Octave port

[Robert Fong-tom]

On Nov 23, 2008, at 12:04 AM, Ryan Schmidt wrote:

>
> On Nov 22, 2008, at 21:42, Robert Fong-tom wrote:
>
>> Since I ported Octave using MacPorts, I have been working through  
>> a number of problems, which all seem to be related to the fact  
>> that I had installed octave, aquaterm and gnuplot previously from  
>> dmg packages. I previously wrote to both the MacPort and Octave  
>> users group about these problems and you all have been very  
>> helpful and I have learned a lot from you all. I started a new e- 
>> mail because I recently realized that the problem may be with  
>> AquaTerm not GNUPLOT. I recently noticed that there are several  
>> AquaTerm.app on my hard drive and I don't know if this is normal.  
>> These AquaTerm.app files are in the following.
>>
>> 1) /Applications/MacPorts/AquaTerm.app (only file in this directory)
>>
>> 2) /opt/local/var/macports/build/ 
>> _opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_ports_aqua 
>> _aquaterm/work/dstroot/Applications/MacPorts/AquaTerm.app
>>
>> 3) /opt/var/macports/software/aquaterm/1.0.1_0+darwin_8/ 
>> Applications/MacPorts/AquaTerm.app
>>
>> 4) /opt/local/var/macports/build/ 
>> _opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_ports_aqua 
>> _aquaterm/work/aquaterm/build/deployment/AquaTerm.app
>>
>> Is this normal? Are some of these related to the build of Octave?
>
> Yes, it's normal, depending on how your MacPorts is set up. The  
> process is like this:
>
> * MacPorts decompresses the AquaTerm distfile into the work  
> directory (/opt/local/var/macports/build/ 
> _opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_ports_aqua_ 
> aquaterm/work/aquaterm)
> * MacPorts builds AquaTerm (for this port, the app happens to end  
> up in the location you listed at #4)
> * MacPorts stages the build into the destroot (your #2)
> * MacPorts installs the port (into your #3)
> * MacPorts activates the port by making hardlinks from the install  
> location (#3) to the final location (#1).
>
> The build (#4) and destroot (#2) directories (the whole work  
> directory, actually) are automatically deleted by MacPorts after  
> installation, since they're no longer necessary, if you have  
> "portautoclean yes" in your ${prefix}/etc/macports/macports.conf.  
> If you instead have "portautoclean no", then MacPorts doesn't clean  
> up for you automatically, and you can clean up when you like by  
> typing "sudo port clean aquaterm".
>
> The above describes what happens if you have "portinstalltype  
> image" in your macports.conf. This is the default and recommended  
> mode. If you instead have "portinstalltype direct", then MacPorts  
> doesn't install files to #3 and make hardlinks in #1. Instead, it  
> installs directly to #1.
>
Thanks for this excellent tutorial.
Under what conditions would one use "portinstalltype direct" vs  
"portinstall image"?
Also will ports done under "portinstalltype image" recognize ports  
done under "portsinstalltype direct" if the latter is a dependency of  
the former?