The approach I started this post with isn't the right one. I'm mainly posting this in case another user else wants to try something similar.
Summary: It's not necessary to modify Qtractor or the plugins; it's feasible with the appImage.
It's better to use the appImage, which creates an isolated environment and manages libraries and things like iBus without you having to worry about them.
The best approach is a hybrid one. Project dependencies (plugins, libraries, etc.) are in user-accessible folders inside the portable distribution folder.
But the executable will be the appImage.
Managing XDG_CONFIG_HOME from the launcher (a pre-launcher for managing the distribution, not the internal AppRun of the AppImage) ensures that all configurations (qtractor and plugins) are in the distribution folder. Therefore, the plugins can also be official builds without needing modification. This avoids conflicts with other possible installations of Qtractor or the plugins.
This launcher also updates the paths in plugin and other configuration settings when the distribution folder is moved.
The approach I started this post with isn't the right one. I'm mainly posting this in case another user else wants to try something similar.
Summary: It's not necessary to modify Qtractor or the plugins; it's feasible with the appImage.
It's better to use the appImage, which creates an isolated environment and manages libraries and things like iBus without you having to worry about them.
The best approach is a hybrid one. Project dependencies (plugins, libraries, etc.) are in user-accessible folders inside the portable distribution folder.
But the executable will be the appImage.
Managing XDG_CONFIG_HOME from the launcher (a pre-launcher for managing the distribution, not the internal AppRun of the AppImage) ensures that all configurations (qtractor and plugins) are in the distribution folder. Therefore, the plugins can also be official builds without needing modification. This avoids conflicts with other possible installations of Qtractor or the plugins.
This launcher also updates the paths in plugin and other configuration settings when the distribution folder is moved.
It's technically feasible; my tests confirm this.
Greetings :)