App Store bug? - FineTunedMac

I just installed the latest Safari/iTunes/Security Update for 10.12.6, and after installation, App Store > Updates neither tells me that there's anything to be installed nor that the update I just installed has been installed.

Anybody else?

Bug report filed.

I had seen the same thing awhile ago (I don't remember exactly when). Eventually, for reasons unknown, it fixed itself.

Artie, I canâ€™t replicate that. Here: Safari/iTunes updates installed first. They show as being installed. Some hours later, Security Update 2018-001 installed. After that, they all three show as being installed at the top of the â€œin the last 30 daysâ€ list.
Seems like a housekeeping issue (reading back the logs) in your situation.

I won't even try to guess, Urquhart, because our experiences were different; all three updates installed in one shot in my instance, so maybe the problem lies with that.

Also, whereas it sounds like you allow auto-d/l's, I do them manually, so that, too, might be causal.

There was a bug in a previous version of 10.12.x App Store where the most recent updates would not show up under "Last 30 Days". I experienced it at the time, but since a few updates ago, the problem seems to have disappeared for me.

Try restarting, open the App Store and see if the list corrects itself.

Thanks, Ira.

I have and it hasn't.

Originally Posted By: artie505

....App Store > Updates neither tells me that there's anything to be installed nor that the update I just installed has been installed.

Anybody else?

Coincidentally I did the install about a half hour ago. I just went to the App Store and it shows three installs for today, in this order:

iTunes 12.7.3
Safari 11.0.3
Security 10.12.6

Originally Posted By: artie505

IAnybody else?

It doesnâ€™t look like the scenario Iâ€™m about to suggest applies to your situation, but just to exclude it: are you certain that the user account you installed the updates from is the same as the one you used to check the update status? If not, that could explain your observations.

Thanks for the thought, but no, everything was done from the only user account I use. (Since any receipt file the App Store might access lives in /Library, /System, or even deeper in macOS, would the account even make a difference?)

The receipt file is in your user folder ~/Library/Application Support/App Store/updatejournal.plist so your account would make a difference.

/Library/Receipts/InstallHistory.plist, which is Software Update's apparent data source, seems to list all my updates from all sources, all three of yesterday's updates, Safari, iTunes, and Security, included.

~/Library/Application Support/App Store/updatejournal.plist, of which I wasn't aware, lists only the Safari update from January 9th, so it looks like we're both kinda sorta correct, but in different senses.

"My" file contains the receipts that tell the App Store that I'm up to date, whereas "yours", which isn't a receipt file other than by a stretch, is what tells it what I've d/l'ed in the past 30 days.

The bug, or, as the case may be, one time failure, then, is apparently the App Store's failure to have written to "your" file, and it's my bad for ASSuming that the bottom of my App Store Updates page relies on the same source data as the top of the page.

Thanks for the clarification; alternaut was, indeed, correct.

More: What I find odd is that "your" file is user-centric despite the fact that it contains system-centric data.

On my system the file in the user ~/Library is 25.000+ lines of XML with detailed release information and comments on lot of App Store apps. Like this:

Code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
	<key>autoInstalledUpdates</key>
	<array>
		<dict>
			<key>__isSoftwareUpdate</key>
			<true/>
			<key>installDate</key>
			<date>2017-05-31T23:09:57Z</date>
			<key>productKey</key>
			<string>091-15298</string>
			<key>release-notes</key>
			<string>This update to Safari Technology Preview includes the latest WebKit enhancements. For more detailed information, please visit: https://developer.apple.com/safari/technology-preview/release-notes.

