[MacPorts] #47755: Broken symlink left by select code when selected port is deactivated causes poppler and other ports using aclocal to fail during configuration.

[MacPorts]

#47755: Broken symlink left by select code when selected port is deactivated causes
poppler and other ports using aclocal to fail during configuration.
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  Reporter:  lukasz@…  |      Owner:  macports-tickets@…
      Type:  defect    |     Status:  new
  Priority:  Normal    |  Milestone:
 Component:  base      |    Version:  2.3.3
Resolution:            |   Keywords:
      Port:            |
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Comment (by mojca@…):

 Replying to [comment:12 ryandesign@…]:
 > At this point we consider it a user error to deactivate or uninstall a
 port that you have selected with "port select".

 This is like saying that deactivating a dependency of another port is
 considered a user error. What if users simply forget that they ever
 selected that port?

 I would say that deactivation/uninstallation should also (automatically?)
 remove symlinks to `foo-bar`, but I'm not sure what the behaviour should
 be in this particular scenario:
 {{{
 port select foo foo-bar
 port deactivate foo-bar
 port activate foo-bar
 }}}
 Should `foo` still point to `foo-bar` or not?

 (Ideally I would imagine some kind of "dormant symlinks". The symlinks
 that are gone while the port is deactivated, but are set back in place
 when the port is activated/installed again. However that is probably not
 something easy to implement, so some compromise is needed.)

 > Perhaps MacPorts base should be modified to prevent you from
 deactivating or uninstalling a port that you've selected.

 This could be another solution. (But `-f` would probably override that?
 Would upgrading the port still work as expected?)

 Does anyone know why autotools are so picky about broken symlinks?

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.macports.org/ticket/47755#comment:14>
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