* Issues with plugins under linux, wine, and playonlinux

[JP Ford]

I am running FH 6.2 under Wine 3.20 on KDE Neon 5.18 (Kernel v.5.3.0-45) FH is running like a champ and several plugins (Lookup Missing Census Facts, UDF List) are running well. The Research Planner plugin, however is a different story.

Research Planner (v. 2.0.1) installed w/o error, but when running it, I am getting the "requires PL support' notification and the subsequent "error in Download" popup.

I've reviewed the lengthy discussion here about this issue with Crossover and PlayOnLinux. I've downloaded and extracted the PL.zip from the KB. I am still getting the same errors.

Some things I noticed along the way:

• The KB states the folder for PL is: "C:\Users\Public\Application Data\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Plugins\", however, no such folder exists under PLayOnLinux, where the path is: "C:\Users\USERNAME\Application Data\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Plugin Data\" (diffs in italic). There is no "Application Data/Calico Pie" directory under the Public user profile, so I suspect duplicating that path there will have no effect.
• It's unclear from the KB entry whether or not the PL.zip is supposed to be in its own directory called "PL" or just dumped into the "Plugins" directory. I tried both with no joy.

At this point, I am unsure what to try next, so would appreciate any help with that.

[tatewise]

The info section is how_to:family_historian_v6_on_crossover_wine#plugin_library_modules|> Plugin Library Modules which says "The module folder can be downloaded as a zip file from the list below. Unzip the download and copy or move its contents to the Plugins folder above."

Download & unzip the zip file and put its contents in the Plugins folder in sub-folder pl as per Extracted Folder/File.

The Plugins folder is in the glossary:family_historian_program_data_folder|> Family Historian Program Data Folder that has different paths for each OS.
We believe C:\Users\Public\Application Data\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Plugins\ applies to emulators like Crossover.
It may differ in some cases. It is where most FH custom files reside for Reports, Diagrams, Queries, Fact Sets, etc.

Do you know where that is in your WINE config? It is not the Plugin Data folder.

The Plugins folder will hold all your installed Plugin scripts as listed in the Tools > Plugins window.
So if you can perform a file search to find one of those that will determine the folder.

[JP Ford]

Thanks for that.

Okay. Remembering that I'm in a virtual world now...

The Linux path is actually: "/home/USERNAME/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/COMPUTERNAME/drive_c/ProgramData/Calico Pie/Family Historian/Plugins/"

(001).png (26.49 KiB) Viewed 10278 times

So... unzipped pl.zip into this path as seen here.

(002).png (28.5 KiB) Viewed 10278 times

Restart FH and run Research Planner plugin.... same result

[tatewise]

Yes, that is the correct folder, i.e. the virtualisation of C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Plugins\
Those Check and Repair Media Links.fh_lua and other .fh_lua files are your Plugin script files.
The .../Plugins/pl/ subfolder should contain the contents of the unzipped pl.zip file which is 38 .lua files.
Is it possible you have accidentally created another pl folder nested inside that one?

Pluginsplfolder.png (55.42 KiB) Viewed 10266 times

[JP Ford]

Nope, they're all there. no sub-folder, permissions are consistent with other directories and files in that path...

[tatewise]

Sorry, but that has exhausted my knowledge.
I am not a linux, wine, playonlinux user, so you will have to wait for a user of a similar configuration to come along, who has got the pl library working.

[JP Ford]

Thanks, Mike. Appreciate the effort!

[Valkrider]

In PlayOnMac

wineprefix/FamilyHistorian/drive_c/users/colin/Application Data/Calico Pie/Family Historian/Plugin Data

is my path and it works fine from there.

[tatewise]

Surely not Plugin Data Colin ! ! ! Don't you mean Plugins.pl ?

Plugin Data is only for saved Plugin data, not scripts.

[Valkrider]

Yes, you are right Mike, that is where my PL folder is, but I have realised, even though I have installed Helen's plugin in PlayOnMac, I have never run it. I will do some digging tomorrow.

[JP Ford]

Since the plugin starts, but does not find the pl folder, then proceeds to download the support files, it's obviously having difficulty locating/understanding/parsing the path where the pl files are located.

According to glossary:family_historian_program_data_folder#windows_vista_7_8_10_in_crossover_wine_on_mac_linux|> Windows Vista/7/8/10 in Crossover/Wine on Mac/Linux the path I previously stated (/home/USERNAME/.PlayOnLinux/... etc) is the correct Program Data path for the PlayOnLinux installation.

