GUI Tab: Project Settings

Projects

The larch-8 GUI uses 'projects' to gather together a few configuration options concerning the build environment. Examples are the location of the Arch installation to be 'larchified' (converted to a live system), pacman options such as package repository locations, which 'profile' (see below) to build with, which boot loader to use, and so on. These are all options which don't directly affect the design of the live system to be built. Most of the remaining configuration options do concern the design and are specified in the 'profile', for example the details of which packages to install, and how to configure the installed system.

All project information is kept in a directory within '~/.config/larch' whose name is derived from the project name by prefixing it with 'p_'. The currently selected project is specified in the file '~/.config/larch/app.conf' (the application configuration file), the default entry being 'project = larch-0'.

A new named project can be created in the advanced options on the Project-Settings tab of the GUI. For many purposes this will be unnecessary and one can use the default project, 'larch-0' (this is why it is among the advanced options). It is also possible to delete projects which are no longer needed, and to set the path of the installation to be larchified. Note that the GUI uses a different default installation path than the command line scripts, '~/larch_build' (i.e. within the user's home directory). Changing the installation path to an empty one ('') will return to the default one.

Installation Path

The installation that larch turns into a live system need not be on a separate partition, it can be placed anywhere convenient. The default installation directory ('~/larch_build') should normally be acceptable, so long as there is enough free space on that partition. Note that lots of space is necessary, nearly 4GB for a 700MB CD, for example. The live system is built in the '.larch' sub-directory of the installation directory; it must be within the installation to be converted because some of the construction work is done using chroot.

The installation of the Arch Linux system to be larchified is handled on the 'Installation' tab of the GUI, but an already existing Arch Linux installation can also be larchified: see Making a live CD from an existing Arch installation

As the actual building work is done with admintrator permissions, the installation path can actually be anywhere in the file-system - exercise caution in entering the path, you could do some real damage to your system if you make a mistake. Entering an empty string will cause the default path to be chosen, to larchify the running system (not at all recommended!) enter '/'.

Profiles

A profile contains the information needed to build a particular flavour of (live) Arch Linux - which packages to install, which locales, system configuration in '/etc/rc.conf', boot entries, and so on. Apart from a few basic configuration details (mainly those concerned specifically with the special needs of a live system) for which larch provides a special mechanism, all desired changes from the freshly installed state should be placed in the directory 'rootoverlay' within the profile directory. This allows easy rebuilding of a particularly configured system, and it also allows various (differently configured) live systems to be built from the same underlying installation, without touching the installation itself.

All profile information is kept in the correspondingly named directory within the directory '~/.config/larch/myprofiles'.

The profiles are shared by all projects, so if you change one that is in use by another project, it will also be changed for that project. Deletion or renaming of a profile that is in use by another project is not permitted, but it is possible to 'clone' the current profile (copy it within the 'myprofiles' directory to a directory with another name), thus creating a new, 'unattached' version. A new profile can be also be fetched from anywhere in the file-system, using the browse button.

When browsing for, renaming, cloning or copying profiles it is possible to overwrite existing profiles, but you will be prompted for confirmation.

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