database removed outside

backend/database.py

@@ -10,9 +10,7 @@ import os
 from werkzeug.security import generate_password_hash
 from datetime import datetime
 
-# Store application data in the shared database folder so all backend modules
-# use the same SQLite file regardless of their import path.
-DB_FILE = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", "database", "mxpic_data.db"))
+from storage_paths import DB_FILE
 
 def connect_db():
     """Open a SQLite connection with row-style access for application data queries."""

backend/server.py

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ from pdk_access import (
 )
 from router_dependency import RouterStackUnavailable
 from routed_layout_preview import create_routed_layout_svg
+from storage_paths import DATABASE_ROOT, EXPORT_ROOT
 from technology_manifest import TechnologyManifestError, read_technology_manifest
 
 # --- Path Configurations ---
@@ -38,11 +39,6 @@ REPO_ROOT = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(BASE_DIR, '..', '..'))
 # Component/category icons are served from backend/icons for the library panel.
 ICONS_DIR = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'icons') 
 
-# Saved project YAML, generated previews, and temporary exports live under the
-# database folder so each user can have isolated project storage.
-DATABASE_ROOT = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(BASE_DIR, '..', 'database'))
-EXPORT_ROOT = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(DATABASE_ROOT, '_exports'))
-
 
 # Flask serves the HTML/CSS/JS frontend and exposes JSON APIs for persistence,
 # PDK lookup, preview generation, and GDS export.
@@ -586,7 +582,7 @@ def user_logs():
 @app.route('/api/projects', methods=['GET'])
 @login_required_json
 def list_projects():
-    """List projects stored under database/<username>/layout."""
+    """List projects stored under the external runtime database root."""
     root = user_layout_root()
     os.makedirs(root, exist_ok=True)
 
@@ -676,7 +672,7 @@ def get_project(project_name):
 @app.route('/api/projects/<project_name>', methods=['DELETE'])
 @login_required_json
 def delete_project(project_name):
-    """Delete a user's project folder under database/<username>/layout."""
+    """Delete a user's project folder under the external runtime database root."""
     root = project_root(project_name)
     layout_root = os.path.abspath(user_layout_root())
     target = os.path.abspath(root)

backend/storage_paths.py

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Description: Runtime storage path resolution for SQLite data, saved layouts, and temporary exports.
+# Inside functions: resolve_database_root
+# Developer : Qin Yue @ 2026
+# Organization : OptiHK Limited
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+import os
+
+
+BACKEND_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
+REPO_ROOT = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(BACKEND_DIR, ".."))
+DEFAULT_DATABASE_ROOT = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(REPO_ROOT, "..", "mxpic_EDA_database"))
+
+
+def _is_inside_repo(path: str) -> bool:
+    """Return True when a candidate runtime data folder lives inside this repo."""
+    repo_root = os.path.normcase(REPO_ROOT)
+    candidate = os.path.normcase(os.path.abspath(path))
+    try:
+        return os.path.commonpath([repo_root, candidate]) == repo_root
+    except ValueError:
+        return False
+
+
+def resolve_database_root() -> str:
+    """Resolve and validate the external runtime database root."""
+    configured_root = os.environ.get("MXPIC_DATABASE_ROOT", "").strip()
+    database_root = os.path.abspath(configured_root or DEFAULT_DATABASE_ROOT)
+
+    if _is_inside_repo(database_root):
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            "Runtime database root must live outside the mxpic_EDA repository. "
+            f"Resolved path: {database_root}. Move the database beside the repo as "
+            "mxpic_EDA_database or set MXPIC_DATABASE_ROOT to an external path."
+        )
+
+    if not os.path.isdir(database_root):
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            "Runtime database root is missing. Move the existing database folder "
+            f"beside mxpic_EDA and rename it to mxpic_EDA_database, or set "
+            f"MXPIC_DATABASE_ROOT to the moved folder. Expected path: {database_root}"
+        )
+
+    return database_root
+
+
+DATABASE_ROOT = resolve_database_root()
+DB_FILE = os.path.join(DATABASE_ROOT, "mxpic_data.db")
+EXPORT_ROOT = os.path.join(DATABASE_ROOT, "_exports")