Installing multiple ports quietly and efficiently

[Mel]

On Monday 06 October 2008 21:28:25 Kelly Jones wrote:
> Here's one way to install multiple FreeBSD ports "unattended" on a
> machine:
>
> cd /usr/port/foo/prog1; make install; cd/usr/ports/foo/prog2; make install
>
> and so on (perhaps even in a shell script). Two problems:
>
>  % It's ugly. I'd prefer "cd /usr/ports; make foo/prog1 foo/prog2 ..."
>
>  % "make install" often pops up windows asking me to choose
>  configuration options, and hangs until I do so.

As others said, BATCH turns off config target. But don't 
clutter /etc/make.conf with stuff like that, cause you will forget you put it 
there. make -DBATCH is short enough to type.
It is however useful to inspect pkg-install files and set variables in 
either /etc/make.conf or /etc/(profile|login.conf). For example 
POSTFIX_DEFAULT_MTA will replace /etc/mail/mailer.conf when -DBATCH is set. 
Over time you'll pick up quite a few of these that save you doing the same 
thing all over.

-- 
Mel

Problem with today's modular software: they start with the modules
    and never get to the software part.