ports/158179: some packages do not fully honor -P dir option in pkg_add(1)

[Chris Rees]

The following reply was made to PR ports/158179; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: Chris Rees <utisoft at gmail.com>
To: Stephen Montgomery-Smith <stephen at missouri.edu>
Cc: "current at freebsd.org" <current at freebsd.org>, 
	"freebsd at sopwith.solgatos.com" <freebsd at sopwith.solgatos.com>, 
	"bug-followup at freebsd.org" <bug-followup at freebsd.org>, Stefan Bethke <stb at lassitu.de>
Subject: Re: ports/158179: some packages do not fully honor -P dir option in pkg_add(1)
Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:53:49 +0100

 --001636920d3a9e7def04a831c5ac
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
 
 On 16 Jul 2011 16:38, "Stephen Montgomery-Smith" <stephen at missouri.edu>
 wrote:
 >
 > On 07/16/2011 04:26 AM, Stefan Bethke wrote:
 >>
 >> Am 16.07.2011 um 04:43 schrieb Stephen Montgomery-Smith:
 >>
 >>> I was looking through the source code of pkg_add.  Personally I don't
 see how the "-P" or "-p" option could be made to work with pkg_add. Many of
 the installation commands involve scripts which have ${PREFIX} hard coded
 into them.  ${PREFIX} is often hard coded when trhe package is created by
 the port.  In my opinion, the options "-p" and "-P" should be removed from
 pkg_add.
 >>>
 >>> Either that, or provide the port a way to access "@cwd" in any scripts
 it installs.  But this would require a major overhaul of the whole ports
 system, and probably much of the software it installs as well.
 >>>
 >>> Am I missing something?
 >>
 >>
 >> Yes.  Not honoring the prefix is a bug in the port.  If you do need to do
 prefix-specific things during install, use pkg-install, see
 http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/books/porters-handbook/pkg-install.html
 >>
 >> I suspect that many ports are not well tested outside of "/usr/local",
 but the infrastructure is there and available.
 >
 >
 > You are correct, this needs to be done on a port by port basis.  In some
 ports this is going to be a big job, because in some cases the "/usr/local"
 is hard coded into certain binaries.
 >
 > For example, suppose the C source code contains something like:
 > char applications_dir = "/usr/local/share/applications";
 > and this is filled in by the ./configure script.
 >
 > How is that handled?
 >
 
 It's not.
 
 Remember what a package is, literally the files from the plist tarred with
 some magic +FILEs and the pkg-*install files- if paths are hardcoded in
 objects that's how it'll be installed.
 
 Don't touch the -p option! It's only useful for.... um.... someone help
 here?
 
 Chris
 
 --001636920d3a9e7def04a831c5ac
 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1
 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
 <p><br>
 On 16 Jul 2011 16:38, "Stephen Montgomery-Smith" <<a href=3D"m=
 ailto:stephen at missouri.edu">stephen at missouri.edu</a>> wrote:<br>
 ><br>
 > On 07/16/2011 04:26 AM, Stefan Bethke wrote:<br>
 >><br>
 >> Am 16.07.2011 um 04:43 schrieb Stephen Montgomery-Smith:<br>
 >><br>
 >>> I was looking through the source code of pkg_add. =A0Personall=
 y I don't see how the "-P" or "-p" option could be =
 made to work with pkg_add. Many of the installation commands involve script=
 s which have ${PREFIX} hard coded into them. =A0${PREFIX} is often hard cod=
 ed when trhe package is created by the port. =A0In my opinion, the options =
 "-p" and "-P" should be removed from pkg_add.<br>
 
 >>><br>
 >>> Either that, or provide the port a way to access "@cwd&qu=
 ot; in any scripts it installs. =A0But this would require a major overhaul =
 of the whole ports system, and probably much of the software it installs as=
  well.<br>
 
 >>><br>
 >>> Am I missing something?<br>
 >><br>
 >><br>
 >> Yes. =A0Not honoring the prefix is a bug in the port. =A0If you do=
  need to do prefix-specific things during install, use pkg-install, see <a =
 href=3D"http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/books/porters-handbook/pkg-install.ht=
 ml">http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/books/porters-handbook/pkg-install.html</=
 a><br>
 
 >><br>
 >> I suspect that many ports are not well tested outside of "/us=
 r/local", but the infrastructure is there and available.<br>
 ><br>
 ><br>
 > You are correct, this needs to be done on a port by port basis. =A0In =
 some ports this is going to be a big job, because in some cases the "/=
 usr/local" is hard coded into certain binaries.<br>
 ><br>
 > For example, suppose the C source code contains something like:<br>
 > char applications_dir =3D "/usr/local/share/applications";<b=
 r>
 > and this is filled in by the ./configure script.<br>
 ><br>
 > How is that handled?<br>
 ></p>
 <p>It's not.</p>
 <p>Remember what a package is, literally the files from the plist tarred wi=
 th some magic +FILEs and the pkg-*install files- if paths are hardcoded in =
 objects that's how it'll be installed.</p>
 <p>Don't touch the -p option! It's only useful for.... um.... someo=
 ne help here?</p>
 <p>Chris<br>
 </p>
 
 --001636920d3a9e7def04a831c5ac--