octave-devel +docs variant missing dependency on texlive-basic

[vic@…]

I am running Mac OS X 10.7.2, Xcode 4.2. I can do "port install octave-devel +debug" with no problem; however "port install octave-devel +debug +docs" continually fails. MacPorts claims I have do not have a working TeX binary tex installed anywhere in my PATH. See below.

In fact I use TeX constantly. My PATH contains "/usr/texbin" which is a symbolic link to "/usr/local/texlive/2011/bin/x86_64-darwin" which contains tex. I have no idea why MacPorts cannot find tex in my PATH.

This is not a Lion problem. I had the same problem porting octave-devel +docs in OS X 10.6.

Here is the error:

:info:build ../../run-octave -f -q -H ./mk_doc_cache.m doc-cache ../../scripts/DOCSTRINGS ../../src/DOCSTRINGS || { rm -f doc-cache; exit 1; }
:info:build TEXINPUTS="./..:$TEXINPUTS" \
:info:build 	MAKEINFO='/bin/sh /opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_ports_math_octave-devel/octave-devel/work/octave-3.4.3/build-aux/missing --run makeinfo   -I .' \
:info:build 	/opt/local/bin/texi2dvi octave.texi
:info:build You don't have a working TeX binary (tex) installed anywhere in
:info:build your PATH, and texi2dvi cannot proceed without one.  If you want to use
:info:build this script, you'll need to install TeX (if you don't have it) or change
:info:build your PATH or TEX environment variable (if you do).  See the --help
:info:build output for more details.
:info:build 
:info:build For information about obtaining TeX, please see http://www.tug.org.  If
:info:build you happen to be using Debian, you can get it with this command:
:info:build   apt-get install tetex-bin
:info:build make[3]: *** [octave.dvi] Error 1

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

A couple things:

1. The +docs variant is clearly missing a dependency on texlive-basic, which is what provides the tex binary.
2. MacPorts does not use your PATH; it uses its own path, as defined by the binpath variable in macports.conf. Editing binpath is usually not advisable, but we do make an exception for tex, so you're welcome to add /usr/texbin to binpath if you'd rather use that tex than the tex that MacPorts would install.

[vic@…]

Replying to ryandesign@…:

A couple things:

1. The +docs variant is clearly missing a dependency on texlive-basic, which is what provides the tex binary.
2. MacPorts does not use your PATH; it uses its own path, as defined by the binpath variable in macports.conf. Editing binpath is usually not advisable, but we do make an exception for tex, so you're welcome to add /usr/texbin to binpath if you'd rather use that tex than the tex that MacPorts would install.

I tried suggestion 2, to the best of my ability. I added the bin path line

binpath /opt/local/bin:/opt/local/sbin:/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/texbin

to both (/opt/local/etc/macports/) macports.conf and macports.conf.default, and ran

$ sudo port clean octave-devel

$ sudo port install octave-devel +debug +docs

again.

The changes made no difference. MacPorts still couldn't find tex, which is sitting in

/usr/local/texlive/2011/bin/x86_64-darwin

which is pointed to by the symbolic link /usr/texbin.

This is not a serious problem for me. I don't need the +docs variant to octave-devel. But it does bother me that I can't get the +docs variant simply because MacPorts can't find TeX---which I use every day. And the binary tex file is definitely in /usr/texbin, albeit indirectly.

[michaelld (Michael Dickens)]

So, what's the best way to include a TeX dependency? Obviously I need to add a "depends_run-append" to "variant docs" -- but should it be "port:texlive", or some other port?

[michaelld (Michael Dickens)]

Fixed in r88087.