Re: Preferences, how to specify

[Pierre Dupond <76nemo76%gmx.ch@localhost>]

On Sun, 01 Sep 2019 09:20:40 -0400
Greg Troxel <gdt%lexort.com@localhost> wrote:

> Pierre Dupond <76nemo76%gmx.ch@localhost> writes:
>
> > It will be probably useful to prefer some tools (like "libtools") of the underlying distribution
> > since using (and doing the recompilation which is sometime quite complicated) the similar/same tools
> > of PKGSRC is sometime very difficult and ever time consuming.
>
> There are many things like PREFER, and vairables PKGSRC_* that can
> change behaior.   There is no coherent global pkgsrc preferences system
> (perhaps there should be).   In general the various .mk files in pkgsrc
> define these with comments and there is 'make help' that can show them.
I have read the annex D long ago (where the command "make help" is described)
but I have forgotten about it.

I was unable however to find the files with PKGSRC_* definitions.

Once ago, I have found some of these definitions, but I don't know
in which directory. Today I have searched for "mk" files (with the command
"find /opt/pkgsrc -name \*.mk") but the files are too numerous. Even
when changing the command in "find /opt/pkgsrc -name \*.mk -exec fgrep PKGSRC_ {} +"
the result is not totaly obvious.

Anyway, after using the command "make help topic=PREFER", I was able to solve
one of my problems and to use the native "libtool" of Linux
by adding "PREFER.libtool= native" in the file "mk.conf".

>
> And, the pkgsrc guide aims to be comprehensive.  So if something exists
> and isn't in the guide, that's a doc bug.
>
> > I hope I have not missed some obvious documentation and I would appreciate if
> > somebody could give me some pointers on how to use the preferences system.
>
> Did you read the entire pkgsrc guide?
Yes, I think I have read it at least once entirely.
It would be easier however if the guide would be downloadable in one file
and in PDF format. This format is much more convenient for printing and searching the document.

Thanks for your indications.