I also see that the KB suggests in how_to:family_historian_v6_on_crossover_wine#plugin_configuration|> Plugin Configuration that the cxbottle.cfg file needs to be edited under the Crossover Wine interface. It also offers the apparently unconfirmed comment that:

A similar change is probably NOT needed in Wine (To be confirmed).

So, since the placement of the proper Plugin Library Module in the proper location is not being recognized, I have to wonder if there is any means by which one can "educate" the plugin as the correct path ? Possibly by editing the plugin itself, a related config file, or some other means of clarifying the path the plugin needs to look in...??

[tatewise]

That COMPUTERNAME variable is mostly used by my Plugins and is definitely NOT used by the Research Planner.

The Research Planner does need to locate the .../Plugins/pl/ folder and if you are up to some debugging that could easily be checked.

Have you any knowledge of debugging Plugin scripts via Tools > Plugins > Edit or is that totally unfamiliar?

[Valkrider]

I have not been able to get this working today but will continue looking tomorrow.

[JP Ford]

Have you any knowledge of debugging Plugin scripts via Tools > Plugins > Edit or is that totally unfamiliar?

Mike, that depends on the extent of "debugging" you're suggesting - I've not used the "Edit" for anything, although I see it has a basic debugger feature. I'm not afraid to dive into script or code and generate some errors, if that's what you mean. I did take a look at the plugin code earlier today. I did find the function that requires the pl support and the subsequent error responses. I glanced at the Environment variables as well. I didn't see anything that stood out, but my review was cursory and I am not familiar with lua, so I may have missed some glaringly obvious reference to a path...

It does look to me like the "External Libraries and FH Version Check" function wants to store the downloaded module to the path ---

Code: Select all

fhGetContextInfo('CI_APP_DATA_FOLDER')..'\\Plugins\\'

Now if I just knew where the "CI_APP_DATA_FOLDER" string is defined, I might get somewhere...

I'm open to any ideas.

[ColeValleyGirl]

Code: Select all

 fhGetContextInfo('CI_APP_DATA_FOLDER')

is an API call to Family Historian to ask where the Plugins folder is located. The plugin relies on FH to know where its own bits and bobs are stored.

Temporarily, can you insert a line

Code: Select all

local storein = fhGetContextInfo('CI_APP_DATA_FOLDER')..'\\Plugins\\'

immediately after

Code: Select all

--------------------------------------------------------------
--EXTERNAL LIBRARIES AND FH VERSION CHECK
--------------------------------------------------------------

then put a breakpoint on that line (click in the left column so that a red marker appears.

Run the plugin (using Go -- top left).

It will stop before executing the API call. Click on Step Into and it will execute the API call and stop again.

Now look bottom right at the list of variables.

What is the value of 'storein' which should be pointing to the Plugins directory.?

[Valkrider]

Helen

I have just tried your instructions in PlayOnMac and it reports:

C:\users\Public\Application Data\Calico Pie\Family Historian\Plugins\

I have a pl folder in that location and still no luck. I suspect that JP is in the same boat.

As an aside I seem to have more plugins listed in that folder than appear in POM version of FH.

[ColeValleyGirl]

Colin, thanks -- but now I'm stumped. The pl library is being installed in the location FH expects to find it (alongside the plugins); however, the FH Lua environment then isn't finding the library... and there's no way to configure that.

I wonder if it would work if the full path to the library was specified in every loadrequire statement -- but that's a lot of editing.

[Valkrider]

Helen

I am not familiar with Lua BUT if you tell me what to change and what to change it to I am prepared to make the changes to try it.

[ColeValleyGirl]

Colin, I'm not familiar enough with the environment to be sure of how to make the edit -- and of course I haven't got a suitable test environment here. (As an aside, I was gobsmacked the the developer of one of the DNA tools I use crowdfunded buying a Mac environment to test her product -- I'm not sure I'd have had the chutzpah to do it.)

I think maybe I'll write a very small plugin that does something very simple using pl, and ask you to try editing that... Won't be soon though, as I'm focusing on getting the new KnowledgeBase environment hammered into shape.

[tatewise]

If I can wade in...
The crux of the problem is the root of the ProgramData path.
There seems to be some inconsistency in paths being posted here. Ignore different \ versus / slashes.

