Create guidance document for users about patching

Development Beta Testing
5

Here’s a Perplexity composed description (after several revisions and tweaking):

To patch the Gramps application on a desktop system using the changed module from a pull request for the Master branch of the Gramps application in the GitHub repository at https://github.com/gramps-project/gramps, follow these steps:

  1. Locate the Gramps Core Modules: The core modules of the Gramps application can be found in the installation directory of Gramps on your desktop system.
  2. Access the Pull Request: Go to the specific pull request mentioned by the volunteer developer on the Gramps GitHub repository. The Conversation tab will help you understand the changes proposed by the developer. The Files Changed tab will list the affected modules.
  3. Download the Changed Module: From the pull request, identify the specific core module that has been modified. Download the changed module by clicking on it and then selecting “Raw” to view the raw code. Save this code to a new file on your local machine.
  4. Quit the Gramps Application: If the Gramps application is running, quit the application to ensure that the core modules are not in use.
  5. Rename the Local Module and Delete pycache: Navigate to the subdirectory where the original core module is located on your operating system. Rename the original module by appending the current date (YYYYMMDD) to its name to create a backup. Additionally, if there is a __pycache__ folder in the directory, delete it to ensure that the cache is cleared.
  6. Copy the Downloaded Module to the Local Machine: Copy the file containing the changed code that you downloaded from the pull request to the directory where the original core module is located on your system.
  7. Start the Gramps Application Again: After completing the replacement of the module, start the Gramps application again to ensure that it functions correctly with the patched core module.
  8. Testing and Validation: After starting the Gramps application, test the functionality that relies on this module to ensure that the patch works as intended.
  9. Security and Best Practices: Consider security best practices when applying patches to system components. Verify the source of the patch and understand its implications.

These steps allow you to patch your Gramps desktop application by replacing the original core module with the changed module from the pull request, while also preserving a backup of the original module and ensuring a clean cache.

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