Rainer Müller wrote:
I am thinking about a new port config target, which could make setting up MacPorts much easier. Currently, the appropriate variables for PATH, MANPATH and DISPLAY are determined in the postflight script. If we would move that into a port config target (or port setup, the name is open for discussion), the manual setup process would become easier.
You probably want those to read /opt/local/bin/port then, if the purpose of the command would be to make it find port(1) in the first place ? :-) Q: Does DISPLAY have to be fixed by MacPorts, just because Apple missed it ? (I'm already setting stuff like $JAVA_HOME, $DISPLAY and $EDITOR outside...) But I'm in the minority that don't want my $PATH automatically set up for me either, unless/until I explicitly enable the use of MacPorts by adding it.
The main purpose would be that we are moving this away from the dmg installer and into base itself. So even if the installer postflight script fails in future again, there would be an easy option to setup MacPorts. Additionally this could also be useful for users installing from source.
Or there could be a simple script that you could source from your profile, maybe it could be called something like "init.sh" or "init.csh" ? (hint, hint*) Then the profile hacking could be limited to 1 line sourcing this script ? If the postflight fails, then it would also be easier to add it manually... It also makes it easier to only "enable" MacPorts when you actually want to. Like if you want to be able to run _both_ MacPorts and Fink, and others too.
As the postflight script is broken in the 1.6.0 dmg, we have seen a lot of people on IRC and the users mailing list looking for help how to get MacPorts running. Telling them "set up your PATH manually" sounds too complicated for some users and they might quit using MacPorts at all.
The guide probably needs to have an optional section describing how to set up your shell profile and how to sync ports, in case the automatic procedure fails ? Theoretically you might want to get your ports tree in some other fashion too, like running off the archive or updating through subversion or using a portpkg... So breaking the installation down into those three distinctive steps might help with the understanding ? (1. install base, 2. setup profile, 3. port selfupdate) --anders * yes, just like http://www.finkproject.org/doc/users-guide/ install.php#setup