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$FG HOME (view source)

Revision as of 09:41, 27 April 2019

2,231 bytes added ,  27 April 2019
Fix case of fgfsrc, otherwise it won't work on case-sensitive filesystems (which is the case of most filesystems on Linux and traditional Unices)
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(Fix case of fgfsrc, otherwise it won't work on case-sensitive filesystems (which is the case of most filesystems on Linux and traditional Unices))
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<!-- Broken image [[File:Fghome.png|400px|right|Screen shot showing structure of [[$FG_HOME]] ]] -->
[[File:Fghome-3.7.png|400px|right|Screen shot showing typical structure [[$FG_HOME]]]]


[[File:Fghome.png|400px|right|Screen shot showing structure of [[$FG_HOME]] ]]
<code>'''$FG_HOME'''</code> is an environment variable indicating the main location where user-specific FlightGear data is stored (not application data). <code>$FG_HOME</code> is a notable place were FlightGear data is written to, contrary to <code>$FG_ROOT</code>, which is generally read-only.


'''$FG_HOME''' is a placeholder variable representing the path to where user-specific FlightGear data is stored (not application data). Unlike $FG_ROOT, $FG_HOME is NOT an environment variable that needs to be specifically configured for FlightGear to work. $FG_HOME is the only place were FlightGear data is written to, $FG_ROOT is generally read-only.
<code>$FG_HOME</code> is normally used to refer to the operating system specific location for some settings/folders. Its default value is determined by the <code>fgfs</code> binary during startup and is a directory that varies with the operating system supported by FG (Windows, OS X and Linux). ''It is [https://sourceforge.net/p/flightgear/mailman/message/34995089/ highly recommended] to rely on the default value (i.e., not setting <code>$FG_HOME</code> yourself in any way), unless you Really Know What You Are Doing™.''


$FG_HOME is only used to refer to the OS-specific location for some settings/folders. The actual location of $FG_HOME will be determined by the fgfs binary during startup, it is a name for a directory that varies with the various operating systems supported by FG (Windows, OSX and Linux) and it stores information between sessions, such as: configuration/preferences, properties marked with the "user-archive" attribute and aircraft-specific settings (using the data helper class in aircraft.nas). $FG_HOME is also the location for the SQLite-based [[Navdb|NavDB cache]].
{{note|The <code>/sim/fg-home</code> property should be considered read-only, for similar reasons why <code>$FG_HOME</code> shouldn't be explicitly set by users.}}
{{note|FlightGear reads the <code>[[Fgfsrc|fgfsrc]]</code> config file from <code>$FG_HOME</code> if it exists (<tt>fgfsrc</tt> without any leading dot), in addition to <tt>.fgfsrc</tt> from <code>$HOME</code> (with a leading dot in this case).}}


($FG_HOME and the '''/sim/fg-home''' property should be considered read-only, because they cannot be affected during startup or at runtime)
== Content ==
In <code>$FG_HOME</code> is information stored between sessions.  That information is for example configuration/preferences, properties marked with the <code>user-archive</code> attribute and aircraft-specific settings (using the data helper class in <code>aircraft.nas</code>).  <code>$FG_HOME</code> is also the location for the SQLite-based [[Navdata cache|navdata cache]].


'''Note that the [[Fgfsrc]] config file will not actually be saved in $FG_HOME, but just in $HOME'''
== Common paths ==
===Common paths===
You can determine the location of your <code>$FG_HOME</code> by using the [[property browser]] and checking the value of <code>/sim/fg-home</code>, but the usual paths are shown below.
* '''Linux:''' ~/.fgfs/
* '''Mac OS X:''' <tt>~/Library/Application Support/FlightGear</tt> (to learn more about viewing hidden folders, see [http://www.mikesel.info/show-hidden-files-mac-os-x-10-7-lion/])
: As all future FlightGear versions will take their preferences from here, it is a good idea to have their access available easily.
: Desktop/Finder/Go/Go to Folder is where you need to start.
: When given the option, input:  ~/Library/Application Support/FlightGear
: It is probably a good idea to have '~/Library/Application Support/FlightGear' saved on a Stickies note just in case you forget it.
: If you want/need to refer to any of these files frequently, you could make an alias of a file, or the whole folder, and place it somewhere easier to access. TerraSync data is also stored inside the user's home folder, in the 'only' location we are permitted to write too, $HOME/Library/Application Support/FlightGear. To be technical, that's the value of '$FG_HOME', which is where we store all temporary / user-local data such as saved prefs, TerraSync files and aircraft-specific config state. The OSX launcher doesn't actually set this path (any more), this location is the default used by FlightGear itself. You can of course override these paths and set FG_HOME or the TerraSync path manually, from the command line or a config file, but the defaults should 'do what you want'.


