Re: help broken in 3.8.0 ? Missing macros.texi

[JFC]

On 12/31/13 3:51 PM, JFC wrote:
> On 12/31/13 3:24 PM, Carlo de Falco wrote:
> > Il 31/dic/2013 15:10 "JFC" <address@hidden <mailto:address@hidden>> ha scritto:
> >  >
> >  > On 12/31/13 1:33 PM, c. wrote:
> >  >>
> >  >>
> >  >> On 31 Dec 2013, at 13:07, JFCardoso <address@hidden 
> > <mailto:address@hidden>> wrote:
> >  >>
> >  >>> Hi all,
> >  >>> congrats on the 3.8.0 release!
> >  >>> I just managed to install it on OSX 10.6.8.
> >  >>> But the help is broken here because the macros.texi file
> >  >>> is not copied where it should by make install :
> >  >>> the directory share/octave/3.8.0/etc/ only contains CITATION, NEWS and 
> > test/
> >  >>> Let me know if more details are needed for debugging this.
> >  >>> Best, JFC
> >  >>>
> >  >>
> >  >> Hi,
> >  >>
> >  >> I don't see this behaviour with Octave 3.8.0 on OSX 10.9.1:
> >  >>
> >  >> ls /usr/local/octave/3.8.0/share/octave/3.8.0/etc/
> >  >> CITATION                built-in-docstrings     doc-cache               
> > tests
> >  >> NEWS                    default-qt-settings     macros.texi
> >  >
> >  >
> >  >
> >  > Hmmm.  Note that the help works when I test the build ./run-octave so the 
> > texi
> >  > file is the build tree at the right place, but is not properly copied in the
> >  > install directory during the install.
> >  >
> >  > The relevant message at install time is:
> >  >
> >  >  /usr/bin/install -c -m 644 NEWS CITATION 
> > '/Users/mylogin/octave/octave-3.8.0/share/octave/3.8.0/etc'
> >  >
> >  > and indeed the octetc_DATA variable in the Makefile is defined as
> >  >
> >  > octetc_DATA = \
> >  >   NEWS \
> >  >   CITATION
> >  >
> >  > and apparently left at that.
> >  >
> >  >
> >  > Could the problem be an unintended side effect of passing
> >  > the switch --disable-docs to configure ?
> >  >
> >  > Best, JF
> >  >
> >    That is not unintended if you disable docs you get no help.
> > c.
>
>
> Are you sure ?  I thought disable-docs was only about formatting the manual...
>
> Also, in my previous (3.6.2) build, I was passing --disable-docs
> but was still able to get help at the octave prompt.
>
> Finally, it is sufficient in 3.8.0 to move the macros.texi file
> to the right place in the install directory to get back
> the help functionality even when building with --disable-docs
> so I do not see the benefit of not installing macros.texi.
>
> Last point: I redid a ./configure without --disable-docs
> and I do not see a change to octetc_DATA in the Makefile.
> I will rebuild with that and, if successful, will report.


OK, you were right: building without --disable-docs fixes
the online help system.  Note for OSX users: on OSX 10.6.8, at least,
one has to override the system's texi2dvi in /usr/bin
by the one found, for instance, here: http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/texinfo/texi2dvi

Maybe there is room for improvement here if it is sufficient
to install a macros.texi file in the right place to have
help functionality without having to build the whole doc set.

Cheers, JF