C:\users\Public\Application Data\Calico Pie\Family Historian\ is what Colin says Plugin reports in POM.

c/users/colin/Application Data/Calico Pie/Family Historian/ is what Colin said on Saturday his POM used.

c/ProgramData/Calico Pie/Family Historian/ is what JP Ford says is being used in POL.

The root differences of \users\Public\ versus /users/colin/ etc, are crucial.

Colin, you mention a difference in Plugins listed. Are you sure you are checking the correct folder?
In what way do they differ?

Try this very simple Plugin script (copy & paste into New...) :

Code: Select all

	require("lfs")
	local storein = fhGetContextInfo('CI_APP_DATA_FOLDER')..'\\Plugins\\'
--	local storein = 'C:/users/colin/Application Data/Calico Pie/Family Historian/Plugins/'
	local attr = lfs.attributes(storein..'Research Planner.fh_lua')
	debug=debug

Put a break point on debug=debug and review the attr table contents which should not be nil.
If it is nil then the storein path is incorrect.
So try editing the local storein = to specify the explicit path as shown, but remove the -- comment prefix.

[ColeValleyGirl]

Wade in as deep as you want, Mike!

[Valkrider]

Mike

Under users/colin/application data/calico pie/family historian

I have two folders

Plugin Data - this has Ancestral Sources data entry.dat, folder pl, Research planner.dat. Research Planner.dat also has folders under it even though it is shown as a programme Research Planner help and a cfg and fhf files

Preferences - prefs.dat

Under users/public/application data/calico pie/family historian I have all the usual folders Diagrams, Fact types etc etc Including a Plugins folder and a Plugin Data folder. Plugins folder is as per the screenshot

Plugin Data has the following files as per the screenshot.

The only plugins shown in FH are as per the last screenshot.

I will try your plugin code after lunch and report back.

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[Valkrider]

Mike

I have run your plugin and it does have a value see the screenshot.

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[tatewise]

users/colin/application data/calico pie/family historian on POM
is equivalent to
Users\Colin\AppData\Roaming\Calico Pie\Family Historian on Windows 7, 8.1, 10
Yes, it has two folders: Plugin Data and Preferences but Plugin Data should not have a pl folder.
Yes, Research Planner.dat is a folder containing various data for the Plugin.
However, that App Data folder structure can be ignored as far as Plugin libraries are concerned.

users/public/application data/calico pie/family historian on POM
is equivalent to
ProgramData\Calico Pie\Family Historian on Windows 7, 8.1, 10
and
Users\Public\Application Data\Calico Pie\Family Historian on Crossover

Your screenshots for Plugin Data and Plugins folders (including pl subfolder) look almost perfect.
The exception is there is no Research Planner.dat folder listed in Plugin Data, which is strange.
I wish you included folder paths in the screenshots to avoid any confusion.

The FH Plugins window list is very strange as it omits many, but includes Research Planner not listed in the Plugins folder screenshot, which makes me wonder if they are the same system?

From my test Plugin it seems users/public/application data/calico pie/family historian/plugins/ exists OK.
Does it exist in the POM file explorer?

Try this variant of my test Plugin to inspect the pl subfolder:

Code: Select all

	require("lfs")
	local storein = fhGetContextInfo('CI_APP_DATA_FOLDER')..'\\Plugins\\pl\\'
--	local storein = 'C:/users/colin/Application Data/Calico Pie/Family Historian/Plugins/pl/'
	local attr = lfs.attributes(storein..'init.lua')
	debug=debug

[Valkrider]

Mike

File Explorer is different on Mac, so no path actually shown for cut and paste.

From my test Plugin it seems users/public/application data/calico pie/family historian/plugins/ exists OK.
Does it exist in the POM file explorer?

Yes it does see the first screenshot from my earlier reply.

The FH Plugins window list is very strange as it omits many, but includes Research Planner not listed in the Plugins folder screenshot, which makes me wonder if they are the same system?

mmm that made me have a look it seems as though I have 3 Family Historian folders in POM.

(Family_Historian_, FH and FamilyHistorian) all have the same drive_c onwards file structure. It appears that earlier attempts to get FH running in POM have left folders around. I will see if I can ascertain which one is the correct version and delete the other two and come back.

But in between times

See screenshots below

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Screenshot 2020-04-07 at 14.24.35.png (58.52 KiB) Viewed 9851 times

Result of new plugin

Screenshot 2020-04-07 at 14.22.56.png (16.04 KiB) Viewed 9851 times