ChimeraX not starting up in Desktop folder on Windows

[Tristan Croll]

The following bug report has been submitted:
Platform:        Windows-10-10.0.19044
ChimeraX Version: 1.5.dev202210050721 (2022-10-05 07:21:30 UTC)
Description
When launched from the Start Menu in Windows, ChimeraX is starting up for me in C:\ProgramData\ChimeraX. Is this intended behaviour? I thought it was, but looking at the code in __main__.py it looks like it only happens if ChimeraX is launched from the desktop icon. Just to double-check I added a reporter at line 598:

    # Set current working directory to Desktop when launched from icon.
    print(os.getcwd())
    if ((sys.platform.startswith('darwin') and os.getcwd() == '/') or
            (sys.platform.startswith('win') and os.getcwd().endswith('\\Users\\Public\\Desktop'))):
        try:
            os.chdir(os.path.expanduser('~/Desktop'))
        except Exception:
            pass


... which indeed reports C:\ProgramData\ChimeraX as the starting point. Seems non-ideal, given that's such an obscure location for most users.

I reported a somewhat similar ticket previously, caused by OneDrive moving the Desktop directory into a non-default location. No OneDrive installed here... although (certainly not by my choice) my user directory contains a space (C:\Users\Tristan Croll\Desktop) which might be throwing things off somewhere upstream?





OpenGL version: 3.3.0 NVIDIA 517.13
OpenGL renderer: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU/PCIe/SSE2
OpenGL vendor: NVIDIA Corporation

Python: 3.9.11
Locale: en_GB.cp1252
Qt version: PyQt6 6.3.1, Qt 6.3.1
Qt runtime version: 6.3.2
Qt platform: windows

Manufacturer: HP
Model: HP ZBook Studio 15.6 inch G8 Mobile Workstation PC
OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (Build 19044)
Memory: 34,007,068,672
MaxProcessMemory: 137,438,953,344
CPU: 16 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11800H @ 2.30GHz
OSLanguage: en-GB

