systemsettings breaks comments in config

[Ivan Borzenkov]

Binary package hint: kdebase-workspace

After installation config files contents some comments

for example - part of /etc/kde4/kdm/kdmrc

...
[Xdmcp]
# Whether KDM should listen to incoming XDMCP requests.
# Default is true
Enable=false
# The UDP port on which KDM should listen for XDMCP requests. Do not change.
# Default is 177
#Port=177
# File with the private keys of X-terminals. Required for XDM authentication.
# Default is ""
#KeyFile=/etc/kde4/kdm/kdmkeys
# XDMCP access control file in the usual XDM-Xaccess format.
# Default is "/etc/kde4/kdm/Xaccess"
#Xaccess=
# Number of seconds to wait for display to respond after the user has
# selected a host from the chooser.
# Default is 15
#ChoiceTimeout=10
# Strip domain name from remote display names if it is equal to the local
# domain.
# Default is true
#RemoveDomainname=false
# Use the numeric IP address of the incoming connection on multihomed hosts
# instead of the host name.
# Default is false
#SourceAddress=true
# The program which is invoked to dynamically generate replies to XDMCP
# DirectQuery or BroadcastQuery requests.
# If empty, no program is invoked and "Willing to manage" is sent.
# Default is ""
Willing=/etc/kde4/kdm/Xwilling
...

after edit by systemsettings we get this:

...
[Xdmcp]
Enable=false
Willing=/etc/kde4/kdm/Xwilling
...

and after update kdm package we get conflict,
in this case we leave comments untouched automerge may work normal even if we change options.

[Ivan Borzenkov (ivan1986)]

may use some like sed for change config files, or preg in text
^name=(.*)$ => name=new_value

[Hai-Lam Bui (illdefinedpillow)]

This behavior of overwriting config files is not just found in systemsettings, but the KConfig system itself, which systemsettings very probably uses. KConfig is part of kdelibs.

[Ivan Borzenkov (ivan1986)]

In general, this behavior is characteristic of so many graphical wizards, who ruled the configuration files.
I understand that this is a global problem, but something with that still need to do.

[Hai-Lam Bui (illdefinedpillow)]

You have a point. What I wanted to tell you is where the root cause is, and that you should assign this bug (or file the more general one) to the correct package. Which might be, although I might be wrong, "kde4libs".

In the end, though, this has to be brought up upstream.

[Harald Sitter (apachelogger)]

Hi Ivan!

Thanks for reporting this bug! Your bug seems to be a problem with the KDE program itself, and not with our KDE packages. While we appreciate your issue, it would be better if it was tracked at https://bugs.kde.org, so that the KDE developers can deal with this speedily and have direct communication with you as the reporter.

Thanks!