"port upgrade" error message usability

[Mark Jamsek]

> On 30 Jan 2022, at 7:24 pm, Andrew Janke <floss at apjanke.net> wrote:
> 
> I tried doing this with `port selfupdate`; `port upgrade`, and got this error message:
> 
> [~] $ sudo port selfupdate
> --->  Updating MacPorts base sources using rsync
> MacPorts base version 2.7.1 installed,
> MacPorts base version 2.7.1 downloaded.
> --->  Updating the ports tree
> --->  MacPorts base is already the latest version
> 
> The ports tree has been updated. To upgrade your installed ports, you should run
>   port upgrade outdated
> [~] $ sudo port upgrade
> Can't map the URL 'file://.' to a port description file ("Could not find Portfile in /Users/janke").
> Please verify that the directory and portfile syntax are correct.
> To use the current port, you must be in a port's directory.
> [~] $
> 
> Maybe the error message here could be modified to include a "maybe you meant `port upgrade outdated`" message or something like that?

I’m unsure how the message could be clearer, tbh.

It could arguably be more terse, but MacPorts was already quite clear;
in fact, it printed just that[^] in the output you pasted:

    The ports tree has been updated. To upgrade your installed ports, you should run
    port upgrade outdated

In this instance, I don’t think usability is a problem. Rather, a reading
of the docs—specifically, the man page—might’ve helped as there could be
some differences between Homebrew and MacPorts; although I can’t say how
much as I’ve very little experience with the former. Nonetheless, the man
page is always a good place to start, and I've found that documentation in
MacPorts is one of its great features.

[^]: Maybe the error message here could be modified to include a
"maybe you meant `port upgrade outdated`”


--
Mark Jamsek <mark at bsdbox.org>