ports structure and improvement suggestions

[martinko]

Scot Hetzel wrote:
> On 5/9/06, Brian Reichert <reichert at numachi.com> wrote:
>> On Tue, May 09, 2006 at 07:33:11AM -0300, Renato Botelho wrote:
>> > On 5/8/06, Sideris Michael <msid at daemons.gr> wrote:
>> > >Says who? I know it is not the right way to keep my KNOBS saved, but
>> > >nobody prevents me from
>> > >defining a knob somewhere in a Makefile. Plus, I used it just to
>> provide
>> > >an example of a way
>> > >to do port customization.
>> >
>> > You can use /etc/make.conf to do it:
>>
>> Isn't this what pkgtools.conf is for?
>>
>> > # Vpopmail
>> > .if ${.CURDIR:N*mail/vpopmail}==""
>> > RELAYCLEAR=40
>> > WITH_SUID_VCHKPW=yes
>> > .endif
>>
>>   MAKE_ARGS = {
>>        ...
>>         'mail/vpopmail' => 'RELAYCLEAR=40 WITH_SUID_VCHKPW=yes',
>>        ...
>>   }
>>
> The problem with pkgtools.conf (and all the other port management
> tools) is that it only works for the port that you are currently
> building.  If that port has dependancies, the settings in
> pkgtools.conf for the dependancies are not applied to the dependent
> port.  Instead you need to build the dependent ports first.
> 
> Where as putting the variable into make.conf, will allow the dependent
> port to always build with that setting.
> 
> Scot
> -- 

why is it so ??
i discovered this some time ago but have always been wondering why does
it work this "unlogical" way..

m.