Re: Document /homeless-shelter?

[Matt <matt@excalamus.com>]

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 ---- On Sun, 16 Jan 2022 00:20:49 -0500 Leo Famulari <leo@famulari.name> wrote ----

 > It could be documented briefly in the manual section Build Environment
 > Setup.

How does this look?

From 34fcd075efad1577aa139012c5d2fccf44e10058 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Matt <matt@excalamus.com>
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2022 12:30:37 -0500
Subject: [PATCH] Document /homeless-shelter

---
 doc/guix.texi | 13 +++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+)

diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi
index 42691570ff..fd48a0dcd2 100644
--- a/doc/guix.texi
+++ b/doc/guix.texi
@@ -1193,6 +1193,19 @@ environment variables for HTTP and HTTPS downloads it performs, be it
 for fixed-output derivations (@pxref{Derivations}) or for substitutes
 (@pxref{Substitutes}).
 
+The @env{HOME} environment variable is set to @file{/homeless-shelter}
+during the build process.  This ensures builds are determistic and
+highlights all uses of @env{HOME}.  Packages should not depend on the
+pathname of a home directory.  Instead, modify the build phase to set
+@env{HOME} to @file{/tmp}:
+
+@lisp
+(modify-phases %standard-phases
+  (add-before 'check 'fix-home-directory
+    (lambda _
+      (setenv "HOME" "/tmp"))))
+@end lisp
+
 If you are installing Guix as an unprivileged user, it is still possible
 to run @command{guix-daemon} provided you pass @option{--disable-chroot}.
 However, build processes will not be isolated from one another, and not
-- 
2.34.0



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From 34fcd075efad1577aa139012c5d2fccf44e10058 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Matt <matt@excalamus.com>
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2022 12:30:37 -0500
Subject: [PATCH] Document /homeless-shelter

---
 doc/guix.texi | 13 +++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+)

diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi
index 42691570ff..fd48a0dcd2 100644
--- a/doc/guix.texi
+++ b/doc/guix.texi
@@ -1193,6 +1193,19 @@ environment variables for HTTP and HTTPS downloads it performs, be it
 for fixed-output derivations (@pxref{Derivations}) or for substitutes
 (@pxref{Substitutes}).
 
+The @env{HOME} environment variable is set to @file{/homeless-shelter}
+during the build process.  This ensures builds are determistic and
+highlights all uses of @env{HOME}.  Packages should not depend on the
+pathname of a home directory.  Instead, modify the build phase to set
+@env{HOME} to @file{/tmp}:
+
+@lisp
+(modify-phases %standard-phases
+  (add-before 'check 'fix-home-directory
+    (lambda _
+      (setenv "HOME" "/tmp"))))
+@end lisp
+
 If you are installing Guix as an unprivileged user, it is still possible
 to run @command{guix-daemon} provided you pass @option{--disable-chroot}.
 However, build processes will not be isolated from one another, and not
-- 
2.34.0