* '''Windows:'''
You can also use the [[Nasal Console]] to print out <code>$FG_HOME</code>:
:* FlightGear 3.0 and later: <tt>%HOME%/Documents/FlightGear</tt>
<syntaxhighlight lang="nasal">
:: %HOME% is usually <tt>C:/Users/{YourUserName}</tt>
var path = getprop("/sim/fg-home");
:* Before FlightGear 3.0: <tt>%APPDATA%\flightgear.org\</tt>
print("Your $FG_HOME is at: ", path);
:: %APPDATA% is another environment variable that depends on your Windows version. On XP and older, it can be found under <tt>C:\Documents and Settings\{username}\Application Data</tt>. On Vista and later it can be found under <tt>C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming</tt>. The folder is hidden by default; see [http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/show-hidden-files these instructions] to unhide the folder.
</syntaxhighlight>
 
The <code>/sim/</code> property subtree is also the place where you can find other folders, such as <code>fg-root</code>, <code>fg-scenery</code> and the current working directory (<code>fg-current</code>).
 
=== Linux ===
<code>~/.fgfs/</code>
 
=== Mac OS X ===
<code>~/Library/Application Support/FlightGear</code> (to learn more about viewing hidden folders, see [http://www.mikesel.info/show-hidden-files-mac-os-x-10-7-lion/])
 
As all future FlightGear versions will take their preferences from here, it is a good idea to have their access available easily.
 
Desktop/Finder/Go/Go to Folder is where you need to start.
 
When given the option, input: <code>~/Library/Application Support/FlightGear</code>
 
It is probably a good idea to have <code>~/Library/Application Support/FlightGear</code> saved on a Stickies note just in case you forget it.
 
If you want/need to refer to any of these files frequently, you could make an alias of a file, or the whole folder, and place it somewhere easier to access. TerraSync data is stored in <code>$FG_HOME/TerraSync</code> in the default configuration, see [[TerraSync]] for details.
 
=== Windows ===
==== FlightGear 3.0 and later ====
<code>%userprofile%\Documents\FlightGear</code>
 
<code>%userprofile%</code> is <code>%homedrive%\Users\''User name''</code> by default, and <Code>%homedrive%</code> is usually C:\.
 
==== Before FlightGear 3.0 ====
<code>%APPDATA%\flightgear.org\</code>
 
<code>%APPDATA%</code> is another environment variable that depends on your Windows version. On XP and older, it can be found under <code>C:\Documents and Settings\''User name''\Application Data</code>. On Vista and later it can be found under <code>C:\Users\''User name''\AppData\Roaming</code>. The folder is hidden by default. See [http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/show-hidden-files these instructions] to show the folder.
 
== Use in troubleshooting ==
As one user once said, "When in doubt delete <code>$FG_HOME</code>". Many problems, including corrupted databases, broken [[TerraSync]] and many others can be fixed by deleting <code>fgfs_0.txt</code>, <code>fgfs.txt</code>, <code>terrasync_cache</code>, and the [[Navdata cache|navdata cache]].
 
When you encounter problems, try deleting the files, but '''always''' keep the <code>fgfs.log</code> and <code>fgfs_0.log</code> log files to help in troubleshooting.
 
== Power Users ==
Note you can also override FG_HOME in the environment, to have totally distinct installs - this would be my recommend approach to running multiple versions in parallel.
(The installers will always replace the stable / dev version as other commenters pointed out, so you can't use those so easily, you need to copy files around - I'm nota Windows expert so I don't know if there something that could be changed or improved here)
If you start multiple instances (the same version or different) of FGFS using the same value of FG_HOME (whether that be the default or a custom one), we use a lock file to ensure only one (the first) has write access. The rest will go into read-only mode, and as you can maybe guess, treat FG_HOME as read-only.
Sharing of aircraft / scenery is entirely about which paths are configured, BTW. However, one final caveat is that having multiple instances both running TerraSync, using the same terrasync dir, would likely act a bit funny. It ought to actually work, but it might download some things twice, and it's not a tested or supported configuration for the moment.<ref>{{cite web
  |url    =  https://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?p=304170#p304170
  |title  =  <nowiki> Re: Is it possible to install multiple instanes of FG in Win </nowiki>
  |author =  <nowiki> zakalawe </nowiki>
  |date  =  Jan 25th, 2017
  |added  =  Jan 25th, 2017
  |script_version = 0.40
  }}</ref>
 
 
== Related content ==
=== Wiki articles ===
* [[FlightGear configuration via XML]]
* [[$FG_ROOT]]
* [[Property browser]]
* [[Properties persistent between sessions]]


You can determine the location of your $FG_HOME by using the [[Property browser|property tree browser]] and checking the value of '''/sim/fg-home''', the '''/sim/''' branch is also the place where you can find other folders, such as fg-root, fg-scenery and the current working directory (fg-current).
==Use in Troubleshooting==
As one user once said, "When in doubt delete $FG_HOME files". Very many problems, including corrupted databases, broken terrasync, and many others, can be fixed by deleting fgfs_0.txt, fgfs.txt, terrasync_cache, and Navaids database.
When you encounter problems, try deleting the files, but ALWAYS keep the fgfs and fgfs_0 log files to help in troubleshooting.
[[Category:Special directories|HOME]]
[[Category:Special directories|HOME]]
Rominet
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