depends_run and activation

[Ryan Schmidt]

On Mar 15, 2021, at 08:45, René J.V. Bertin wrote:
> 
> Hmmm, then I don't understand why yesterday this didn't work for me. Trying now with (an older version of) paracode as in your example gives a similar result. In my case however:
> 
> {{{
>> sudo port activate paracode
> --->  Computing dependencies for paracode
> The following dependencies will be installed:  python38
> Continue? [Y/n]: y
> Error: Requested variants "+readline" do not match those the build was started with: "+optimizations+readline".
> Error: Please use the same variants again, or run 'port clean python38' first to remove the existing partially completed build.
> Error: See /opt/local/var/lnxports/logs/_opt_local_linux-ports_lang_python38/python38/main.log for details.
> Warning: Failed to execute portfile from registry for paracode @2.7_0
> }}}
> 
> I'm guessing an attempt would have been made to install python38+readline if I had not left the workdir around.

Sounds like it.


> Is it possible that no attempt is made to activate the port if it is already installed? I think you could argue that `port activate` should only do an actual install if the dependency is not installed at all. Otherwise you could end up installing a too-new version.

There is no such thing as a "too-new version". There is only one version of a port available in the ports tree -- the current version.

If you install a port, MacPorts will first install or upgrade any of that port's dependencies. The only exception is if you have the current version installed but have then deliberately re-activated a previous version. In that case, MacPorts assumes you have done that for a reason and are prepared to accept the consequences and does not re-activate the current version.

I assume that MacPorts handles re-activation of a port the same way that it handles installation of a port with regard to upgrading dependencies.


> PS: the port I tried this with yesterday is one of my own, a subport to which I added a runtime dependency on the main port and then reinstalled with `upgrade --force`. Maybe that somehow explains why it seems to ignore that new runtime dep?

Have you run portindex in the root of that ports tree, such that the newly-added dependency is in the index? If not, that might explain it.