Dependency or a port on private header files of Tcl

[Gustaf Neumann]

On 13.08.11 00:37, Daniel J. Luke wrote:
>> I was going to suggest the Tcl port just always install the private headers. I like your idea for a tcl-privateheaders port though; that could be a good solution.
> I think in the past we had the tcl port install its private headers and that caused some build problems for other software (I can't remember the exact issue). Having a privateheaders port might cause the same issue (depending on where they were installed). It might alternatively make sense for there to be a portgroup to pull the current tcl private headers and put them somewhere for an individual port to build against (assuming that nothing needs them installed to actually run).
>
i would prefer, if the Tcl port would install the private 
header files (tclInt.h, tkInt.h and tclCompile.h) since this 
would solve the synchronization problem (the private header 
files have to match the version of the installed Tcl). There 
are currently three major tcl versions in usage, 8.4.*, 
8.5.*, and 8.6.*. 8.4 is no issue for mac ports, since "port 
install tcl" installs 8.5.9, some tcl users are already at 
8.6.0 (b1 or b2). Since macports are not using a version 
number in the install-name, we have only a single version 
(namely 8.5) to care about. Once, the tcl port advances to 
8.6, there will be only tcl 8.6 around, right?

I have certain doubts that there are serious build problems 
in other packages, when the private header files are 
installed. Since the include files are only used when 
included from some .c files from the compilation, they 
matter only for the few packages hacking currently around to 
obtain these include files themselves... and only then, when 
these use the "public include files" before their "local 
include files" (which would be wrong).

The option with the portgroup seems as well interesting. i 
see, there are portgroups for e.g. perl, ruby, etc.
Yes, the files are just needed for the compilation, not for 
runtime. What would be required to setup a portgroup for Tcl 
(and the tcl-extensions needing it)?

Yet another option might be to expand during compilation of 
XOTcl 
/opt/local/var/macports/distfiles/tcltk/tcl8.5.9-src.tar.gz 
and use the include file from there (maybe there is a 
systematic way to find the exact name, "port info" does not 
contain it).

-gustaf neumann

-- 
Univ.Prof. Dr. Gustaf Neumann
Institute of Information Systems and New Media
WU Vienna
Augasse 2-6, A-1090 Vienna, AUSTRIA