ARCA_BASE_DIR can depend on the current directory

[encukou]

When I set a relative ARCA_BASE_DIR and then call os.chdir(), Arca starts looking for its files in the new location.
IMO it should be fixed at initialization.

[mikicz]

I get what you mean... The problem is of course that the value is lazily resolved only when needed (if not set directly in initialization), which then makes it hard to resolve and fix in __init__.

Is this a big problem? Do you run at least one task before doing the os.chdir()? If so I could code in a callback of some to freeze the location, alternatively I could just add a method which would freeze the location...

[encukou]

The problem is of course that the value is lazily resolved only when needed (if not set directly in initialization), which then makes it hard to resolve and fix in __init__.

I actually don't understand why it's needed to be resolved lazily. What would be the downsides of resolving it in __init__?

[mikicz]

Because it can be determined by the settings dictionary and that could be in theory modified even after being passed to Arca. I can resolve it in __init__ and add a warning to documentation that in the case of this option this is the behaviour...

[encukou]

Because it can be determined by the settings dictionary and that could be in theory modified even after being passed to Arca.

It can be modified only until Arca (or something else) accesses that attribute. That sounds like ill-defined behavior: if some unrelated code (or some future Arca version) happens to resolve the value before it's modified, the settings dictionary won't have any effect.

Or is the time when the settings dictionary can still be changed well defined?