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NPE with preferences xml in root directory #14490

@wujastyk

Description

@wujastyk

JabRef version

Latest development branch build (please note build date below)

Operating system

Other (please describe below)

Details on version and operating system

Linux Mint 22.2 Zara base: Ubuntu 24.04 noble

Checked with the latest development build (copy version output from About dialog)

  • I made a backup of my libraries before testing the latest development version.
  • I have tested the latest development version and the problem persists

Steps to reproduce the behaviour

  1. installed 6.0.31249 on Linux Mint Cinnamon
  2. Binary won't load

Appendix

Terminal messages

$ /opt/jabref/bin/JabRef 
WARNING: Using incubator modules: jdk.incubator.vector
2025-12-01 12:16:39 [main] org.jabref.Launcher.main()
ERROR: Could not launch JabRef: java.lang.NullPointerException: Cannot invoke "java.util.prefs.Preferences.get(String, String)" because "this.prefs" is null
	at org.jabref.jablib/org.jabref.logic.preferences.JabRefCliPreferences.get(JabRefCliPreferences.java:940)
	at org.jabref.jablib/org.jabref.logic.preferences.JabRefCliPreferences.getLanguage(JabRefCliPreferences.java:1685)
	at org.jabref/org.jabref.gui.preferences.JabRefGuiPreferences.getWorkspacePreferencesFromBackingStore(JabRefGuiPreferences.java:673)
	at org.jabref/org.jabref.gui.preferences.JabRefGuiPreferences.getWorkspacePreferences(JabRefGuiPreferences.java:640)
	at org.jabref/org.jabref.gui.preferences.JabRefGuiPreferences.importPreferences(JabRefGuiPreferences.java:420)
	at org.jabref.jablib/org.jabref.logic.preferences.JabRefCliPreferences.<init>(JabRefCliPreferences.java:504)
	at org.jabref/org.jabref.gui.preferences.JabRefGuiPreferences.<init>(JabRefGuiPreferences.java:247)
	at org.jabref/org.jabref.gui.preferences.JabRefGuiPreferences.getInstance(JabRefGuiPreferences.java:386)
	at org.jabref/org.jabref.Launcher.main(Launcher.java:58)
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NullPointerException: Cannot invoke "java.util.prefs.Preferences.get(String, String)" because "this.prefs" is null
	at org.jabref.jablib/org.jabref.logic.preferences.JabRefCliPreferences.get(JabRefCliPreferences.java:940)
	at org.jabref.jablib/org.jabref.logic.preferences.JabRefCliPreferences.getLanguage(JabRefCliPreferences.java:1685)
	at org.jabref/org.jabref.gui.preferences.JabRefGuiPreferences.getWorkspacePreferencesFromBackingStore(JabRefGuiPreferences.java:673)
	at org.jabref/org.jabref.gui.preferences.JabRefGuiPreferences.getWorkspacePreferences(JabRefGuiPreferences.java:640)
	at org.jabref/org.jabref.gui.preferences.JabRefGuiPreferences.importPreferences(JabRefGuiPreferences.java:420)
	at org.jabref.jablib/org.jabref.logic.preferences.JabRefCliPreferences.<init>(JabRefCliPreferences.java:504)
	at org.jabref/org.jabref.gui.preferences.JabRefGuiPreferences.<init>(JabRefGuiPreferences.java:247)
	at org.jabref/org.jabref.gui.preferences.JabRefGuiPreferences.getInstance(JabRefGuiPreferences.java:386)
	at org.jabref/org.jabref.Launcher.main(Launcher.java:58)


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