[Bug]: Emtpy Templates folder is created even with 'templatedirectory' => ''

[deiansp]

⚠️ This issue respects the following points: ⚠️

• This is a bug, not a question or a configuration/webserver/proxy issue.
• This issue is not already reported on Github OR Nextcloud Community Forum (I've searched it).
• Nextcloud Server is up to date. See Maintenance and Release Schedule for supported versions.
• I agree to follow Nextcloud's Code of Conduct.

Bug description

Hi,

I'm using a custom skeleton folder. In my config file, I have:

'skeletondirectory' => '/home/nextcloud/skeleton',
'templatedirectory' => '',

When new users are created, they receive by default the files from the above skeleton folder.
But in addition, they receive also an empty folder called "Templates".

This "Templates" folder is not in my skeleton folder and the users should not have it by default.
I've tried all these options (with the same result):

'templatedirectory' => '',
'templatedirectory' => ' ',
'templatedirectory' => NULL,
'templatedirectory' => false,
// 'templatedirectory' => '',

Steps to reproduce

1. Add in the config file 'templatedirectory' => '',
2. Create a new user
3. Login as this user and you'll see an empty "Templates" folder

Expected behavior

The user should not see an empty "Templates" folder if 'templatedirectory' => '', is set in the config file.

Installation method

Community Web installer on a VPS or web space

Nextcloud Server version

27

Operating system

RHEL/CentOS

PHP engine version

PHP 8.2

Web server

Apache (supported)

Database engine version

MySQL

Is this bug present after an update or on a fresh install?

Fresh Nextcloud Server install

Are you using the Nextcloud Server Encryption module?

Encryption is Enabled

What user-backends are you using?

• Default user-backend (database)
• LDAP/ Active Directory
• SSO - SAML
• Other

Configuration report

No response

List of activated Apps

No response

Nextcloud Signing status

No response

Nextcloud Logs

No response

Additional info

No response

[deiansp]

The previous discussion was here: #27890
The problem still exists in 27.

[mcmara]

Confirming this bug. Note that if the configuration file contains only this line:

'skeletondirectory' => '',

then the "Templates" folder is not being created.
Instead, if skeletondirectory is set to something such as:

'skeletondirectory' => '/www/data/iros-2023/skeleton',

then the empty "Templates" folder appears. Third case:

'skeletondirectory' => '/www/data/iros-2023/skeleton',
'templatedirectory' => '',

also the empty "Templates" folder is being created.

[szaimen]

cc @nextcloud/server-backend @juliushaertl

[skjnldsv]

This is part of the documentation

If this is not set creating a template directory will only happen if no custom skeletondirectory is defined, otherwise the shipped templates will be used to create a template directory for the user.

server/config/config.sample.php

Lines 256 to 268 in 0d78334

	/**
	* The directory where the template files are located. These files will be
	* copied to the template directory of new users. Leave empty to not copy any
	* template files.
	* ``{lang}`` can be used as a placeholder for the language of the user.
	* If the directory does not exist, it falls back to non dialect (from ``de_DE``
	* to ``de``). If that does not exist either, it falls back to ``default``
	*
	* If this is not set creating a template directory will only happen if no custom
	* ``skeletondirectory`` is defined, otherwise the shipped templates will be used
	* to create a template directory for the user.
	*/
	'templatedirectory' => '/path/to/nextcloud/templates',

[deiansp]

I have created a feature request: #39266
Thank you!

[x-merlin-x]

I have created a feature request: #39266 Thank you!

Appreciated, however this looks more like a bug to me. Or is there any use to this folder? What if the skeleton folder contains a directory with the same name because somebody wants to ship file templates during account creation?
This behaviour is confusing.

[AndrinS]

The order of those two parameter seem to play a role.

'skeletondirectory' => '/www/data/iros-2023/skeleton',
'templatedirectory' => '',

Template folder is created.

'templatedirectory' => '',
'skeletondirectory' => '/www/data/iros-2023/skeleton',

Template folder is not created.

[come-nc]

It is highly unlikely that the order of the parameters in the array change anything.