, Adrien Monteleone wrote:
>> I have not tried using iCloud or any other non-local storage for my data file (I consider a 'LAN' as 'local') but this *might* be an issue with Gatekeeper and permissions to access other storage locations. I recall being pestered by MacOS when it was implemented to approve of various applications having access to this or that storage folder and in particular my music apps having access to my music files which I stored on an external drive. A similar situation could be the case with GnuCash and your iCloud folder.
>> MacOS *should* ask you for permissions for an app the first time you attempt to access a location from within said app, but that might not always happen, and in the case of GnuCash, not being technically MacOS native, it might not always trigger that permission request.
>> Try navigating to (Apple Menu) > System Preferences > Security & Privacy  > Privacy (tab) and if necessary unlock the tab with the padlock icon and your password (bottom left corner of the window) and then make sure GnuCash has permissions for the iCloud folder. That may or may not solve the problem right off, but I suspect the issue is related and this *should* set you on the right path to solve it.
>> Note, there are some locations that are easily visible from Finder but that technically reside in a special part of the 'file tree' on your system. iCloud might be one of those (I suspect it is) and so finding out where it is, you might be able to navigate to it from its real original path via the file chooser within GnuCash. (I haven't done so myself as I noticed, this is just a guess)
> 
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