When setting up a Discourse development environment on Virtual Box, changing app.yml does not require a rebuild. JimmyX copied files from a Docker install, which led to issues. fefrei clarified that development installs don’t use container definitions. To set up SMTP in a development environment, JimmyX found an alternative solution: running bundle exe c sidekiq >& /dev/null & and mailcatcher --http-ip=0.0.0.0, then accessing http://localhost:4080 to view sent emails.
If using the Virtual Box (not docker) is there a need to “rebuild the app” after changing app.yml?
I actually copied some files over from the docker install because the file app.yml (taken from standalone.yml) was not there.
Perhaps I am screwing things up.
Wait – are you running a development install? These don’t use container definitions.
Are you trying to develop Discourse, or do you want to run it?
I want to develop.
I was confused trying to set up SMTP so I could create (and then email confirm) a new user. The docs talk about app.yml which comes from standalone.yml. These files are not in the developer install. So I grabbed them from the docker install and things went downhill from there.
What I needed instead was to run
bundle exec sidekiq >& /dev/null &
mailcatcher --http-ip=0.0.0.0
Then in a browser, go to http://localhost:4080. Sent emails will be received by mailcatcher and shown in its web ui. When you catch the email with confirmation link change localhost:3000 … to localhost:4000 … and paste that into the browser. It was as simple and intuitive as that 