Installed Packages:
    alabaster: 0.7.12
    appdirs: 1.4.4
    asttokens: 2.0.8
    Babel: 2.10.3
    backcall: 0.2.0
    blockdiag: 3.0.0
    build: 0.8.0
    certifi: 2022.9.24
    cftime: 1.6.2
    charset-normalizer: 2.1.1
    ChimeraX-AddCharge: 1.4
    ChimeraX-AddH: 2.2
    ChimeraX-AlignmentAlgorithms: 2.0
    ChimeraX-AlignmentHdrs: 3.2.1
    ChimeraX-AlignmentMatrices: 2.0
    ChimeraX-Alignments: 2.6
    ChimeraX-AlphaFold: 1.0
    ChimeraX-AltlocExplorer: 1.0.3
    ChimeraX-AmberInfo: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Arrays: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Atomic: 1.41.4
    ChimeraX-AtomicLibrary: 8.0.2
    ChimeraX-AtomSearch: 2.0.1
    ChimeraX-AxesPlanes: 2.3
    ChimeraX-BasicActions: 1.1.2
    ChimeraX-BILD: 1.0
    ChimeraX-BlastProtein: 2.1.2
    ChimeraX-BondRot: 2.0.1
    ChimeraX-BugReporter: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-BuildStructure: 2.7.1
    ChimeraX-Bumps: 1.0
    ChimeraX-BundleBuilder: 1.2
    ChimeraX-ButtonPanel: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-CageBuilder: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-CellPack: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Centroids: 1.3.1
    ChimeraX-ChangeChains: 1.0.2
    ChimeraX-CheckWaters: 1.3
    ChimeraX-ChemGroup: 2.0
    ChimeraX-Clashes: 2.2.4
    ChimeraX-Clipper: 0.19.0.dev0
    ChimeraX-ColorActions: 1.0.3
    ChimeraX-ColorGlobe: 1.0
    ChimeraX-ColorKey: 1.5.2
    ChimeraX-CommandLine: 1.2.4
    ChimeraX-ConnectStructure: 2.0.1
    ChimeraX-Contacts: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Core: 1.5.dev202210050721
    ChimeraX-CoreFormats: 1.1
    ChimeraX-coulombic: 1.3.2
    ChimeraX-Crosslinks: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Crystal: 1.0
    ChimeraX-CrystalContacts: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-DataFormats: 1.2.2
    ChimeraX-Dicom: 1.1
    ChimeraX-DistMonitor: 1.3
    ChimeraX-DockPrep: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Dssp: 2.0
    ChimeraX-EMDB-SFF: 1.0
    ChimeraX-ExperimentalCommands: 1.0
    ChimeraX-FileHistory: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-FunctionKey: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Geometry: 1.2
    ChimeraX-gltf: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Graphics: 1.1
    ChimeraX-Hbonds: 2.4
    ChimeraX-Help: 1.2.1
    ChimeraX-HKCage: 1.3
    ChimeraX-IHM: 1.1
    ChimeraX-ImageFormats: 1.2
    ChimeraX-IMOD: 1.0
    ChimeraX-IO: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-ISOLDE: 1.5.dev0
    ChimeraX-ItemsInspection: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Label: 1.1.7
    ChimeraX-ListInfo: 1.1.1
    ChimeraX-Log: 1.1.5
    ChimeraX-LookingGlass: 1.1
    ChimeraX-Maestro: 1.8.2
    ChimeraX-Map: 1.1.1
    ChimeraX-MapData: 2.0
    ChimeraX-MapEraser: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-MapFilter: 2.0
    ChimeraX-MapFit: 2.0
    ChimeraX-MapSeries: 2.1.1
    ChimeraX-Markers: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Mask: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-MatchMaker: 2.0.9
    ChimeraX-MDcrds: 2.6
    ChimeraX-MedicalToolbar: 1.0.2
    ChimeraX-Meeting: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-MLP: 1.1
    ChimeraX-mmCIF: 2.8
    ChimeraX-MMTF: 2.2
    ChimeraX-Modeller: 1.5.6
    ChimeraX-ModelPanel: 1.3.6
    ChimeraX-ModelSeries: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Mol2: 2.0
    ChimeraX-Mole: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Morph: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-MouseModes: 1.1.1
    ChimeraX-Movie: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Neuron: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Nucleotides: 2.0.3
    ChimeraX-OpenCommand: 1.9.1
    ChimeraX-PDB: 2.6.8
    ChimeraX-PDBBio: 1.0
    ChimeraX-PDBLibrary: 1.0.2
    ChimeraX-PDBMatrices: 1.0
    ChimeraX-PickBlobs: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Positions: 1.0
    ChimeraX-PresetMgr: 1.1
    ChimeraX-PubChem: 2.1
    ChimeraX-ReadPbonds: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Registration: 1.1.1
    ChimeraX-RemoteControl: 1.0
    ChimeraX-RenumberResidues: 1.1
    ChimeraX-ResidueFit: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-RestServer: 1.1
