xinstall vs. file copy & file mkdir

[markd at macports.org]

>What's the difference between "xinstall" and "file copy" and "copy"?
>Here's what I've found:
>
>- xinstall has the -W option so you can say "xinstall -W src a b c d
>dst" to copy a whole bunch of named files from src to dst. It doesn't
>look like file copy can do that.
>- file copy can copy directories. It doesn't look like xinstall can
>do that.
>- file copy preserves modification dates. xinstall does not.
>- copy is the same as file copy.
>
>What's the difference between "xinstall -d" and "file mkdir"? I don't
>know. And if there's a reason to use "file mkdir", should there be an
>alias "mkdir" for it?
>
>The guide should explain these differences, and when one should
>prefer one option over the other.

Ryan,

I agree fully, and this is on my TODO list but it is going to be
challenging to document.  Because there are a number of these types of
issues revolving around Tcl code (and shell) use, such as when should I
use "file copy / "eval xinstall glob" / "system cp -R ..", which are
recursive, etc.  This is a hurdle that new port authors must face, and few
simple answers even if you ask the list because I think most of us know
how to work around the issues more than we understand them.  I'll make an
attempt to provide guidelines about what to use and why as soon as I can,
and at least it will be a starting place.  But it will probably be after
we get a few more urgent issues taken care of in the guide.  But I am
fully aware of these longstanding glaring deficiencies, and I consider
some basic user guidance like that critical to the new guide so users can
have a basic understanding of where to start before needing to ask the
list.

Mark