emulating post install scripts in MacPorts?

[Ryan Schmidt]

On Sep 16, 2009, at 08:52, Jack Howarth wrote:

>    Am I correct to assume that, unlike fink, MacPorts doesn't
> have the ability to execute post-installation scripts from
> a binary archive? I ask because the authors of the apbs software
> have asked that the following notice be given on installing
> the software...
>
> echo "+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
> ++++++++++"
> echo "Please issue \"open http://agave.wustl.edu/apbs/download/\","
> echo "to register your use of this software to help the author"
> echo "maintain funding for apbs.  apbs is released under the GPL and  
> this is"
> echo "not required, but would be very helpful."
> echo "+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
> ++++++++++"
>
> The only approach I currently see in MacPorts is to use a post- 
> destroot
> phase to print that, however this won't address binary archives. The  
> only
> approach for those I see is to have a empty text file installed by  
> apbs
> which a startup script would check for content. If empty, it would  
> be filled
> with some text and the license message printed. I'd rather not have to
> resort to that though. Thanks in advance for any hints on this issue.

Most ports that need to print such messages do so in the post-activate  
phase. I believe you are correct that this will not be shown when  
installing from binary archives, but since we have no means to  
centrally build and distribute such archives at this time, and  
everybody builds from source, this is not a problem.