    ChimeraX-RNALayout: 1.0
    ChimeraX-RotamerLibMgr: 2.0.1
    ChimeraX-RotamerLibsDunbrack: 2.0
    ChimeraX-RotamerLibsDynameomics: 2.0
    ChimeraX-RotamerLibsRichardson: 2.0
    ChimeraX-SaveCommand: 1.5.1
    ChimeraX-SchemeMgr: 1.0
    ChimeraX-SDF: 2.0
    ChimeraX-Segger: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Segment: 1.0
    ChimeraX-SelInspector: 1.0
    ChimeraX-SeqView: 2.7.2
    ChimeraX-Shape: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Shell: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Shortcuts: 1.1.1
    ChimeraX-ShowSequences: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-SideView: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Smiles: 2.1
    ChimeraX-SmoothLines: 1.0
    ChimeraX-SpaceNavigator: 1.0
    ChimeraX-StdCommands: 1.10
    ChimeraX-STL: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Storm: 1.0
    ChimeraX-StructMeasure: 1.1
    ChimeraX-Struts: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Surface: 1.0
    ChimeraX-SwapAA: 2.0.1
    ChimeraX-SwapRes: 2.1.3
    ChimeraX-TapeMeasure: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Test: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Toolbar: 1.1.2
    ChimeraX-ToolshedUtils: 1.2.1
    ChimeraX-Tug: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-UI: 1.24.1
    ChimeraX-uniprot: 2.2.1
    ChimeraX-UnitCell: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-ViewDockX: 1.1.3
    ChimeraX-VIPERdb: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Vive: 1.1
    ChimeraX-VolumeMenu: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-VTK: 1.0
    ChimeraX-WavefrontOBJ: 1.0
    ChimeraX-WebCam: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-WebServices: 1.1.0
    ChimeraX-Zone: 1.0.1
    colorama: 0.4.5
    comtypes: 1.1.10
    cxservices: 1.2
    cycler: 0.11.0
    Cython: 0.29.32
    debugpy: 1.6.3
    decorator: 5.1.1
    docutils: 0.19
    entrypoints: 0.4
    executing: 1.1.0
    filelock: 3.7.1
    fonttools: 4.37.4
    funcparserlib: 1.0.0
    grako: 3.16.5
    h5py: 3.7.0
    html2text: 2020.1.16
    idna: 3.4
    ihm: 0.33
    imagecodecs: 2022.7.31
    imagesize: 1.4.1
    importlib-metadata: 5.0.0
    ipykernel: 6.15.3
    ipython: 8.4.0
    ipython-genutils: 0.2.0
    jedi: 0.18.1
    Jinja2: 3.1.2
    jupyter-client: 7.3.4
    jupyter-core: 4.11.1
    kiwisolver: 1.4.4
    line-profiler: 3.5.1
    lxml: 4.9.1
    lz4: 4.0.2
    MarkupSafe: 2.1.1
    matplotlib: 3.5.2
    matplotlib-inline: 0.1.6
    msgpack: 1.0.4
    nest-asyncio: 1.5.6
    netCDF4: 1.6.0
    networkx: 2.8.5
    numexpr: 2.8.3
    numpy: 1.23.1
    openvr: 1.23.701
    packaging: 21.3
    ParmEd: 3.4.3
    parso: 0.8.3
    pep517: 0.13.0
    pickleshare: 0.7.5
    Pillow: 9.2.0
    pip: 22.2.2
    pkginfo: 1.8.3
    prompt-toolkit: 3.0.31
    psutil: 5.9.1
    pure-eval: 0.2.2
    pycollada: 0.7.2
    pydicom: 2.3.0
    Pygments: 2.12.0
    PyOpenGL: 3.1.5
    PyOpenGL-accelerate: 3.1.5
    pyparsing: 3.0.9
    PyQt6-commercial: 6.3.1
    PyQt6-Qt6: 6.3.2
    PyQt6-sip: 13.4.0
    PyQt6-WebEngine-commercial: 6.3.1
    PyQt6-WebEngine-Qt6: 6.3.2
    python-dateutil: 2.8.2
    pytz: 2022.4
    pywin32: 303
    pyzmq: 24.0.1
    qtconsole: 5.3.1
    QtPy: 2.2.1
    RandomWords: 0.4.0
    requests: 2.28.1
    scipy: 1.9.0
    setuptools: 65.1.1
    sfftk-rw: 0.7.2
    six: 1.16.0
    snowballstemmer: 2.2.0
    sortedcontainers: 2.4.0
    Sphinx: 5.1.1
    sphinx-autodoc-typehints: 1.19.1
    sphinxcontrib-applehelp: 1.0.2
    sphinxcontrib-blockdiag: 3.0.0
    sphinxcontrib-devhelp: 1.0.2
    sphinxcontrib-htmlhelp: 2.0.0
    sphinxcontrib-jsmath: 1.0.1
    sphinxcontrib-qthelp: 1.0.3
    sphinxcontrib-serializinghtml: 1.1.5
    stack-data: 0.5.1
    tables: 3.7.0
    tifffile: 2022.7.31
    tinyarray: 1.2.4
    tomli: 2.0.1
    tornado: 6.2
    traitlets: 5.3.0
    urllib3: 1.26.12
    wcwidth: 0.2.5
    webcolors: 1.12
    wheel: 0.37.1
    wheel-filename: 1.4.1
    WMI: 1.5.1
    zipp: 3.8.1

[Tom Goddard]

Fixed in ChimeraX 1.5 and daily builds.

Made it start on Desktop. I always started by double clicking the desktop ChimeraX icon so never noticed this problem that when launched from the Windows Start Menu it starts in an obscure directory.