File::getSpecialLocation() may Segfault if called statically

this segfault occurs when calling File::getSpecialLocation() statically if the corresponding path in ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs ends with a slash char which may be the case when user deletes a dir such as ~/Videos or if the file is edited manually

the underlying issue seems to be that the File::separatorString raw data pointer is null when referenced statically such as getting getSpecialLocation()

the segfault occurs when CharPointer_UTF8->getAndAdvance() dereferences the data pointer when a path ending in a slash char (e.g. /home/me/) is compared to File::separatorString in File::parseAbsolutePath() which does not happen if the path does not end in a slash

juce_File.cpp line 164 -->

     while (path.endsWithChar (separator) && path != separatorString)

i have created a test case app that exposes this by injecting a pathological string into juce_linux_Files.cpp::resolveXDGFolder() - it also patches the defect in two different places for demonstration both in File::parseAbsolutePath() and CharPointer_UTF8->getAndAdvance()

test case -->


terse diff -->

This is a classic C++ static order-of-construction problem.

It’s always a fatal error to use a static value (like File:: userMoviesDirectory) inside another static constructed expression, because it’s entirely random what order they’ll happen in.

ok thats a good enough answer - ty