w3m doesn't show images

[bschack-pchome@…]

I installed w3m (@0.5.3_5), but it refused to show any images, regardless of whether I used the inline_image_gtk2 or inline_image_imlib2 variants. In the portfile, these pass "gtk2" and "imlib2", respectively, to the "--enable-image" configuration option.

I downloaded the source for w3m myself. Typing "./configure --help", I discovered that "--enable-image" does *not* accept "gtk2" or "imlib2" - it accepts "x11", "fb", "fb+s", and "win" (and it also autodetects libraries). I ran configure with "--enable-image". Voila - images!

[mf2k (Frank Schima)]

This port has no maintainer. If you submit a tested ​Portfile patch, this is more likely to get fixed in Macports.

[ken-cunningham-webuse]

You sound like a person who might be ready for "MacPorts Grade 2"!

Let Macports do most of the work for you - download, sandbox, cover dependencies. But you can modify what happens if you like. Of course, you're in Grade 2 now, so you'll need to cover a certain degree of your own messes, should you make them. If you get stuck, you can usually backtrack out of the situation with "sudo port uninstall w3m" (or whatever you're working on.

Try something like this

sudo vi `port file w3m`

or perhaps

bbedit `port file w3m`

up comes the w3m portfile, and here you see what the person who wrote the original portfile was thinking about the configuration...

configure.args      --with-gc=${prefix} \
                    --with-ssl=${prefix} \
                    --enable-keymap=w3m \
                    --with-termlib=ncurses \
                    --with-libiconv-prefix=${prefix} \
                    --with-libintl-prefix=${prefix} \
                    --disable-image \
                    --mandir=${prefix}/share/man

hmmm -- you don't like "--disable-image"? Edit it in the portfile

configure.args      --with-gc=${prefix} \
                    --with-ssl=${prefix} \
                    --enable-keymap=w3m \
                    --with-termlib=ncurses \
                    --with-libiconv-prefix=${prefix} \
                    --with-libintl-prefix=${prefix} \
                    --enable-image \
                    --mandir=${prefix}/share/man

and then give it a try. See if it builds. Maybe it does -- on 10.11. But what about 10.9? Hmm.. find a friend, or use another machine. See what happens there. And there are a few variants in the portfile as well, that modify these configure settings. Best try those out as well, to make sure it all still works.

You don't want to fix it for yourself and break it for everyone else, after all.

You can also let macports do some of the work for you

sudo port extract w3m

and then go into the working directory

cd `port work w3m`

and look around at what is in there. Maybe there are other configuration options that the original portfile writer wasn't interested in, but you are...

If you think your portfile ultimately works better, after you've tested it out sufficiently, OK! You can upload a patch to the portfile (show you how when you get to that point if you need help). Share it with everyone -- that is the whole point of macports, after all!

If you like it for your own use, but you really don't think it has 'public consumption' quality -- set up your own local repository (instructions are here on this website), and just leave it there for your own use. It will "shadow" (hide) the macports version of w3m as long as it's in your local repository, and even if macports updates theirs, well then you still are using yours....

Of course that might cause you problems two years from now when many things update and yours is too far out of date now ... so you have to keep an eye on what you're doing if you go down this road, and be responsible for at least trying to figure out some of your own issues, should they arise.

Good luck!!

Ken

[l2dy (Zero King)]

In fb6e02378895a2f1f309a6b0668241fe0a82f011/macports-ports:

w3m: fix image variants

Fixes: #52259