Re: Default PATH for executing external programs

[Mike Miller]

On Fri, Nov 7, 2014 at 16:21:55 -0500, John W. Eaton wrote:
> I suppose we could do that to avoid duplicating the same logic in multiple
> places (mkoctfile.m, pkg.m, somewhere else later?).  Then the value just
> needs to be exported to the environment when Octave starts? Or should it
> only be exported as needed?

Hmm, I think we already consider it a bug when OF packages do not use

  MKOCTFILE ?= mkoctfile

or equivalent in their Makefile. I know I test with multiple Octave
versions in PATH at the same time and would consider it a bug if a
package built against the wrong Octave.

I'm a little confused as to what change is being proposed, as we
already do export MKOCTFILE, OCTAVE_CONFIG, and OCTAVE when building
packages [1]. In your original message, you claim that "pkg install"
may call the wrong version of mkoctfile, but I think that sounds
rather like a buggy package not relying on the MKOCTFILE variable that
Octave is already providing. Or am I missing something?

In fact, I don't think Octave's $bindir should even need to be on PATH
for Octave's own programs to work from inside the interpreter. Unless
it's for the use of other helper programs like gnuplot or gs that
happen to be in the same bin directory and bundled with the Octave
install on Windows for example.

Can you clarify or show an example of a package that doesn't install properly?

[1] 
http://hg.savannah.gnu.org/hgweb/octave/file/39a69f54417e/scripts/pkg/private/configure_make.m#l50

-- 
mike