Bug 31643

Summary:	Mageia 9 Gimp selection tools not working with multi-layer images if using config carried forward from Mageia 8; OK for new usage.
Product:	Mageia	Reporter:	Thomas Andrews <andrewsfarm>
Component:	RPM Packages	Assignee:	Mageia Bug Squad <bugsquad>
Status:	RESOLVED FIXED	QA Contact:
Severity:	critical
Priority:	High	CC:	fri, lewyssmith, smelror
Version:	Cauldron
Target Milestone:	---
Hardware:	All
OS:	Linux
Whiteboard:
Source RPM:		CVE:
Status comment:

Description Thomas Andrews 2023-03-06 23:27:33 CET

Description of problem:
Each year since 2006 I use Gimp to prepare a map of our farm's cropland, showing our planting plans for that year. A satellite photo is used for the base layer, with layers for each major field overlaid upon it, with color-coded areas indicating the various crops. There are additional layers for individual labels. As you can imagine, the entire image looks very complex, but it is actually quite simple to use once you use it a while.

Parts of the map change each year, as we rotate the crops. Because we don't change everything from year to year, a copy of last year's map is edited in Gimp to be used for the upcoming year. This requires selecting areas on each crop layer that need to be edited while leaving the rest of the map alone. Several of the labels need to be edited each year, too.

In the present version of Gimp, attempting to use any of the selection tools to select an area to work on results in failure. They appear to work at first, but no selection is actually made, and consequently, no editing is possible. Even "Select All" from the drop-down menu fails.

Single-layer images, such as a simple photograph, seem to work OK. Mageia 8 also works OK. 

This probably isn't a release blocker for most users, but it is for me. Because of it, I'm going to have to revert my production install back to Mageia 8 so I can get the map prepared for the 2023 growing season.

Thomas Andrews 2023-03-06 23:40:25 CET

Priority: Normal => High

Comment 1 Stig-Ørjan Smelror 2023-03-07 06:58:42 CET

Thomas,

if you still have MGA9, can you please launch Gimp from the command line and post the output as a file here after you've tried editing your map?

CC: (none) => smelror

Comment 2 Thomas Andrews 2023-03-07 16:28:39 CET

Well, that's interesting.

I have already converted my production install back to Mageia 8, and the selection tools are working again. 

I do have another mga9 installed on the same hardware, but when I went to check Gimp with the map on that install, the selection tools were working OK. Same thing for another install on other hardware.

When I installed mga9 where I had the problem, I had retained /home, so the mga9 Gimp was using the configuration, with my customized settings, from the previous mga8 install. So at the moment it looks like the mga9 Gimp is reacting badly to one (or more) of those settings.

I will replace the mga9 user's .config/GIMP/2.10 folder with the one from the production mga8, and see what happens.

Comment 3 Thomas Andrews 2023-03-07 17:14:58 CET

That did it. The mga9 Gimp selection tools do not work with the preference settings from my production mga8 install.

I ran Gimp from the command line, but no need to post a file of the output - there isn't much there:

[tom@localhost ~]$ gimp
Warning: Unknown input_id: -1 for input: surfacemap_x
Warning: Unknown input_id: -1 for input: surfacemap_x
Warning: Unknown input_id: -1 for input: surfacemap_x
Warning: Unknown input_id: -1 for input: surfacemap_x
Warning: Unknown input_id: -1 for input: surfacemap_x
Warning: Unknown input_id: -1 for input: surfacemap_x
Warning: Unknown input_id: -1 for input: surfacemap_x
Warning: Unknown input_id: -1 for input: surfacemap_x
Warning: Unknown input_id: -1 for input: surfacemap_x
Warning: Unknown input_id: -1 for input: surfacemap_x
Warning: Unknown input_id: -1 for input: surfacemap_x
Warning: Unknown input_id: -1 for input: surfacemap_x
[tom@localhost ~]$ 

Some of those warning messages pop up as soon as I run Gimp. I saw them before the Gimp window covered them up.

Would it help if I were to compress the offending 2.10 config folder and attach it here?

Comment 4 Morgan Leijström 2023-03-07 18:02:40 CET

So a workaround is to start with clean settings.

Hopefully we can fix this, but it smells like a problem that might not be possible to solve.

Setting this for errata until then.

CC: (none) => fri
Keywords: (none) => FOR_ERRATA9

Comment 5 Lewis Smith 2023-03-07 20:01:47 CET

Thanks Morgan.

Just to confirm: on a multi-desktop Cauldron system originally created by upgrading a Mageia 8 one (which had no usage at all before the upgrade), Gimp selection tools work OK on a a multi-Layer image.

Agree that TJ's problem looks like some incompatability between M8 Gimp config & M9 Gimp, which will show up either by installing M9 keeping old HOME, or upgrading.

CC: (none) => lewyssmith

Lewis Smith 2023-03-07 20:04:17 CET

Summary: Gimp selection tools not working with multi-layer images => Mageia 9 Gimp selection tools not working with multi-layer images if using config carried forward from Mageia 8; OK for new usage.

Comment 6 Thomas Andrews 2023-03-07 20:33:41 CET

(In reply to Morgan Leijström from comment #4)
> So a workaround is to start with clean settings.
> 
Well no, that doesn't seem to work every time, either. 

I tried renaming the .config/GIMP/2.10 folder so there wasn't one, then starting Gimp to create a new one. After loading one of the maps, the selection tools stopped working.

But on my HP Probook 6550b, a completely different mga9 system, the selection tools work as they should when I load one of the maps. 

Curiouser and curiouser. The more I try the less I "know."

Comment 7 sturmvogel 2023-03-07 20:40:53 CET

There might be a connection with bug 31627 and babl-0.1.100
It would be worth a try to test if the same problem occurs with babl-0.1.102-1.mga9 from Core/Updates_testing
That means a MGA8->MGA9 upgrade path with old settings but new babl....

Comment 8 sturmvogel 2023-03-07 20:58:20 CET

Correction: with lib64babl0.1_0-0.1.102-1.mga9.x86_64.rpm from Core/Updates_testing as babl itself is not required by gimp...

Comment 9 Thomas Andrews 2023-03-07 21:43:55 CET

By George, I think he's got it!

Updating lib64babl restores selection tool function, no matter which config folder is being used. A great relief!

By the way, getting the update was a good test of QArepo in Mageia 9, as well...

Comment 10 sturmvogel 2023-03-07 22:05:00 CET

Removing FOR_ERRATA9 keyword

Keywords: FOR_ERRATA9 => (none)

Comment 11 sturmvogel 2023-03-07 22:25:44 CET

As David G. already requested the feeze_move of babl to the core_updates repo of MGA9, may we consider this bug fixed and close it?

Comment 12 Thomas Andrews 2023-03-07 23:28:22 CET

Sounds like a plan to me. If it does come back, I can always re-open...

Status: NEW => RESOLVED
Resolution: (none) => FIXED

Comment 13 Lewis Smith 2023-03-08 20:28:23 CET

Great work by TJ & sturmvogel; thanks to you (+ DavidG) all.