Use of this Apple Software is subject to the Software License Agreement for Apple Confidential Safari Pre-Release Seed Software.
</string>
			<key>title</key>
			<string>Safari Technology Preview</string>
			<key>version</key>
			<string>31</string>
		</dict>
		<dict>
			<key>__autoUpdateAbortCode</key>
			<integer>501</integer>
			<key>__firstAutoInstalAttempt</key>
			<date>2017-06-02T10:23:05Z</date>
			<key>artist-name</key>
			<string>William Modesitt</string>
			<key>artwork-urls</key>
			<array>
				<dict>
					<key>box-height</key>
					<integer>58</integer>
					<key>box-width</key>
					<integer>58</integer>
					<key>url</key>
					<string>http://is1.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Purple127/v4/da/d9/d3/dad9d305-2075-73b6-8137-86f47f89f657/source/58x58bb.png</string>
				</dict>
				<dict>
					<key>box-height</key>
					<integer>75</integer>
					<key>box-width</key>
					<integer>75</integer>
					<key>url</key>
					
â€¦.snipâ€¦

<key>url</key>
					<string>http://is1.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Purple127/v4/da/d9/d3/dad9d305-2075-73b6-8137-86f47f89f657/source/150x150bb.png</string>
				</dict>
			</array>
			<key>bundle-id</key>
			<string>com.modesittsoftware.Ultimate-Campgrounds</string>
			<key>current-version</key>
			<string>2.5.3</string>
			<key>description</key>
			<string>The Ultimate US Public Campground Project app shows publicly-owned, non-commercial campgrounds across the entire United States, including Hawaii and Alaska. In this app you will find campgrounds ranging from full-service locations at state parks and Corps of Engineers parks to remote boondocking and back-packing locations with no facilities or services. It is based on data from the web-based Ultimate US Public Campground Project www.ultimatecampgrounds.com. Included are US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish &amp; Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Corps of Engineers, Pacific Crest Trail, state parks and other state facilities, county and regional parks, municipal parks, utility company facilities, Indian reservations, military, Tennessee Valley Authority, non-profit (museums and conservation groups) and a handful of miscellaneous locations.  NOTE THAT THIS APP DOES *NOT* INCLUDE PRIVATE/COMMERCIAL CAMPGROUNDS, ONLY PUBLIC.

Current statistics:
Over 27,000 total campsites.
Over 4,000 of the campsites are FREE!
Over 6,000 of the campsites are $10 or under!

This app is intended for everyone regardless of their camping interests - it can be filtered by the facility owner, such as Forest Service or county. Users can also filter on camping preference, such as Tent, RV or Back-Country, or even if it has showers or not. Mark locations as your "favorite." Get driving directions to the campground.  

An updated database for this app is available approximately every month so you have the most recent and up-to-date information available.  For more info click the Support button.

Clicking on a campground location on the map shows available information about each location such as total number of camp sites, number of RV sites, number of electric hookups, whether there are showers and/or an RV dump station, fees, nearest town, phone number, elevation, web site and more. Of course the app can only show what information that can be discovered for each location.

and so on for 25,000+ lines.

The only file in /Library/Application Support/App Store is named Adoption.plist and its contents are:

Code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
	<key>eligibilityRead</key>
	<dict>
		<key>errorMessage</key>
		<string>ex.name (com.apple.jingle.foundation.exceptions.MZCodedException) -- ex.message (MZException code = MZFinance.AppAdoptionNotEligible, userInfo = null)</string>
		<key>errorMessageKey</key>
		<string>MZFinance.AppAdoptionNotEligible</string>
		<key>errorNumber</key>
		<integer>3552</integer>
		<key>status</key>
		<integer>-1</integer>
		<key>userPresentableErrorMessage</key>
		<string>Future updates of these apps can be found through Software Update.</string>
	</dict>
	<key>eligiblityReadDate</key>
	<date>2018-01-25T14:30:37Z</date>
</dict>
</plist>

It appears the two different App Store folders have very different purposes, but at least om my system any information about the installed apps is in the users folder ðŸ¤·â€â™‚ï¸

In Sierra, I've got:

1. /Users/artie/Library/Application Support/AppStore, which is empty.

