[MacPorts] #31009: port command in a stub directory should select the subport automatically if no portname argument

MacPorts noreply at macports.org
Tue Aug 30 01:40:54 PDT 2011


#31009: port command in a stub directory should select the subport automatically if
no portname argument
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  Reporter:  vinc17@…             |       Owner:  macports-tickets@…                   
      Type:  enhancement          |      Status:  closed                               
  Priority:  Normal               |   Milestone:                                       
 Component:  base                 |     Version:  2.0.1                                
Resolution:  invalid              |    Keywords:                                       
      Port:                       |  
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Comment(by vinc17@…):

 Replying to [comment:7 dports@…]:
 > Which subport should it install?

 The ideal would be that a stub should behave as an alias of some context-
 dependent port (i.e. instead of having a dependency relation, one would
 have an alias relation). Even without that, the case of "port" being
 executed in a port directory without a portname as argument should be
 fixed. When I run "port info p5-xml-libxslt", I get:
 {{{
 p5-xml-libxslt @1.700.0, Revision 3 (perl, textproc)
 Replaced by:          p5.12-xml-libxslt
 [...]
 }}}
 So, I would say that when running "port build", instead of building p5
 -xml-libxslt (with the effect of installing its dependencies, including
 p5.12-xml-libxslt), it should build p5.12-xml-libxslt directly (thus
 without installing it). A user who wishes to select another subport could
 do this with additional arguments, like when selecting variants.

 I'm not sure that looking at "Replaced by:" is sufficient. In doubt, when
 building a port would lead to the installation of a subport, this should
 return an error instead of installing it.

 > And although currently the only ports using subports are the
 perl5/python ports, where the main port is just a stub that depends on one
 of the subports, that isn't necessarily true in general. (Consider the
 subports I proposed in #31027, for example...)

 I think this example is nice. Typing "port build" in the gwenhywfar4
 directory won't install gwenhywfar4-gtk. There's probably nothing special
 to do with it.

 > Actually, it'll install whatever p5.12-xml-libxslt is in your ports
 tree, not specifically the one from the portfile in your current
 directory. I'm not sure whether you'd consider that better or worse, but
 at least it's consistent with all other dependencies.

 This can be even more confusing. IMHO, dependencies on a subport should be
 forbidden and replaced by another concept (perhaps the "Replaced by" +
 dependency can be a way to express this concept).

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.macports.org/ticket/31009#comment:8>
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