Re: 'etc' and 'var' equivalents?

David Golden wrote:

> On Fri, May 21, 2010 at 3:54 AM, David Lee <[email protected]> wrote:
>> [...]
>> But I can't see how to specify the "config files" and "data;state" aspects.
>>
>> Any thoughts on what I have missed?  Or hints or good-practice-tips on how
>> to specify to MM the application's config and state directories?
> 
> Two separate issues: (1) telling your application where to put things
> and (2) telling MakeMaker where to put things.
> 
> Many people seem to be finding that it's easier to use File::ShareDir
> to access non-code config or data files in a known location within the
> perl installation hierarchy.  This frees you from having to worry
> about whether there is an 'etc' or 'var' directory on a user's system.
>  E.g. on Windows or for a non-root user on a shared hosting
> environment.
> [...]

Thanks for the reply, and my apologies for delaying in acknowledging it.

This is an application which just so happens to be in Perl at the 
moment.  It could have been in other languages.  As far as the users are 
concerned their access points will be thin binary wrappers in their 
$PATH ("/bin" or similar), not anything perl-ish (the fact it is in perl 
is merely an internal implementation detail for me as its coder, and for 
the app. administrator who installs it as "just another CPAN module").

Likewise, from the perspective of the app. admin. (and his/her 
end-users) the config and data/state files for this application have 
nothing perl-specific about them.  (OK, they'll be read/written by the 
heart of the application which just so happens to be in perl.)

So in this context, putting config files (read-only), and especially 
putting data/state files (read/write), into the perl installation 
hierarchy seems inappropriate; the natural mindset for the application 
would be the traditional UNIX "/etc" and "/var" locations, plus or minus 
considerations such as "Linux Standard Base" (LSB) conventions.

Hence my wondering whether, just as "INSTALLBIN" (and similar) default 
to LSB-like conventions and perspective (rather than within the perl 
installation hierarchy), there might be analogous "INSTALL*" variables 
for LSB-like config ("/etc"-ish) and data/state ("/var"-ish) locations.

If there aren't such variables, then I'm happy to hack it.  (But I'd 
rather use established routes where possible.)

If I'm heading in the wrong direction, do let me know!

-- 
: David Lee
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