2. /Users/artie/Library/Application Support/App Store/updatejournal.plist, which is apparently my "Last 30 Days" list.

Code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
	<key>autoInstalledUpdates</key>
	<array>
		<dict>
			<key>__isSoftwareUpdate</key>
			<true/>
			<key>installDate</key>
			<date>2018-01-09T18:35:29Z</date>
			<key>productKey</key>
			<string>091-57952</string>
			<key>release-notes</key>
			<string>The Safari 11.0.2 update is recommended for all macOS Sierra users and contains bug fixes and security improvements. 
â€¨
For detailed information on the security content of this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222.
</string>
			<key>title</key>
			<string>Safari</string>
			<key>version</key>
			<string>11.0.2</string>
		</dict>
	</array>
</dict>
</plist>

3. /Library/Receipts/InstallHistory.plist, which has got 2,842 lines, lists all of my downloads, and ends with the three most recent macOS updates.

Code:

<dict>
		<key>date</key>
		<date>2018-01-24T08:26:15Z</date>
		<key>displayName</key>
		<string>Safari</string>
		<key>displayVersion</key>
		<string>11.0.3</string>
		<key>packageIdentifiers</key>
		<array>
			<string>com.apple.pkg.Safari11.0.3Sierra</string>
		</array>
		<key>processName</key>
		<string>softwareupdated</string>
	</dict>
	<dict>
		<key>contentType</key>
		<string>critical-update</string>
		<key>date</key>
		<date>2018-01-24T08:26:15Z</date>
		<key>displayName</key>
		<string>Security Update 2018-001</string>
		<key>displayVersion</key>
		<string>10.12.6</string>
		<key>packageIdentifiers</key>
		<array>
			<string>com.apple.pkg.update.os.SecUpd2018-001Sierra.16G1212</string>
			<string>com.apple.pkg.FirmwareUpdate</string>
			<string>com.apple.update.fullbundleupdate.16G1212</string>
			<string>com.apple.pkg.EmbeddedOSFirmware</string>
		</array>
		<key>processName</key>
		<string>softwareupdated</string>
	</dict>
	<dict>
		<key>date</key>
		<date>2018-01-24T08:26:15Z</date>
		<key>displayName</key>
		<string>iTunes</string>
		<key>displayVersion</key>
		<string>12.7.3</string>
		<key>packageIdentifiers</key>
		<array>
			<string>com.apple.pkg.iTunesX.12.7.3.delta</string>
			<string>com.apple.pkg.iTunesAccess</string>
			<string>com.apple.pkg.CoreFP</string>
			<string>com.apple.pkg.CoreADI</string>
			<string>com.apple.pkg.MobileDevice</string>
		</array>
		<key>processName</key>
		<string>softwareupdated</string>
	</dict>
</array>
</plist>

4. /Library/Application Support/App Store/adoption.plist.

Code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
	<key>com.apple.garageband10</key>
	<dict>
		<key>apple-id</key>
		<string>[email address]</string>
		<key>dsid</key>
		<integer>204629426</integer>
	</dict>
	<key>com.apple.iMovieApp</key>
	<dict>
		<key>apple-id</key>
		<string>[email address]t</string>
		<key>dsid</key>
		<integer>204629426</integer>
	</dict>
	<key>com.apple.iWork.Keynote</key>
	<dict>
		<key>apple-id</key>
		<string>[email address]</string>
		<key>dsid</key>
		<integer>204629426</integer>
	</dict>
	<key>com.apple.iWork.Numbers</key>
	<dict>
		<key>apple-id</key>
		<string>[email address]</string>
		<key>dsid</key>
		<integer>204629426</integer>
	</dict>
	<key>com.apple.iWork.Pages</key>
	<dict>
		<key>apple-id</key>
		<string>[email address]</string>
		<key>dsid</key>
		<integer>204629426</integer>
	</dict>
	<key>eligibilityRead</key>
	<dict>
		<key>errorMessage</key>
		<string>ex.name (com.apple.jingle.foundation.exceptions.MZCodedException) -- ex.message (MZException code = MZFinance.AppAdoptionNotEligible, userInfo = null)</string>
		<key>errorMessageKey</key>
		<string>MZFinance.AppAdoptionNotEligible</string>
		<key>errorNumber</key>
		<integer>3552</integer>
		<key>status</key>
		<integer>-1</integer>
		<key>userPresentableErrorMessage</key>
		<string>Future updates of these apps can be found through Software Update.</string>
	</dict>
	<key>eligiblityReadDate</key>
	<date>2018-01-26T10:47:35Z</date>
</dict>
</plist>

