Is there some way to *NOT* use ~/Documents/Fritzing for the user parts tree?

[RobertPHeller]

I don't want to have a $HOME/Documents directory on my Linux system. I find having the "standard" set of directories (no I won't call them folders -- folders are something completely different) obnoxious. I could not find a preference setting. I am using the ARM64 build in the Debian 12 repo on a Raspberry Pi 5: Version 0.9.6
(b ) 32 [Qt 5.15.6]:

marchhare% dpkg-query -l fritzing
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Architecture Description
+++-==============-============-============-==================================>
ii fritzing 0.9.6+dfsg-3 arm64 Easy-to-use electronic design soft>

[KjellMorgenstern]

Right now, it is not possible. Fritzing use QtStandardPaths, to choose standardized paths.

When a user downloads or creates a part, and loads it into Fritzing, where should Fritzing store this?
A similar question would be, where should Fritzing store a writable parts database, like a sqlite database?

Unfortunately, changing this path, or introducing a QSetting for it, is not straightforward.
There are multiple places, where the order of paths is important, and where Fritzing uses fallback paths, e.g. when loading am obsolete part, a user provided part, imported part, core part, core part that was modified (git hash differs). This makes it complex and risky to change things.

[RobertPHeller]

There should be *preference* setting. Almost all other apps that I use have a paths preference category. (Sure, you can use QtStandardPaths for defaults, but having a user preference should be available.) At Sat, 19 Oct 2024 07:50:53 -0700 fritzing/fritzing-app ***@***.***> wrote:

…

Right now, it is not possible. Fritzing use QtStandardPaths, to choose standardized paths. When a user downloads or creates a part, and loads it into Fritzing, where should Fritzing store this? A similar question would be, where should Fritzing store a writable parts database, like a sqlite database?

-- Robert Heller -- Cell: 413-658-7953 GV: 978-633-5364 Deepwoods Software -- Custom Software Services http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Linux Administration Services ***@***.*** -- Webhosting Services

[malnvenshorn]

There is nothing wrong in using QtStandardPaths. But Fritzing should not use the DocumentsLocation. As the name implies, that's a location for documents and not a place for an app to dump random files. For application specific files use AppLocalDataLocation instead.

[RobertPHeller]

And Fritzing should *also* have a preferences setting to allow a user to specify a different location. Using QtStandardPaths for *default* locations is fine and probably proper for many users, but *some* of us have things organized differently. At Tue, 22 Oct 2024 09:15:05 -0700 fritzing/fritzing-app ***@***.***> wrote:

…

There is nothing wrong in using QtStandardPaths. But Fritzing should not use the DocumentsLocation. As the name implies, that's a location for documents and not a place for an app to dump random files. For application specific files use AppLocalDataLocation instead.

-- Robert Heller -- Cell: 413-658-7953 GV: 978-633-5364 Deepwoods Software -- Custom Software Services http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Linux Administration Services ***@***.*** -- Webhosting Services

[KjellMorgenstern]

That are not random files. When you import a Fritzing part, by default you are adding it to your personal library.

[malnvenshorn]

It's still application specific data and that doesn't belong to ~/Documents. Application data should be stored to ~/.local/share/APPNAME.

In case of doubt use the XDG standard https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/latest/

[RobertPHeller]

The point is they are not "Documents" in commonly understood sense. They are application data files, in much the same sense as the files under /usr/share/fritzing/ or /usr/local/share/fritzing/ or ~/.local/share/fritzing/ At Wed, 23 Oct 2024 01:19:38 -0700 fritzing/fritzing-app ***@***.***> wrote:

…

That are not random files. When you import a Fritzing part, by default you are adding it to your personal library.

-- Robert Heller -- Cell: 413-658-7953 GV: 978-633-5364 Deepwoods Software -- Custom Software Services http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Linux Administration Services ***@***.*** -- Webhosting Services

[KjellMorgenstern]

If a re-install of Fritzing would delete those files, I am pretty sure that a lot of users would be unhappy about loosing these files. I don't have any doubt that they are user data.

Anyway, this is distracting from the original issue. It seems to be more about overriding whatever the default is?

[RobertPHeller]

At Wed, 23 Oct 2024 10:17:23 -0700 fritzing/fritzing-app ***@***.***> wrote:

If a re-install of Fritzing would delete those files, I am pretty sure that a lot of users would be unhappy about loosing these files. I don't have any doubt that they are user data.

That would be stupid. It *should* check and if this is an upgrade, move the files to the new (proper) location.

Anyway, this is distracting from the original issue. It seems to be more about overriding whatever the default is?

YES!!!! Esp. since the default is *bad*.

…

-- Robert Heller -- Cell: 413-658-7953 GV: 978-633-5364 Deepwoods Software -- Custom Software Services http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Linux Administration Services ***@***.*** -- Webhosting Services