UNIX for Advanced & Expert Users

I have an open source tool I am working on. As of right now, version 1 is complete but it's a set of programs in a directory. What I would like to do is create a flexible installer or package that puts things in the appropriate directories (/usr/bin ? ) or perhaps the user's personal bin directory if they don't have root privileges.

Is there a standard way of building an installer? