cannot create logfile in a subdirectory

[axd1967]

in order to not clutter the user directory, logging should be sent to a user-selected subdirectory (if desired).

Despite having created a correct and acceptable subdirectory, following script does not work :

#!/usr/bin/env bash

VERSION=master
cd /home/alex/projects/stellarium/

USER_DIR=$PWD/configs/$VERSION
LOG_DIR=$USER_DIR/logs
mkdir $LOG_DIR
dtg=`date --utc --iso-8601='seconds'`	
LOGFILE=$LOG_DIR/log_$dtg.txt

OPTION=""
OPTION=$OPTION" --user-dir $USER_DIR"
OPTION=$OPTION" --log-file $LOGFILE"

./builds/$VERSION/bin/stellarium $OPTION

log output:

./builds/master/bin/stellarium --user-dir /home/alex/projects/stellarium/configs/master --log-file =/home/alex/projects/stellarium/configs/master/logs/log_2024-12-26T15:43:39+00:00.txt 
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ This is Stellarium 24.3+ (v24.3.301-4ee5f20 [master]) - https://stellarium.org/ ]
[ Copyright (C) 2000-2024 Stellarium Developers                                   ]
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Writing log file to: /home/alex/projects/stellarium/configs/master/log_2024-12-26T15:43:39+00:00.txt

Solution

The argument to --log-file should only be sanitized (reduced to eg userdir/(basename logfile)) if it cannot be created (eg permission issues).

User guide currently explains this behaviour (but not why).

See a541fc7

[github-actions]

Hello @axd1967!

Thank you for suggesting this enhancement.

[10110111]

--log-file =/home/alex/projects...

You have an extra = here, which makes your path invalid.

[axd1967]

thank you. that must have been a copy-paste issue into GitHub.

The issue remains:

./builds/master/bin/stellarium --user-dir /home/alex/projects/stellarium/configs/master --log-file /home/alex/projects/stellarium/configs/master/logs/log_2024-12-27T08:01:54+00:00.txt 
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ This is Stellarium 24.3+ (v24.3.301-4ee5f20 [master]) - https://stellarium.org/ ]
[ Copyright (C) 2000-2024 Stellarium Developers                                   ]
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Writing log file to: /home/alex/projects/stellarium/configs/master/log_2024-12-27T08:01:54+00:00.txt
File search paths:
 [0]: /home/alex/projects/stellarium/configs/master
 [1]: /home/alex/projects/astro/stellarium/builds/master/share/stellarium
Config file: /home/alex/projects/stellarium/configs/master/config.ini

The issue is here:

stellarium/src/main.cpp

Lines 269 to 271 in 226831f

	// Strip external paths!
	QFileInfo fi(logName);
	logName=fi.fileName();

And mentioned in the manual:

stellarium/guide/ch_advanced_use.tex

Lines 511 to 518 in 226831f

	For example, using the option \texttt{-c\ my\_config.ini} would resolve to the file
	\file{\textless{}user\ directory\textgreater{}/my\_config.ini} whereas
	\file{-c\ ./my\_config.ini} can be used to explicitly point to the file
	\file{my\_config.ini} in the current working directory.\\
	-\/-log-file or -l & log file name & Specify the log file name. The default value is \file{log.txt}.
	Any path is stripped from the filename. When a path is specified like \texttt{-l\ /mypath/my\_log.txt},
	the file will be written to \file{\textless{}user\ directory\textgreater{}/my\_log.txt}\\\midrule

It is not clear why this limit was imposed.

[10110111]

It is not clear why this limit was imposed.

Well, apparently the intent was to change the name only. I don't think it's a good design though. I'd let the user specify any path, it's their machine after all, not ours.

[alex-w]

Well, apparently the intent was to change the name only. I don't think it's a good design though. I'd let the user specify any path, it's their machine after all, not ours.

The behavior was changed by security reasons

[10110111]

The behavior was changed by security reasons

Well first, this was introduced in a541fc7 in this form right from the start.

And second, what security reasons can be here? This is taken from the direct input by the user themselves! It's not a potentially misbehaving script, nothing like this — just user input. Or would GCC or Vim also need to impose similar restrictions on their command-line arguments for security reasons?

[gzotti]

I cannot remember what we discussed in summer 2023 before I introduced the user-configurable logfile name. Probably this was under influence of the previous "security warning" around potentially "dangerous" scripting output. If you feel it's OK to write elsewhere, we can probably just do it.

[10110111]

If you feel it's OK to write elsewhere

I'm sure it is when it's the user who directed the program to do so.