Ports recommending other ports

[Thomas de Grivel]

2009/2/6 Ryan Schmidt <ryandesign at macports.org>:
> It might be nice if a port could recommend the user install another port in
> addition, via some new keyword. For example, graphviz could recommend the
> user install graphviz-gui as well. postgresql83 could recommend the user
> install postgresql83-server. port could output these recommendations at the
> end of the installation. ("You may wish to install graphviz-gui as well.")
> The advantage over just printing a message at post-install time would be
> that port or a MacPorts GUI could offer the user the choice to install those
> recommended ports too ("Would you like to install graphviz-gui now?") and
> could know to omit the suggestion if the suggested port is already
> installed.
>
> There could be another new keyword for recommended alternatives to a given
> port. For example, on Leopard and later, graphviz-gui is a better choice
> than graphviz-oldgui (which is required on Tiger and earlier). ("You may
> wish to install graphviz-gui instead of graphviz-oldgui.")
>
> Hypothetical addition to port graphviz:
>
> if {${os.platform} == "darwin"} {
>    if {${os.major} >= 9} {
>        suggest_supplements-append port:graphviz-gui
>    } else {
>        suggest_supplements-append port:graphviz-oldgui
>    }
> }
>
> Hypothetical additions to port graphviz-oldgui:
>
> if {${os.major} >= 9} {
>    suggest_alternatives-append port:graphviz-gui
> }
>
> (I used "suggest" instead of "recommend" in the keyword names because people
> have more trouble spelling "recommend".)

just thinking out loud :
maybe we could suggest variants as well ?
and propose building (or even rebuilding) ports with more sensible
variants according to installed ones ?

-- 
 Thomas de Grivel
 http://b.lowh.net/billitch/