Bug 1704 – Import and Open default to the Audacity app's installation folder

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Audacity 3.0.3 development began 19th April 2021

Audacity Bugzilla

Bug 1704 - Import and Open default to the Audacity app's installation folder


Summary:	Import and Open default to the Audacity app's installation folder

Status:	RESOLVED QUICKFIXED

Product:	Audacity
Classification:	Unclassified
Component:	User Interface
Version:	2.2.0
Hardware:	Per OS All

Importance:	P2 Repeatable
Assigned To:	Default Assignee for New Bugs

URL:
Keywords:

Depends on:
Blocks:
	Show dependency tree / graph

Reported:	2017-07-29 06:38 UTC by Peter Sampson
Modified:	2018-08-20 11:45 UTC (History)
CC List:	8 users (show)

See Also:
Steps To Reproduce:	1) clean installation - or purge audacity.cfg 2) launch Audacity 3) File>Import or File>Save Open 4) note that the offered default folder is the application's installation folder PRL: On examination of the code, I see there are these other cases too of defaulting to the install folder, that should instead default to Documents: A Apply to Files button of Apply Chain B Export of file by the special Export chain steps (there are six available) C Exporting of Keyboard preferences D Importing of same E Import of MIDI (a separate code path to test) F Import of Raw Data G Importing of Labels in the File, Import... menu H Import... button of the Edit Labels... dialog (different code path) (The following are a bit different, they default not always to the install directory, but rather, to whichever directory was last opened in a file dialog; at least, so it behaves on Mac:) I Export Labels... in Save Other J Export... button of Edit Labels... K Save... button of Help, Diagnostics, Show Log... L Help, Tools, Run Benchmark..., Save (but that's only in Alpha builds) M Export... of Contrast dialog N Browse... button when you choose (external program) in Export Audio O Export... of Plot Spectrum P Export of MIDI Q Save... button of Help, Diagnostics, Audio Device Info... R ditto Midi Device Info... S Select... for automatic save in Timer Record But these default to the place where audacity.cfg is -- do we agree these are appropriate? T Load... in Edit, Metadata... U Save... in same V import, export of Eq curves W import, export of presets of VST plug-ins (from the hamburger menu. But AU is different.)
Release Note:
First Git SHA:
Group:	---
Workaround:
Closed:	2018-08-20 00:00:00

Flags:	petersampsonaudacity: Test‑OK‑Win+ petersampsonaudacity: Test‑OK‑Mac+ james.k.crook: Test‑OK‑Lin+

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Description Peter Sampson 2017-07-29 06:38:33 UTC

Import and Open default to the Audacity app's installation folder.

We fixed this earlier for Export and Save - but obviously overlooked at te time the companion commands for Import and Open.

Testing (on macOS and W10-CE, so assume All) confirms that we fixed this for Export and for Save Project:
a) macOS default exports/saves to Documents folder
b) W10-CE default exports/saves to the Documents>Audacity folder.

It is inappropriate to be looking in the application's installation directory for audio files and project files (users should not be encouraged to poke around in there) - I really think we should be fixing this for 2.2.0.

Import and Open should default to the same directories/folders as Export and Save.

Consistency, alone, demands that we should fix this.

Comment 1 Paul L 2017-08-03 08:11:03 UTC

Fixed (as described in bug title, but also the many cases I enumerated in Steps)

at https://github.com/audacity/audacity/commit/3288f8d7a09b245a33e25e10ab4f86868c6ddc91

Comment 2 Peter Sampson 2017-08-04 05:46:32 UTC

(In reply to Paul L from comment #1)
Tested on macOS Sierra 10.12.6 aae0c4c 04Aug17

Testing indicates that the Imports no longer default to the installation folder - but nor do they go to the user's Documents folder as intended (and as Exports do).

Rather they appear to go th the last imnport location used - tested by quitting Audacity, trashing all the config files in the audacity folder and then relaunching and making an import.

This is better, but not as requested in Comment #0 - and it makes it inconsistent with Export.


Cannot test on Windows as currently there are no Windows nightlies.

Comment 3 Peter Sampson 2017-08-05 06:03:15 UTC

(In reply to Paul L from comment #1)
Testing on W10-CE audacity-win-aee0c4c-2.2.0-alpha-04-aug-17

Shows the same behavior as on Mac

Imports no longer default to the installation folder - but nor do they go to the user's Documents folder as intended (and as Exports do).

Rather they appear to go th the last import location used - tested by quitting Audacity, trashing all the config files in the audacity folder and then relaunching and making an import.

Applies to Import Labels and Import Raw Data too.


Am I right in inferring that this behavior is beacuase we rely on Windows OS to tell us where the user last imported from, rather than using audacity.cfg.  If so where does the app look for a user who has never used Audacity (I can't test this)?

Comment 4 Paul L 2017-08-05 12:06:36 UTC

(In reply to Peter Sampson from comment #3)

Which imports?

Import Audio, Import MIDI, Import Raw?

Comment 5 Peter Sampson 2017-08-05 12:20:38 UTC

(In reply to Paul L from comment #4)
As it says in Comment #3 all imports

Comment 6 Paul L 2017-08-06 08:38:32 UTC

(In reply to Peter Sampson from comment #3)

If I remove audacity.cfg and restart and Import for the first time, then I do see Documents, and I think that satisfies the bug description.  What folder did you see?

If I navigate elsewhere than Documents, and import something without cancelling, and then use the Import menu items again -- then the dialog does default to where I last imported from, no longer to Documents.  There is code in Audacity, not the operating system, that did this explicitly by saving the last-opened-from path in preferences (audacity.cfg).  Now I assumed that part was put there for a reason, and I left it be.

Comment 7 Peter Sampson 2017-08-06 12:03:45 UTC

(In reply to Paul L from comment #6)

Testing on eee58d9 06aug07 on both macOS Sierra 10.12.6 and W10-CE
On bath platforms a fresh install of that latest nughtly and a total trash of the configuration files.

On Mac this is behaving as intended today with all initial imports an Open targeting the Documents folder.

But on W10 the behaviou differs

1) Launch Audacity
2) Import Audio - targets the Audacity folder (as intended)
3) Import MIDI - tagets the desktop (last place I imported from wit previous alpha nightly)
4) Import Labels  - rthe desktop
5) Import Raw Data  - targets the desktop
6) Import Audi  - this usage, after the other attempted imports, this now targets the desktop

Note that no imports were actually made the import dialogs were invoked, examined and then cancelled straight away.

Comment 8 Peter Sampson 2017-08-08 15:18:55 UTC

(In reply to Peter Sampson from comment #7)
retested today on the Windows 06Aug build on W10 and now it works fine :-//

1) Trash config files
2) reinstall 06Aug17 alpha
3) Launch
4) Import anything, targets the Audacity folder

I think I was not understanding what was happening when I wrote comment #7

I'm marking this as ok on Windows

Comment 9 James Crook 2017-08-14 09:53:47 UTC

Tests OK on Linux too.  For both Import and SaveOther the documents folder was offered.

I did not test A to W.  They are not numbered steps and there is no clear statement about what behaviour is correct.  If they need testing, then clarify and reopen - and modify the bug title too.

RESOLVED FIXED