Linux: Support `XDG_CONFIG_HOME` for `argv.json` location #164118

lgarron · 2022-10-20T09:20:52Z

If it's not available, fall back to reading and/or creating ~/.[product-name]/argv.json.

This addresses #162712

Unfortunately, there is an issue in that
AbstractNativeEnvironmentService.argvResource() does not have access
to the filesystem directly. It will need further work to fall back from
one location to another.

lgarron · 2022-10-20T09:24:39Z

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lgarron · 2022-10-20T09:25:02Z

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…vention). If it's not available, fall back to reading and/or creating `~/.[product-name]/argv.json`. See `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` at https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html This will allow VSCode to avoid creating new dirs in the home folder, matching a large number of other programs: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/XDG_Base_Directory_support This addresses microsoft#162712 Unfortunately, there is an issue in that `AbstractNativeEnvironmentService.argvResource()` does not have access to the filesystem directly. It will need further work to fall back from one location to another.

lgarron · 2022-10-20T09:28:12Z

src/vs/platform/environment/common/environmentService.ts

+		// TODO: how do we fall back to this?
+		// return joinPath(this.userHome, this.productService.dataFolderName, 'argv.json');


This file seems to use an abstract environment that does not know about the underlying file system (or similar abstraction). I could use guidance on the best way to implement a fallback.

lgarron · 2022-10-31T22:17:26Z

poke :-D

bpasero · 2022-11-08T04:05:03Z

Thanks for the PR, I cannot make promises when I get a chance for review though.

bpasero

This change seems to attempt to do two things that are mutually exclusive:

allow to set the user data dir via argv.json
support XDG for the location of argv.json

I do not think both changes should be in one PR so I suggest to focus on the XDG support here. The other change for supporting user data dir in argv.json does not work anyway in this form.

As for the location of argv.json I think the solution we use here should be copied/applied, not something new invented:

vscode/src/vs/platform/environment/node/userDataPath.js

Line 95 in c0f6c67

    
           appDataPath = process.env['XDG_CONFIG_HOME'] || path.join(os.homedir(), '.config');

lgarron · 2022-12-07T09:05:41Z

Thanks for the review, @bpasero!

This change seems to attempt to do two things that are mutually exclusive:

allow to set the user data dir via argv.json

support XDG for the location of argv.json

I do not think both changes should be in one PR so I suggest to focus on the XDG support here.

That sounds reasonable to me. What about allowing the part about user extensions to be set via argv.json — I assume you meant to cover that in the first bullet?
I'm happy to submit it in a separate PR, but both changes are necessary to avoid the creation of a ~/.vscode/ folder, which is my only real goal.

As for the location of argv.json I think the solution we use here should be copied/applied, not something new invented:

vscode/src/vs/platform/environment/node/userDataPath.js

Line 95 in c0f6c67

appDataPath = process.env['XDG_CONFIG_HOME'] || path.join(os.homedir(), '.config');

Could I ask you to clarify how that would work?

Do you mean to suggest that:

appDataPath should be set to match Linux?
VSCode should search for argv.json in appDataPath?
Similar logic should be copied into getArgvConfigPath()?

In particular, how do you envision that users' existing argv.json files would be treated?

Also, unfortunately the use of the XDG_CONFIG_HOME env var for macOS configuration code is unreliable in practice, because macOS does not have a way to consistently launch a given app with certain env vars (that I know of):

You can inherit env vars when launched from the shell, but this doesn't work when VSCode launched because you clicked it on the dock, or opened a file/folder.
You can use launchctl to set an OS-wide env var, but this requires quite some technical expertise... and it also doesn't work reliably. If VSCode launches on login (e.g. due to the built-in macOS functionality to resume apps after boot), then it can (and does) easily launch before a launchctl daemon can set the env var.

bpasero · 2022-12-07T09:09:28Z

My only suggestion here was to use XDG_CONFIG_HOME and then fallback to os.homedir() for argv.json. And maybe we find more locations where we wrongly just use os.homedir() when we should also check for XDG_CONFIG_HOME?

