Request for help with port organisation: how to install several versions of data files

[Ryan Schmidt]

On Jul 2, 2013, at 03:49, Mojca Miklavec wrote:

>> name                geant4-data


>> if {$subport == $name || $subport == ""} {
>>    fetch {}
>>    checksum {}
>>    extract {}
>>    patch {}
>>    use_configure       no
>>    build {}
>>    destroot {
>> 
>>        xinstall -m 755 -d ${destroot}${prefix}/share/Geant4/Data/${name}
>>        system "echo $name is a stub port > ${destroot}${prefix}/share/Geant4/Data/${name}/README"
>>    }
>>    livecheck.type  none
> 
> May I ask for a quick explanation of when this is used (when is the
> code executed)?

Well, it's executed when the interpreter gets to that line of code in the Portfile.

If you're asking: when is $subport == $name, then the answer is: when the user runs "sudo port install geant4-data" (as opposed to a subport defined in a subport block, i.e. "sudo port install geant4-data-something-1.2.3").

If you're asking: when is $subport == "", then I think the answer is never, so I'm not sure why Bradley put that in the Portfile.


> Also, I'm not too comfortable in polluting the data files with
> READMEs. If README is really needed (is it?), it should better go to a
> different place.

All ports must install at least one file. By convention, stub ports that have no purpose other than depending on other ports, or ports that act as containers for other ports, as is the case here, install a README file. There are several examples of this in other ports. Doesn't matter where the README goes; if that particular directory is bad for geant, pick another.