Minor feature request - mambaforge shortcut names on Windows

[abudden]

Solution to issue cannot be found in the documentation.

• [X] I checked the documentation.

Issue

I've recently installed mambaforge in parallel with miniforge (while trying, so far in vain, to get mamba working).

After installing mambaforge "Just for me", it took me ages to try to figure out how to start the mambaforge prompt as it's installed on the start menu as "Miniforge prompt". Given that I had a separate ("All Users") install of miniforge so that I could keep pythoning with conda while sorting out the issues with mamba, I assumed this shortcut was for miniforge, not mambaforge.

Any chance the installer could install the shortcut as "Mambaforge prompt" if you've installed mambaforge?

Installed packages

N/A

Environment info

N/A

[jakirkham]

cc @wolfv (in case you have thoughts 🙂)

[hmaarrfk]

i installed Mambaforge on my windows partition a while back and the icon says mambaforge for me.

[corriander]

It's miniforge for me

[hmaarrfk]

i was indeed able to recreate.

What is strange is that the name Miniforge is appearing at all.

We use https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge_console_shortcut-feedstock/blob/main/recipe/console_shortcut.json#L2

so my guess is that something is not setting DISTRIBUTION_NAME

[jaimergp]

What's the default installation path? DISTRIBUTION_NAME is set from that directory name.

[hmaarrfk]

I just clicked through "next next next" and it gave me the path:

C:\Windows\Users\USER_NAME\mambaforge

[hmaarrfk]

Using my linux box to navigate through the NTFS partition:

[jaimergp]

Interesting. I'll create an issue on conda/constructor, thanks.

[jaimergp]

Ok, some info (and also for my own note keeping):

• The menuinst JSON comes from this file. This is packaged in the miniforge_console_shortcut package, which places the JSON under $PREFIX/Menu.
• constructor runs conda.exe constructor --prefix $INSTDIR --make-menus in this line, which processes the JSON file to create the shortcut(s).
• conda.exe can be either:
  • conda-standalone: The code path ends up using this function, which alls menuinst.install, which instantiates a Menu class. DISTRIBUTION_NAME is defined in this line, after root_prefix, which is set to the same value as prefix.
  • micromamba also offers the constructor --mk-menus subcommand.
  • The menuinst-equivalent code is in this file.
  • The "distribution name" is set in this line, after ctx.root_prefix. The value of this attribute has a complicated setup logic when not provided via a CLI flag.

After all that, I am not certain where Miniconda is leaking from (maybe the CI setup?), but I guess that setting --root-prefix explicitly in constructor would help bring some clarity. Unfortunately, conda-standalone constructor doesn't have that flag, but we can set MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX instead?

[hmaarrfk]

I am not certain where Miniconda is leaking from (maybe the CI setup?)

I recreated on a clean user on Windows11

Do you think the leak is happening at install time or packaging time?

[jaimergp]

My only clue for now is a packaging time leak.

[jaimergp]

Can you check whether setting MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX to something of your choice (e.g. ~/random/my-distribution-name) at installation time affects the shortcut name?

[PhilipYip1988]

I get this with the Mambaforge 23.1.0-4 installer on Windows 11... After installation in the Start Menu Miniforge Prompt displays.

After launching "Miniforge Prompt" and running mamba update --all it becomes the Mambaforge Prompt...

This is kind of confusing as you think you have maybe made a mistake and used the wrong installer.

Also I can't find any MambaForge PowerShell Prompt (equivalent to the Miniconda PowerShell Prompt) as CMD is a bit outdated on Windows...

The updated version mainly works but has a problem with the mamba env command which has 'Namespace' object has no attribute 'func' reported in 475.