I wonder why node.js is not supporting XDG_CONFIG_HOME from their os.homedir() implementation, wouldn't that be reasonable to do?

lgarron · 2022-12-07T09:11:24Z

VSCode should search for argv.json in appDataPath?

FWIW, I think this is a fairly idiomatic place for argv.json. I'd be happy to update the PR to that, although I'd need guidance on:

Which is used if both ~/Library/Application Support/argv.json and ~/.vscode/argv.json exist? The former, the latter, or maybe somehow combine settings from both?
Should an existing ~/.vscode/argv.json be moved to ~/Library/Application Support/argv.json on startup?

lgarron · 2022-12-07T09:14:59Z

My only suggestion here was to use XDG_CONFIG_HOME and then fallback to os.homedir() for argv.json. And maybe we find more locations where we wrongly just use os.homedir() when we should also check for XDG_CONFIG_HOME?

Hmm, yeah, that doesn't help me at all, unfortunately. 😔

I wonder why node.js is not supporting XDG_CONFIG_HOME from their os.homedir() implementation, wouldn't that be reasonable to do?

Probably. However, I wouldn't look to node or npm for good practices in this regard, as they are some of the very few programs on my system that also don't use/respect the XDG dir conventions.

bpasero · 2022-12-07T09:19:29Z

Maybe then I misunderstood the original request, why does this not help you?

lgarron · 2022-12-07T09:49:43Z

Maybe then I misunderstood the original request, why does this not help you?

I want to avoid a ~/.vscode/ folder in my home directory.

Most programs now create their dot folders in ~/.config/ (or similar dirs) instead of directly in the home dir, or automatically/manually can be adapted to follow that convention:

As documented in #162712 , this is also a regular wish by other VSCode users.

Since VSCode is a macOS application, there is no reliable way to work around this using env vars, which is why I proposed this PR with its original title.

bpasero · 2022-12-07T09:52:47Z

Sorry but I only own the part about argv.json not the extensions location. So I suggest to keep things separate.

lgarron · 2022-12-07T09:54:16Z

Sorry but I only own the part about argv.json not the extensions location. So I suggest to keep things separate.

Sounds reasonable. If we can address the argv.json location here, I'm happy to open a separate PR.

bpasero · 2022-12-09T15:47:46Z

Sounds good.

vscodenpa · 2022-12-17T11:24:37Z

This issue has been closed automatically because it needs more information and has not had recent activity. See also our issue reporting guidelines.

Happy Coding!

lgarron changed the title ~~Look for argv.json at ~/.config/[product-name]/argv.json.~~ Look for argv.json at ~/.config/[product-name]/argv.json (XDG convention) Oct 20, 2022

lgarron force-pushed the xdg-compatible branch from 259008b to 819057a Compare October 20, 2022 09:23

lgarron force-pushed the xdg-compatible branch from 819057a to f626398 Compare October 20, 2022 09:27

lgarron force-pushed the xdg-compatible branch from f626398 to 280c8e1 Compare October 20, 2022 09:27

lgarron commented Oct 20, 2022

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vscodenpa assigned bpasero Oct 20, 2022

lgarron marked this pull request as ready for review October 26, 2022 03:05

bpasero added this to the Backlog milestone Nov 7, 2022

bpasero changed the title ~~Look for argv.json at ~/.config/[product-name]/argv.json (XDG convention)~~ Linux: Support XDG_CONFIG_HOME for argv.json location Dec 7, 2022

bpasero requested changes Dec 7, 2022

View reviewed changes

bpasero added the info-needed Issue requires more information from poster label Dec 8, 2022

vscodenpa closed this Dec 17, 2022

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		// TODO: how do we fall back to this?
		// return joinPath(this.userHome, this.productService.dataFolderName, 'argv.json');

Linux: Support XDG_CONFIG_HOME for argv.json location #164118

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Linux: Support `XDG_CONFIG_HOME` for `argv.json` location #164118

Linux: Support `XDG_CONFIG_HOME` for `argv.json` location #164118

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