plplot-devel

[Plplot-devel] Re: [Plplot-cvs] CVS update notice (plplot/bindings/octave)

[Alan W. I. <ir...@be...>]

On Mon, 23 Dec 2002, Joao Cardoso wrote:

> Update of /cvsroot/plplot/plplot/bindings/octave
> In directory sc8-pr-cvs1:/tmp/cvs-serv5660/bindings/octave
>
> Modified Files:
> 	Makefile.am
> Log Message:
> Add both the build and install tree library locations to LD_RUN_PATH.
> Split building of plplot_octave.oct into a compile and a link step, to easy relinking only at install time (when it gets implemented, as an "install" target is the wrong way of doing it under automake).
>

I thought we had agreed to put off anything like this until after the release.

But since you have done this, I have had a look at your implementation, and
I think it needs some more thought. Since you have given two absolute
locations to LD_RUN_PATH with the build location first, this means the
user's installed version will act differently depending on what experimental
stuff he is trying in the build area.  Not good. If the first path were a
relative address (without the `pwd`) it would be safer (unless you chose an
unlucky prefix).  However, then it is not very useful if you want to move
around various places to check out octave examples without doing a full
install.

To cleanly avoid all these version uncertainties (which time and again gave
us trouble for the old configuration solution), I think the best
solution is to specify just one path to LD_RUN_PATH rather than two.  To get
what you want (different linking for the build version and the install
version) simply do a separate link for each version. Of course that means two
separate names, but that can be reconciled with the name octave wants
(plplot_octave.oct) with appropriate symlinks set up in the build directory
as part of each Makefile(.am) rule set to create the build version and the
install version.  You have to create and remove symlinks at just the right
time in the rule set for linking the build version and linking the install
version, but it can be done if you think through the implications of the
symlinks.

On the other hand, if you don't want to deal with these issues now or my
solution also needs refinement, then by all means let us deal with it
post-release, and for the release revert back to what we had before which
was a clean install solution without any possible interference from
subsequent build activities.

Alan

email: ir...@be...
phone: 250-727-2902	FAX: 250-721-7715
snail-mail:
Dr. Alan W. Irwin
Department of Physics and Astronomy,
University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3055,
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8W 3P6
__________________________

Linux-powered astrophysics
__________________________

[Plplot-devel] Re: [Plplot-cvs] CVS update notice (plplot/bindings/octave)

[Rafael L. <lab...@ps...>]

[ Moving this discussion to plplot-devel.  Joao: please do not reply
  messages to plplot-cvs, since this mailing list is not for discussion.  It
  is not even archived at SF.  Thanks. ]

* Joao Cardoso <jc...@fe...> [2003-03-13 23:27]:

> On Thursday 13 March 2003 19:54, Rafael Laboissiere wrote:
> > Update of /cvsroot/plplot/plplot/bindings/octave
> > In directory sc8-pr-cvs1:/tmp/cvs-serv24857/bindings/octave
> >
> > Modified Files:
> > 	Makefile.am
> > Log Message:
> >
> > Implemented the check of programs and Perl modules necessary to build the
> > files in bindings/octave/plplot_octave_txt/.  The extension of the present
> > change is quite large, because the previous situations was quite
> > constraining.  Indeed, the checks for Perl modules were buried in
> > bindings/octave/configure.ac, which was included in configure.ac
> > conditionally on enable_docbook.
> >
> > To make the idea work, I had to split bindings/octave/configure.ac
> 
> you mean doc/docbook/configure.ac, right? This can be misleading.

Yes.

> > into two
> > parts: the first one consisted of macro definitons, configure options
> > declarations and things alike, that can (and sometimes must) run
> > inconditionally.  This material has been moved into a new file called
> > bindings/octave/docbook.m4
> 
> the same?

Yes.

> > (BTW, having two configure.ac in the source tree
> > was an aberration).
> >
> > The second part consisted of the actual checks (for programs, DTDs, and
> > Perl modules), which should be run conditioanlly.  This material has been
> > inserted into configure.ac.
> >
> > The specific tests for the Octave bindings regard the program Perl, and the
> > Perl modules XML::DOM and XML::Parser, which are used by api2text.pl to
> > build the text documentation files.  If the tests go okay, api2text.pl is
> > called in bindings/octave/Makefile.am, if needed.  Otherwise, thanks to the
> > new AM_CONDITIONAL has_xml_pm, if recompilation of the *.txt files is
> > needed, then the make and shows the error message:
> 
> There is no need to stop the make. The only consequence is that plplot_octave 
> will not have the original PLplot API help text; instead, a one line 
> description is searched in plplot.doc, and if even one is not found a "no 
> help available" message is used.

Okay, I will change that.

-- 
Rafael