Originally Posted By: artie

What I find odd is that [/Users/artie/Library/Application Support/App Store/updatejournal.plist...your ~/Library file, too] is user-centric despite the fact that it contains system-centric data.

I logged in to my test (Admin) user account, and found that while the App Store tells me that I'm up to date, it doesn't tell me what's been installed in the past 30 days, because, as alternaut guessed, it's dependent on the account that did the installations.

It seems totally counter-intuitive to me that only one user of a particular computer can determine what system-wide updates have been installed recently; that knowledge should be available to ALL users, Admin or not.

Originally Posted By: artie505

It seems totally counter-intuitive to me that only one user of a particular computer can determine what system-wide updates have been installed recently; that knowledge should be available to ALL users, Admin or not.

Maybe not so counterintuitive. Different users may have different Apple IDs and App Store accounts. For example, when my grandson is home from college he uses his own account on his father's iMac. Both of them have their own Apple ID and App Store account and both of them install applications, music, etc. Each has their own Photos and Music Libraries, and each has their unique list of App Store purchased applications, but all the apps are installed in /Applications.

On the other hand, on my wife's Mac mini, she has her own Apple ID and App Store account, but I have logged onto her user account and used my App Store account to install apps and her App Store shows apps purchased on both her account and mine. However to update an app showing in App Store, she has to log onto the App Store account where the app was purchased.

BAS (Before App Store) many apps were installed in the user's ~/Applications file, but some years ago Apple deprecated the use of the ~/Applications folder in favor of putting all apps in /Applications. More recent installations no longer include a ~/Applications folder. I hadn't thought of this before you brought it up but it appears the segregation is being handled by the ~/Library/Application Support/App Store/updatejournal.plist. A reasonable work around.

I think you just made my point while arguing against it.

I agree with user specific data being stored in ~/Library/App Support; my problem is with system data being stored there.

From what I gather, Apple has now moved ALL update data into ~/Library/Application Support/App Store/updatejournal.plist of the user who installed the updates, so records of the installation of Deltas/Combos, updates to Apple apps, security updates, etc. may be scattered between several user accounts on a Mac with more than one user...with no apparent way to see a complete history in one location.

That, I still think is counterintuitive.

Originally Posted By: joemike

I hadn't thought of this before you brought it up but it appears the segregation is being handled by the ~/Library/Application Support/App Store/updatejournal.plist. A reasonable work around.

Reasonable only until it intrudes on the OS's territory.

Originally Posted By: joemike

BAS (Before App Store) many apps were installed in the user's ~/Applications file, but some years ago Apple deprecated the use of the ~/Applications folder in favor of putting all apps in /Applications. More recent installations no longer include a ~/Applications folder.

I got into OS X in Jaguar, and I can't say whether ~/Applications was present by default back then, but I can definitely say that waaay back at MFIF, i.e. many OS versions ago, V1 advised us that even though the folder wasn't present by default, it would show Apple's standard /Apps folder icon if you created it, and that still holds true in Sierra.

I just took another close look at the files on my system. Yesterday morning I installed MacOS 10.13.3 release version, updated one app and re-installed a previously removed app in the afternoon, and updated to MacOS 10.13.4 PublicBeta 1 in the late afternoon. A thorough search of updatejournal.plist using BBEdit found the two apps I had installed but no mention of either MacOS 10.13.3 or 10.13.4. In fact the the only MacOS release mentioned in updatejournal.plist was MacOS 10.12.6.

