[MacPorts] #47904: cmake @3.2.2_0: variants are a confusing mess

[MacPorts]

#47904: cmake @3.2.2_0: variants are a confusing mess
----------------------+-------------------------
 Reporter:  larryv@…  |      Owner:  michaelld@…
     Type:  defect    |     Status:  new
 Priority:  Normal    |  Milestone:
Component:  ports     |    Version:  2.3.3
 Keywords:            |       Port:  cmake
----------------------+-------------------------
 I won’t mince words: `cmake`’s variants make no sense. Half of them only
 exist if one of the other half are selected. This is not discoverable at
 all, and I suspect most users only realize that they had a choice after
 they install `cmake`.

 ----

 Say I want to install CMake.
 {{{
 % port variants cmake
 cmake has the variants:
    docs: Build documentation: HTML and manpages
    gui: Build Qt-based cmake-gui
    universal: Build for multiple architectures
 }}}

 Looks like I have three choices. Cool. I decide to build cmake-gui and the
 documentation.
 {{{
 % sudo port install cmake +docs +gui
 --->  Computing dependencies for cmake
 The following dependencies will be installed:
  dbus
  lcms
  libmng
  py27-alabaster
  py27-babel
  py27-docutils
  py27-jinja2
  py27-pygments
  py27-roman
  py27-six
  py27-snowballstemmer
  py27-sphinx
  py27-sphinx_rtd_theme
  py27-tz
  python27
  qt4-mac
  sphinx_select
 Continue? [Y/n]:
 }}}

 Eh. Maybe I already have Python 3.4 installed, and I’d rather not install
 Python 2.7, but it doesn’t look like I have a choice, so I’ll just go with
 it. But the `+gui` variant seems to require `qt4-mac`. What if I have
 `qt5-mac` installed? Those conflict, so I guess I’ll just go without the
 GUI.

 Except that that wasn’t necessary at all. Turns out I do have choices, but
 they’re utterly undiscoverable. I’d have to check the list variants
 //after already selecting a variant//, which is something I never think to
 do.
 {{{
 % port variants cmake +docs +gui
 cmake has the variants:
   +docs: Build documentation: HTML and manpages
   +gui: Build Qt-based cmake-gui
 [+]python27: Build documentation using Sphinx from Python 2.7
      * conflicts with python34
    python34: Build documentation using Sphinx from Python 3.4
      * conflicts with python27
 [+]qt4: Build Qt GUI using Qt4
      * conflicts with qt5
    qt5: Build Qt GUI using Qt5
      * conflicts with qt4
    universal: Build for multiple architectures
 }}}

 `cmake` should eliminate this weird two-level thing and instead present
 all its variants up front. Something like this.
 {{{
 % port variants cmake
 cmake has the variants:
    docs_py27: Build HTML docs and manpages using Sphinx from Python 2.7
      * conflicts with docs_py34
    docs_py34: Build HTML docs and manpages using Sphinx from Python 3.4
      * conflicts with docs_py27
    gui_qt4: Build cmake-gui with Qt4
      * conflicts with gui_qt5
    gui_qt5: Build cmake-gui with Qt5
      * conflicts with gui_qt4
    universal: Build for multiple architectures
 }}}

 ----

 No patch to offer, I’m afraid. Sorry for the anticlimax. Feel free to let
 this lie fallow until I whip up something.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.macports.org/ticket/47904>
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