Gentoo Archives: gentoo-doc

From: Matthew Summers <quantumsummers@g.o>
To: gentoo-doc@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-doc] Portage per-package environment/behavior
Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:02:03
Message-Id: CAET+hMR4GamL4hp6VW-Ur-AKSvdcCCj4KZqCb0aiYpw0z5U+og@mail.gmail.com
In Reply to: [gentoo-doc] Portage per-package environment/behavior by Sven Vermeulen
1 On Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 4:14 AM, Sven Vermeulen
2 <sven.vermeulen@××××××.be> wrote:
3 > Hi guys,
4 >
5 > I noticed we don't describe in the handbook that Portage can have
6 > per-package environment variables (like CFLAGS) through /etc/portage/env.
7 > This can be even (ab?)used to execute steps before or after specific phases
8 > (based on the EBUILD_PHASE information), something I use for updating IDS
9 > systems (postinst/prerm phase).
10 >
11 > But I'm not sure if and where in the handbook this can be positioned best.
12 > The environment variable stuff could be placed in the section on
13 > "Environment Variables", but is quite off from the rest of the content
14 > (since the rest of that chapter has nothing really to do with Portage or
15 > build environments).
16 >
17 > "Configuring through Variables" is probably the best location (somewhere in
18 > the beginning as we talk there about Build-specific Options), but I do feel
19 > that this particular feature is already more targeting advanced users, where
20 > the location in the handbook somewhat suggests this for more beginner-like
21 > types.
22 >
23 > Perhaps another section in "Working with Portage", called "Advanced Portage
24 > Features" or so? This can then contain the per-package env information, but
25 > also overriding profile information and perhaps others we don't talk about
26 > yet.
27 >
28 > Any ideas on this?
29 >
30 >        Sven
31 >
32
33 Hey Sven,
34
35 Thanks for bringing this up. Quite a long while ago I talked with Zac
36 about this very issue, that some of the advanced portage features were
37 not documented in an user friendly way. It seemed to me that these
38 features are outside the scope of the current handbook. However, your
39 idea about extending the chapter on "Working with Portage" brings me
40 around a little. In fact, I think it may well be an excellent place
41 for this sort of thing. My only concern would be that these advanced
42 features might be misused and create extra bug work for the wranglers.
43
44 In any case, I would enjoy working with you on this in some capacity,
45 as its one of the many things I have wanted to do myself for a long
46 time. Its always more enjoyable when collaborating anyway.
47
48 Thanks for the initiative!
49
50 Matt
51 --
52 Matthew W. Summers
53 Gentoo Foundation Inc.