The closest entries to "System" apps were Xcode and Safari Technology Preview.

App Store Updates shows both the MacOS 13.3.3 and 13.3.4 updates and the updated app but not the re-installed app which is consistent with the Updates title. App Store Purchased shows both the updated and reinstalled apps, but none of the OS updates or upgrades, also consistent since the OS updates/upgrades are technically not purchased.

I have no idea where App Store is getting its information about the OS updates, but it is apparently NOT ~/Library/Application Support/App Store/updatejournal.plist at least on my system. I checked my wife's system and my server and the results in both cases confirm what I am seeing on my Mac. At this point I can only speculate App Store has another database hidden somewhere in the system or online or maybe it is checking the /System/Library/Receipts folder.

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

At this point I can only speculate App Store has another database hidden somewhere in the system or online or maybe it is checking the /System/Library/Receipts folder.

The longest stretch I'll make is to say that /System/Library/Receipts seems to be the only common thread between Sierra and High Sierra, but its functionality may differ between the two.

Or, concisely, "Got me beat!"

I finally found an App that actually reads and reports the contents of ~/Library/Application Support/App Store/updatejournal.plist Etrecheck under the heading of Software Installs in the Last 30 Days. (Etrecheck notes the list may be incomplete???) Etrecheck's list (and updatejournal.plist) has a lot more entries than what appears in App Store's "Updates installed in the last 30 days" and does not include any System software updates. Neither Etrecheck nor App Store provide any means of accessing the extensive text and "version notes" type data shown in updatejournal.plist.

I can't figure out a rhyme or reason for updatejournal.plist or its contents. Is it a hangover from previous App Store iterations, a precursor of future App Store contents, or what? I am sorry you brought the subject up 'cause it has my curiosity bump itching like crazy.

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

I finally found an App that actually reads and reports the contents of ~/Library/Application Support/App Store/updatejournal.plist Etrecheck under the heading of Software Installs in the Last 30 Days. (Etrecheck notes the list may be incomplete???) Etrecheck's list (and updatejournal.plist) has a lot more entries than what appears in App Store's "Updates installed in the last 30 days" and does not include any System software updates. Neither Etrecheck nor App Store provide any means of accessing the extensive text and "version notes" type data shown in updatejournal.plist.

I can't figure out a rhyme or reason for updatejournal.plist or its contents. Is it a hangover from previous App Store iterations, a precursor of future App Store contents, or what? I am sorry you brought the subject up 'cause it has my curiosity bump itching like crazy.

I thought you had more or less settled on the purpose of updatejournal.plist when you posted

Quote:

BAS (Before App Store) many apps were installed in the user's ~/Applications file, but some years ago Apple deprecated the use of the ~/Applications folder in favor of putting all apps in /Applications. More recent installations no longer include a ~/Applications folder. I hadn't thought of this before you brought it up but it appears the segregation is being handled by the ~/Library/Application Support/App Store/updatejournal.plist. A reasonable work around. (Emphasis added)

And your "conclusion" is supported by your report in post #47708.

If you supplement that with the ASSumption that the App Store is drawing its system-wide info from /System/Library/Receipts, you've made a good case for all bases having been covered, and for my preferred scenario of user info being stored in home folders and by user, and system info being stored in a universally accessible location, being a reality.

(My only guess about why updatejournal.plist includes so much info that's not posted in the App Store is that the info may be stored locally to save bandwidth...in which case it's awfully well-hidden.)

For app store weirdness, the most universal solution is "jiggle the handle". Log out of the app store. Restart the computer. Log back into the app store.

Thanks for the suggestion, but in this instance the problem is a .plist that didn't update as it should have. (And under any circumstances, accessing Updates doesn't require logging in.)