RE: [Plplot-devel] Java install questions

[Geoffrey F. <fu...@ga...>]

Alan W. Irwin writes:
 > Geoffrey, I cannot find any installed source for the java files.  Shall I
 > just change the configuration so the sources will be installed into the
 > appropriate subdirectory of $prefix/plplot/lib/java/plplot along with
 > their corresponding *.class files?
 > 
 > Finally, I would like to install
 > java/plplot/examples into the examples install area
 > ($prefix/lib/plplot5.1.0/examples/). This requires two directories in
 > CLASSPATH, e.g.,
 > 
 > setenv CLASSPATH \
 > /usr/local/plplot/lib/java:/usr/local/plplot/lib/plplot5.1.0/examples/java
 > 
 > but so long as that change is made, e.g.,
 > 
 > java plplot.examples.x01
 > 
 > works fine. The reason I would like this change is it just seems more
 > logical to me to have the java examples installed with the remainder of the
 > plplot examples, and the java core stuff installed in $prefix/lib/java right
 > where it is now. This is just a suggestion, and if you feel the best
 > solution is the current one with the java examples split off from the rest
 > of the examples, then I will go along.

Mmm.  Well, I just think of it that all the PLplot java stuff lives
under the plplot.* package hierarchy.  Some of it is under
plplot.core.*, some of it is under plplot.examples.*.  

I said way back in the beginning, that I am a novice in java
packaging, so what is done now is surely simplistic.  However, your
proposal doesn't seem right to me either, since it seems kludgy to have
to have two additions to classpath to use the java stuff.  Maybe you
could take the position that you only need the first one for normal
client codes, and the second one is just to reach the PLplot Java
demos, but to me it makes more sense to have one classpath component
which reaches all things plplot/java.

What is probably really in order, is to build a jar file.  Then to
enhance plplot-config to have a --classpath arg to spit out the right
classpath for use as we do plplot-config --libs now in C/C++
contexts.  But I haven't gotten to that yet.

I am quite sure that upscale java dists use .jar files.  But I don't
really know how to create them fashionably, so have just put up the
current hacky thing to get us through until either I learn what to
really do, or until some Java guru developer graces us with some guru
class configuration advice.

Personally, I'd just leave it alone for now, figuring that it wil
lhave to change later once we learn the ways of upscale Java packagers
well enough to follow suit fashionably.

-- 
Geoffrey Furnish         fu...@ga...