Move configuration from '~/.cache' to '~/.config'

[fonic]

Recently, I cleared out ~/.cache to fix an issue related to KDE/Plasma/Qt after a system upgrade. Normally, this shouldn't reset any application configuration, but in the case of KeePassXC, the entire database view configuration (displayed columns, column order etc.) was reset.

I noticed that KeePassXC seems to store parts of its configuration data in ~/.cache/keepassxc/keepassxc.ini. However, data in ~/.cache should by design be expandable and/or applications should be able to regenerate that data when needed.

Therefore, I'd like to ask to move all configuration data to ~/.config.

For details, see:
https://forum.manjaro.org/t/stable-update-2024-12-06-systemd-qt-6-8-1-mesa-gstreamer-wireplumber/171581/58

[phoerious]

See #9738

[droidmonkey]

I think we need to move the database column state to the roaming config file

@fonic you are free to override both config locations if you want with command line flags or env vars: https://keepassxc.org/docs/KeePassXC_UserGuide#_command_line_options

[fonic]

I think we need to move the database column state to the roaming config file

I second that. The entire [GUI] section of ~/.cache/keepassxc/keepassxc.ini should be moved to the main config.

@fonic you are free to override both config locations if you want with command line flags or env vars: https://keepassxc.org/docs/KeePassXC_UserGuide#_command_line_options

Thanks for the tip, I'll try that.

[phoerious]

The GUI state has been moved out of the main config for a reason. Rather than moving it back, we should move it to $XDG_STATE_HOME instead as suggested in the linked issue. $XDG_CACHE_HOME was the closest we had back then, but not quite the correct location. $XDG_STATE_HOME is made for exactly this use case.

[droidmonkey]

Ahhhh, this is slated for 2.8.0 release: #9755

[xboxones1]

@droidmonkey Backport this to 2.7.10. I've been building with this patch for about a year now, works great.

[fonic]

The GUI state has been moved out of the main config for a reason. Rather than moving it back, we should move it to $XDG_STATE_HOME instead as suggested in the linked issue. $XDG_CACHE_HOME was the closest we had back then, but not quite the correct location. $XDG_STATE_HOME is made for exactly this use case.

Poor choice of words on my part, sorry about that. What I meant with "move to main config" was basically move to folder ~/.config/keepassxc.

If settings have to be kept separately, then why not use something like ~/.config/keepassxc/main.ini + ~/.config/keepassxc/gui.ini? Easy to locate, easy to tell apart, easy to reset, easy to back up, easy to transfer to another machine. Why make things unnecessarily cumbersome/difficult...

[droidmonkey]

This all came about because some folks backup and sync their settings using git or rsync. I prefer how we do this with portable deployments, keepassxc.ini and keepassxc_local.ini.

I do agree that splitting between two disparate directories is incredibly unnecessary.

@xboxones1 I'm considering backporting

[phoerious]

On Windows, this translates to AppData and LocalAppData. Keeping it in separate directories makes it possible to pre-provision configs on multiple machines and enables automatic profile roaming. FDO hasn't fully specified this, but using config and state home are the closest approximation.

[droidmonkey]

Where this is technically true, the meaning of local and roaming on windows has been severely eroded with one drive and intune being prime tools. Not many large organizations use network shares for user profiles anymore.

[fonic]

Should this issue be reopened until there is a consensus on how to proceed?

[phoerious]

There is a consensus and the PR was merged long ago.