Bug 164340 - Inform user about missing temporary folder
Summary: Inform user about missing temporary folder
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: LibreOffice (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
7.4.7.2 release
Hardware: All Linux (All)
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks: Options-Dialog-Paths
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Reported: 2024-12-16 08:10 UTC by achim
Modified: 2025-06-25 05:29 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


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Description achim 2024-12-16 08:10:12 UTC
Description:
When the temporary folder configured with "Extras -> Options -> LibreOffice -> Paths" is missing, libreoffice creates its temporary files in the system's temporyry folder.
The user is not informed about this fallback and might search at the wrong place for these files as the GUI (see above) still claims to use the missing folder.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. mkdir /bindannmalweg
2. chown $USER:$USER /bindannmalweg
3. libreoffice some.odt
4. change temp. folder to /bindannmalweg
5. exit libreoffice
6. rmdir /bindannmalweg

Actual Results:
No information just a simple warning if "temp. path" is clicked in "Extras -> Options -> LibreOffice -> Paths".

Expected Results:
Inform users that the another temp. folder is used.


Reproducible: Sometimes


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
However, users won't be bothered with harmless messages. So there may be a better "expected result" I'm not aware of any.

Please note that my "Steps to Reproduce" may not be a proper use case, it's just to demonstrate the problem. A real use case may be using a mounted directory for the "temp. folder". Hence this bug may be related to #160484 .
Comment 1 Heiko Tietze 2025-06-19 07:43:52 UTC
Why do average user need to know where temporary files are stored?
Comment 2 jan d 2025-06-24 12:17:23 UTC
I would also not bother users with the location of their temporary files. However, I think it is indeed a problem if we allow to view and set the folder location in the user interface but don't display correct information there.
Comment 3 achim 2025-06-24 15:49:29 UTC
Hmm, the user is already botherd with this, see my initial description.
If the current missing information remains, you (means libreoffice) may be tortured that data gets lost after a crash or whatever.
Scenario:  temporary file path is configured with group policies or alike on shared/mounted volume which is missing on startup, then libreoffice crashes ...
Comment 4 Heiko Tietze 2025-06-25 04:46:28 UTC
(In reply to achim from comment #3)
> temporary file path ... on shared/mounted volume which is missing on startup...
Sounds like a weird setup. Why would anyone do that?
Comment 5 achim 2025-06-25 04:56:54 UTC
Sounds that discussing the potential occourance of an existing problem becomes a stronger effort than thinking about a fix :-(
----
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. -- Murphy's law
Comment 6 Heiko Tietze 2025-06-25 05:29:41 UTC
(In reply to achim from comment #5)
> Sounds that discussing the potential occourance of an existing problem
> becomes a stronger effort than thinking about a fix :-(
You are right. Whatever the reason is, showing an infobar with the warning and maybe the interaction to change the path makes sense. And is hopefully never executed.