[QGIS-trac] [Quantum GIS] #2947: GRASS plugin mapset permission blocks use if user doesn't own PERMANENT

[Quantum GIS]

#2947: GRASS plugin mapset permission blocks use if user doesn't own PERMANENT
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   Reporter:  hamish                            |              Owner:  rugginoso    
       Type:  bug                               |             Status:  new          
   Priority:  major: does not work as expected  |          Milestone:  Version 1.6.0
  Component:  GRASS                             |            Version:  1.5.0        
   Keywords:  livedvd                           |   Platform_version:  ubuntu 10.04 
   Platform:  Debian                            |           Must_fix:  Yes          
Status_info:  0                                 |  
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 [fwd from the live-demo at osgeo list, where it breaks the QGIS-GRASS plugin
 completely] :-(

 Massimo Di Stefano wrote:
 > Download a new spearfish.tar.gz in the download directory

 (better: just copy -r from /usr/local/share/...)


 > and tring to load grass file from qgis opening this "new"
 > spearfish directory
 > i have no problem to dispay grass data inside qgis.

 I get the same. (see comments in my 4.0rc6 error summary from
 some days ago where I cover this)

 > hence, it is a permision problem in the grass locations

 exec summary:
 the problem is a bug in qgis 1.5.0 [...]. I don't think we can work around
 it for this release of the live DVD and the best solution for now is to
 add a note in the qgis quickstart that you should copy the spearfish
 dataset to the home dir before starting if you want to use the grass
 toolbox. [n.b. to date we have no qgis quickstart!]


 longer version:
 GRASS was designed to be (optionally) used on a server/mainframe
 by a team/class all working on the same project, with the data
 held on the central server or mounted via NFS. (this is why the
 spearfish dataset's working mapset is called "user1" btw)
 To avoid mass confusion you may only write to your own mapsets,
 but you may read from (and include in your map search path) any
 of your teammates mapsets, and everyone on the team can read
 from the PERMANENT mapset which typically holds core base maps.
 The team leader controls the PERMANENT mapset. Individual users
 can also make their own mapsets public or private via the
 g.access module if they like. For many years it has been like
 this, all(?) bugs squashed long ago, and all has been well.
 (of course on the Windows build UAC is a total mess, but that's
 not really our fault)

 So the rule is that your user account must own the mapset in
 the filesystem in order to make that the current one. and that's
 the way GRASS is set up on the livedvd, with an empty skeleton
 mapset in /home/, and read-only data mapsets owned by root.

 QGIS is respecting this, but it is taking it too far enforcing
 that the PERMANENT mapset must be owned by the user too. or
 maybe it is trying to temporarily open the PERMANENT mapset even
 if you didn't request it? (eg to grab the common map projection
 info)


 Hamish


 ps- rpy2 addition may now fix habitat plugin removed in the livedvd
 install script. pls check

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.osgeo.org/qgis/ticket/2947>
Quantum GIS <http://qgis.org>
Quantum GIS is an Open Source GIS viewer/editor supporting OGR, PostGIS, and GRASS formats