Appbrowser reports success after doing nothing!

[philip]

Here's another item whose status as "bug" is debatable, but worth debating.

If I try to use the appbrowser to grab an updated copy of an extension that is already installed, it immediately reports success without actually downloading or installing anything. Deleting the relevant .tce files from my /sda3/tce directory does not change this behavior; nor does removing the associated binaries from /usr/local/bin. So it's possible to break a given application quite aggressively and still be told that everything is just fine by the appbrowser. Call me picky, but I think giving the user wrong or misleading information counts as a bug.

Another forum thread taught me how to get around this: look into the directory /usr/local/tce.installed and remove the file named after the extension of interest. I suggest that the appbrowser be upgraded to offer this information directly.

One possible design could work like this: if the appbrowser detects that a requested extension has the same name as some file in /usr/local/tce.installed, it could pop up a dialog box asking the user to confirm that the application is to be overwritten with a fresh copy (or cancel the request). An easier modification would be have the appbrowser say that it refuses to fetch the requested package, and to mention what the user must do to initiate the desired transaction.

[roberts]

Well, anything and everything can be improved. But if something has been downloaded sucessfully then it is still successfully downloaded. If you go and manually start deleting things then things will most surely break. Just imagine I did the same for a library, and then found others things break as well. Blindly deleteing files is not good in any fashion. Should the system require a trip wire to protect one from oneself?

With TC if you decide to delete some extensions from your tce directory, then a reboot will allow re-downloads.  There already has been much effort to provide 'uninstalls' as an extension with varying degrees of success.

Once 2.0 is out, I will then have time to make improvements to appbrowser. As well as some integrity checking and cross checking. 

You can be as picky as you want but this is volunteers here. So keep that in mind with your posts.

For some we go too fast, for others never fast enough.

[jpeters]

Another forum thread taught me how to get around this: look into the directory /usr/local/tce.installed and remove the file named after the extension of interest. I suggest that the appbrowser be upgraded to offer this information directly.

I use this so much that made a script so I can just type "update app" (eg: 'update pango') before reinstalling with the appsbrowser.  

Code: [Select]

#!/bin/ash
sudo rm /usr/local/tce.installed/$1

edit: I also remove app from my tcz directory in the same script, since appsbrowser won't overwrite anything:

Code: [Select]

[ -e /path/tcZ/${1} ]; then sudo rm /path/tcZ/${1}.* &>/dev/null


[roberts]

You had better parse out the menu item from each supported window manager and also parse out the icons unless you don't mind see double. 

[jpeters]

You had better parse out the menu item from each supported window manager and also parse out the icons unless you don't mind see double.  

good idea: (edit: but  bad solution....this doesn't work) Menus adjust correctly after rebooting

Code: [Select]

[ -e /usr/local/tce.menu/$1 ]; then sudo rm  /usr/local/tce.menu/$1  
[ -e /usr/local/tce.icons/$1 ]; then sudo rm  /usr/local/tce.icons/${1}*


[roberts]

That won.t do it. If you don't want to parse and simply delete menu and icon elements then you would need to regenerate the entire menu and wbar. I don't think you are testing what you are posting.

[jpeters]

That won.t do it. If you don't want to parse and simply delete menu and icon elements then you would need to regenerate the entire menu and wbar. I don't think you are testing what you are posting.

yeah....I can see that didn't work.....also removed the whole icon bar.  My interest was only being able to update an app anyway, since the menu/icons adjust after reboot.   

[philip]

You can be as picky as you want but this is volunteers here. So keep that in mind with your posts.

I keep that in mind every second. I edit each post carefully before submitting it, and in my heart there is nothing but gratitude, admiration, and respect for the volunteers who have produced an excellent distribution. I fully understand that TC is a gift to the community. I try to post in the same spirit: I offer suggestions instead of making demands, and I put some thought into fixes that would address the issues raised with minimum time and effort from people who have many other suggestions to contend with -- in addition to their own priorities. As my post shows, I didn't raise this matter because I need service -- I already know how to work around the issue. On the contrary, I'm trying to support the developers with constructive feedback that will help them as they pursue their passion: making something wonderful, and sharing it.

In raising a technical issue, I try to respect the time constraints of others by sticking to one thing at a time. So I don't write a paragraph like the one above very often. If people could just mentally associate the text above with all my posts, that would be great. (It's probably too long for a sig.)