GNU bug report logs - #5656
23.1; nntp-marks-file-name is reset to nil and causes "IO error reading [...]: Is a directory"

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Teemu Likonen <tlikonen <at> iki.fi>
To: bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org
Subject: 23.1;
	nntp-marks-file-name is reset to nil and causes "IO error reading
	[...]: Is a directory"
Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:46:48 +0200

Using Gnus agent is not exactly a pleasant experience. I have pretty
much the default settings and all my nntp servers are agentized. Now, in
the Group buffer I go plugged (Jj), check new news (g), download them
(Js) and go unplugged (Jj) again. Good, so far.

Then I enter some group and read news. When exiting from the Summary
buffer Gnus gives me ugly error messages (see below). I answered "yes"
to the both questions and got back to Group buffer.

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
Error reading nntp marks file
/home/dtw/News/marks/news.inet.fi/comp/os/linux/misc/ ((error IO error
reading /home/dtw/News/marks/news.inet.fi/comp/os/linux/misc/: Is a
directory)). Continuing will use marks from .newsrc.eld.
Continue? (yes or no)

Could not write to /home/dtw/News/marks/news.inet.fi/comp/os/linux/misc/
((file-error Opening output file is a directory
/home/dtw/News/marks/news.inet.fi/comp/os/linux/misc/)).
Continue? (yes or no)
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

The error happens in file lisp/gnus/nntp.el, function nntp-open-marks
and form (condition-case ...).

The reason for this error is that variable nntp-marks-file-name is nil.
It _should_ be ".marks" but something sets it to nil when I go unplugged
with Jj (gnus-agent-toggle-plugged) command. Since the variable is nil
function nntp-group-pathname doesn't return complete path with filename
but only the directory name, hence the error in trying to read the file:
"error IO error reading [...]: Is a directory".

So there's a bug somewhere. Who is setting nntp-marks-file-name to nil
and why?

Below is my work-around which automatically sets the file name back to
".marks":

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
(add-hook 'gnus-agent-unplugged-hook
          #'(lambda ()
              (setq nntp-marks-file-name ".marks")))
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

Message #8 received at 5656 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Andreas Schwab <schwab <at> linux-m68k.org>
To: Teemu Likonen <tlikonen <at> iki.fi>
Cc: 5656 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#5656: 23.1;
	nntp-marks-file-name is reset to nil and causes "IO error reading
	[...]: Is a directory"
Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 11:55:11 +0100

Teemu Likonen <tlikonen <at> iki.fi> writes:

> So there's a bug somewhere. Who is setting nntp-marks-file-name to nil
> and why?

nntp-marks-file-name is a backend variable.  Look in
nnoo-definition-alist whether it is modified by some backend.

Andreas.

-- 
Andreas Schwab, schwab <at> linux-m68k.org
GPG Key fingerprint = 58CA 54C7 6D53 942B 1756  01D3 44D5 214B 8276 4ED5
"And now for something completely different."

Message #11 received at 5656 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Teemu Likonen <tlikonen <at> iki.fi>
To: Andreas Schwab <schwab <at> linux-m68k.org>
Cc: 5656 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#5656: 23.1;
	nntp-marks-file-name is reset to nil and causes "IO error reading
	[...]: Is a directory"
Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:27:11 +0200

* 2010-02-28 11:55 (+0100), Andreas Schwab wrote:

> Teemu Likonen <tlikonen <at> iki.fi> writes:
>> So there's a bug somewhere. Who is setting nntp-marks-file-name to
>> nil and why?
>
> nntp-marks-file-name is a backend variable.  Look in
> nnoo-definition-alist whether it is modified by some backend.

In nnoo-definition-alist there is this:

    (nntp nil
          (...
           (nntp-marks-file-name . ".marks")
           ...))

The variable is not mentioned in any other parts of
nnoo-definition-alist. Still nntp-marks-file-name gets set to nil and I
get the error unless I use the work-around hook which I described in the
original report.

Message #16 received at 5656 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
To: Teemu Likonen <tlikonen <at> iki.fi>
Cc: 5656 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#5656: 23.1;
	nntp-marks-file-name is reset to nil and causes "IO error reading
	[...]: Is a directory"
Date: Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:12:47 -0400

So can this be closed in light of 

http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.gnus.general/70265/focus=70291

?


In any case, it's a purely Gnus problem, and I don't know if Gnus is
uisng this tracker.

Message #19 received at 5656 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Teemu Likonen <tlikonen <at> iki.fi>
To: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 5656 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#5656: 23.1;
	nntp-marks-file-name is reset to nil and causes "IO error reading
	[...]: Is a directory"
Date: Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:09:13 +0300

* 2010-09-07 19:12 (-0400), Glenn Morris wrote:

> So can this be closed in light of 
>
> http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.gnus.general/70265/focus=70291

Maybe, but haven't actually tried the upstream Gnus code.

> In any case, it's a purely Gnus problem, and I don't know if Gnus is
> uisng this tracker.

I reported the problem to Gnus bugs mailing list first but it never got
any (public) attention. It seems that neither of my reports weren't of
much use. Lars just happened to find the bug by other means.

The ending seems to be happy, though. :-)

Message #22 received at 5656 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
To: Teemu Likonen <tlikonen <at> iki.fi>
Cc: 5656 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#5656: 23.1;
	nntp-marks-file-name is reset to nil and causes "IO error reading
	[...]: Is a directory"
Date: Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:10:58 -0400

Teemu Likonen wrote:

>> http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.gnus.general/70265/focus=70291
>
> Maybe, but haven't actually tried the upstream Gnus code.

The change is also in Emacs since 2010-09-01.

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