Enhance debugging instructions in documentation #611
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Clarify the importance of fully installing the package before debugging and provide commands for local test installation.
| Before debugging, it is essential to install the debug packages used by | ||
| Before debugging, ensure you fully install the package, as simply running the package with "flatpak-builder --run ..." will run a version of the program with more limited system integration. Many perceived bugs seen when running the application with "flatpak-builder --run" may completely disapear when the application is installed fully. Some examples of features that might not work properly while running within flatpak-builder are file explorer dialogues and automatic detection of Wayland or X11 sessions. To make a local test install of your application, and then run it, use the following:: | ||
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| $ flatpak-builder --install <build-dir> <manifest> |
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Use flatpak-builder from inside flatpak, as we suggests in the docs. (this only won't work for extra data apps)
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I'm not sure what you mean by "from inside flatpak". Can you explain and potentially point out where the docs suggest this?
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https://docs.flathub.org/docs/for-app-authors/submission#build-and-install
flatpak run --command=flathub-build org.flatpak.Builder --install <manifest>
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Ok, thank you for clarifying that. It seems that you are talking about the flatHub documentation, while I was referring to the flatpak and flatpak-builder documentation. If you review the building section of the flatpak documentation at https://docs.flatpak.org/en/latest/building.html, you'll see that the command you specify is not used in any of the pages in that section.
As a related point, what is the intended function of "flatpak-builder --run" if running a program in that manner is not recommended?
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Sorry, I'm in the wrong context
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Sorry, I'm in the wrong context
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This addition to the documentation could clarify the differences between testing the application with
flatpak-builder --runand by fully installing and running the application, and how those differences could cause problems with system integration while running with flatpak-builder. Adding this to the documentation could save developer time and make flatpak development easier for newcomers. I personally spent a large amount of time trying to debug multiple issues that were solely a result of testing the application withflatpak-builder --run, which is especially confusing considering that the application mostly works as expected when tested that way.