Re: depends_lib-append question

Hi Mark,

On Aug 24, 2006, at 7:10 PM, Mark Duling wrote:

> I think this topic has been covered but I can't find it in the  
> archives.
> What is the purpose of using depends_lib-appends by itself?  I see  
> some
> ports use this with no variants and I don't understand why.

In some ways using append makes the code more sequence independent,  
for the case where there might be multiple lines that specify  
dependencies. But in a port with no variants, it doesn't seem  
particularly useful.

> Also, someone has submitted a patch to the Mozart port because "the  
> lib
> dependencies get overwritten" that does this:
>
> +depends_build	     port:gmp port:zlib port:gdbm
>  depends_lib-append   port:gmp port:zlib port:gdbm
>  depends_lib          path:${prefix}/bin/emacs:emacs

it looks to me like the depends_lib line would overwrite the  
depends_lib-append line that precedes it. Which might explain the  
reason they thought they had to add a depends_build line.

depends_lib-append will add the specified ports to whatever  
dependencies were previously there (including none). The subsequent  
depends_lib will reset the dependencies to what is specified.

> Can someone explain why that might be necessary?

Sometimes, because portfiles are relatively declarative, it is easy  
to forget that they are just a program that is being executed, in  
order. Some actions, of course, are saved away to be run at the  
appropriate time.

James