pdf2htmlex @0.11: doesn't build

[amadeus24]

After updating to 2.5.3, pdf2htmlex build end up with an error.

[amadeus24]

main.log

[mojca (Mojca Miklavec)]

I tried to update the port, but it seems that it's so heavily depending on internals of poppler (in fact having a private copy of poppler's sources integrated for one part, but depending on external poppler for the other) that it doesn't seem trivial to fix this without devoting quite some effort. Upstream development is declared stale, looking for a new developer, while poppler is very well known to break even APIs with each release, let alone keeping copies of its files working.

[mf2k (Frank Schima)]

It has no obvious dependents. I say delete it.

$ port echo depends:pdf2htmlex
$

[mojca (Mojca Miklavec)]

It's not about dependencies. It's a nifty little piece of software on its own. However, if it doesn't compile and if it isn't maintained, it's not really helpful.

[kencu (Ken)]

let me try it against poppler-qt4-mac.

[kencu (Ken)]

No go. The version of poppler in poppler-qt4-mac (0.61.1) is apparently too new to build it also.

[kencu (Ken)]

If you want to make it build, we'd have to inspect <​https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core/blob/master/Formula/pdf2htmlex.rb>.

It apparently builds on every system with that formula, including building on Mojave (for which they already have a prebuilt binary on their buildbot farm, apparently).

[mojca (Mojca Miklavec)]

HB seems to fetch poppler 0.57.0 as part of pdf2htmlex build process.

[mdturnerinoz (Martin D Turner)]

I too am failing to build pdf2htmlex on Mojave (I am 10.14.2 on a Mac Pro). After doing all the usual clean activities and viewing previous problems with pdf2htmlex I decided to completely uninstall Mac Ports and reinstall it. Other ports build just fine bug pdf2htmlex still fails (see bad.log attached). I can provide whatever is necessary to help solve this problem as I am dependent on pdf2htmlex for some shell scripts I often use (which I cannot now use). I have Xcode 10.1 installed and build with. It's been quite a while since I reported a bug, so I hope I got all that is needed to proceed. let me know if not.

[nachogt (Nacho García)]

As of today, this problem persists in Catalina. The log file seems to indicate that "goo/gooList.h" is nowhere to be found. This is indeed a poppler source file, but I haven't been able to find a package that contains it.

Any news on how to build pdf2htmlex? I've been suggested to install it through Homebrew, but mixing Homebrew with MacPorts doesn't seem to be a great idea to me...

[bunk3m (Bunk3m)]

Tried to install this port today. Apparently it got a bit further than what some have mentioned. It is failing:

:info:configure -- Checking for module 'libfontforge>=2.0.0'
:info:configure --   No package 'libfontforge' found
:info:configure Trying to locate old versions of fontforge...
:info:configure CMake Error at CMakeLists.txt:97 (message):
:info:configure   Error: cannot locate fontforge.h
:info:configure -- Configuring incomplete, errors occurred!
:info:configure See also "/opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_textproc_pdf2htmlex/pdf2htmlex/work/build/CMakeFiles/CMakeOutput.log".
:info:configure Command failed:  cd "/opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_textproc_pdf2htmlex/pdf2htmlex/work/build" && /opt/local/bin/cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX='/opt/local' -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_BUILD_WITH_INSTALL_RPATH=ON -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER="$CC" -DCMAKE_COLOR_MAKEFILE=ON -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER="$CXX" -DCMAKE_FIND_FRAMEWORK=LAST -DCMAKE_INSTALL_NAME_DIR=/opt/local/lib -DCMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH=/opt/local/lib -DCMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM=/usr/bin/make -DCMAKE_MODULE_PATH=/opt/local/share/cmake/Modules -DCMAKE_SYSTEM_PREFIX_PATH="/opt/local;/opt/local;/usr" -DCMAKE_VERBOSE_MAKEFILE=ON -DCMAKE_POLICY_DEFAULT_CMP0025=NEW -Wno-dev -DCMAKE_C_FLAGS_RELEASE="-DNDEBUG" -DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS_RELEASE="-DNDEBUG" -DCMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES="x86_64" -DCMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET="10.14" -DCMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT="/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/MacOSX10.14.sdk" /opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_textproc_pdf2htmlex/pdf2htmlex/work/pdf2htmlEX-43e3174cbc 
:info:configure Exit code: 1
:error:configure Failed to configure pdf2htmlex: configure failure: command execution failed
:debug:configure Error code: NONE
:debug:configure Backtrace: configure failure: command execution failed
:debug:configure     while executing
:debug:configure "$procedure $targetname"

Any one working on this one?

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Replying to kencu:

If you want to make it build, we'd have to inspect <​https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core/blob/master/Formula/pdf2htmlex.rb>.

Here's the last version of that file before they deleted it:

​https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core/blob/995cc7ec2d21a85402830dec6ad19d95bd06e4d5/Formula/pdf2htmlex.rb

Looks like they build a local copy of the pdf2htmlex author's fork of fontforge. It is allegedly customized, although the documentation says one should use "A recent version" or their fork. It's possible, though, that today's version is too recent.

They also build a local copy of poppler 0.57.0 because the code is incompatible with poppler 0.59.0 and later. A fix was submitted for that but was not acted upon before the repository was archived. Maybe that would let us use current poppler—or maybe current poppler has once again advanced in incompatible ways beyond that fix.

Has duplicate #67941.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Replying to bunk3m:

:info:configure   Error: cannot locate fontforge.h

pdf2htmlex uses fontforge's libfontforge library and the fontforge.h header that goes along with it. The developers of fontforge apparently never intended anyone outside of fontforge to use this library, or maybe intended it for a time but no longer do. They say the API is not stable. fontforge ​intentionally no longer installs this header. They were aware that pdf2htmlex was using it but did not care because pdf2htmlex was discontinued by its developer. So we will indeed need to use a local copy of fontforge if pdf2htmlex is to be revived.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Has duplicate #69426.

[Dave-Allured (Dave Allured)]

Somebody made a newer community fork of pdf2htmlEX. It looks like they are keeping up with poppler. Would anyone like to try upgrading this port to this new fork?

​https://github.com/pdf2htmlEX/pdf2htmlEX

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Replying to Dave-Allured:

Somebody made a newer community fork of pdf2htmlEX. It looks like they are keeping up with poppler. Would anyone like to try upgrading this port to this new fork?

​https://github.com/pdf2htmlEX/pdf2htmlEX

Thanks for finding that! That's good to know. It looks like they are indeed keeping up with new versions of poppler, but it doesn't change the fact that pdf2htmlEX requires specific versions of poppler and fontforge, so their build process does build local copies of those specific versions, as I had talked about above. And although I'm pleased to see commits in their repository as recently as last month, I'm sad to see they haven't made a release in nearly four years, so if we use the latest release, we'll be using four-year-old versions that might have bugs or security issues.

[Dave-Allured (Dave Allured)]

Replying to ryandesign:

... they haven't made a release in nearly four years, so if we use the latest release, we'll be using four-year-old versions that might have bugs or security issues.

Yes, on closer inspection I see that this fork is receiving only minor maintenance. Use of internal references and entanglement with specific versions remains a problem. It is probably not worth pursuing if there are better alternatives.