GIMP 2.8.10 - "Document History" mysteriously empty on startup

[gramp]

GIMP Version: 2.8.10
Operating System: Linux
OS Version: Ubuntu14.04
GIMP Experience: Intermediate Level

List any ERROR messages you received:
natha

---

Happy Epiphany! (I must say, all things considered, the year's going well for me so far--I mean more good days than bad days.)

In the past month or so, I've noticed the Document History has been empty when I go to Open Recent project. "Oh, well," I told myself, "you probably asked for it somehow." And sometimes it's not empty, but it's not the long history it used to be, but only the handful of most recent projects. However, I'm convinced now that something's emptying it.

"Edit->Preferences->Environment->Keep record of used files in the Recent Documents list"
has always been checked, but I unchecked it, and restarted GIMP just as a check.

Has anyone else experienced this? (If you have, I can sympathize. Or can I empathize?)

Is there a fix? (If so, I can't imagine it.)

Do tell, thank you.
--
gramp

[molly]

That is strange, that box is checked in mine and my history shows. must be something else to check in there.

I am sure some one will be able to help... I use Linux Fedora 21

[paynekj]

Do you use any other GTK based applications, Inkscape for example?

I find that if I have to use GIMP 2.8.x, on returning to GIMP 2.6.7 the recent file/document history lists get wiped, so it's using a common list and on your system it's possible that some other application is changing the list.

Kevin

[ofnuts]

On the file history is in a shared file (~/.local/share/recently-used.xbel). All "Recently used" documents (at least those handled by GTK apps) end up there. This is where the GTK file selector looks for "recently used" files (when loading) and directories (when saving).

[gramp]

@paynekj
I do. I DO! Inkscape for sure. And probably pots-full more, but I don't know that they advertise theirselves as GTK apps, but I haven't been paying attention either. That would splain it. (In fact, I had noticed that Inkscape's--to which I have only lately come--Document History sometime disappeared as well, but I had only conceived of the possibility of IS and GIMP being mutual victims, not adversaries.) [EDIT: well, OF COURSE, there's a website with this info: [1]][EDIT: In the first few pages, I already found a half-dozen I've used, and several dozen more time-wasters to install... :^(]

@ofnuts
Thank you! Now I can pull up a chair in front and watch for changes.
--
gramp
[1] I removed the reference to a GTK apps site after coming back today (because I forgot again) and discovered that the link had been hijacked by a porn site. This world just makes me sad all over.

[ofnuts]

Btw, Edit>Preferences>Environment has a check box to keep or not a document history...

[molly]

I already mentioned that on post #2 ofnuts.

[gramp]

...and I neglected to say "Thank you, Molly."

(I actually came back because I, in soberingly increasingly characteristic fashion, completely forgot about this post and was hunting for an answer to the very same problem! Dumb, huh? But I'm happy that it allows me to address a mis-dress.)

Thank you, Molly!

[bakercharlie]

I cannot believe that this has not been solved in 4 and a half years.... Anyone?

Is there an app I can point to a file, equivalent to strace on an application, to log what process is accessing and modifying the file?

[bakercharlie]

Under Linuxmint Cinnamon, access to recently-used.xbel, is under Preferences > Privacy

The default setting for "Remember recently accessed files" is OFF.

I turned that ON, and set "Never forget old files" to ON, also.

I opened GIMP and Inkscape several times, & when I opened recently-used.xbel, I found this: (stripped out most lines and "added" and "modified" fields)

`<bookmark href="file:///home/homer/Untitled.xcf"
<bookmark href="file:///home/homer/Untitled.png"
<bookmark href="file:///home/homer/Desktop/1Pictures/Screenshot%20from%202019-08-10%2018-51-38.xcf"
<bookmark href="file:///home/homer/puzzles/3_simultaneous_equations/PuppyTortoiseChook.svg"`

This appears to have fixed it.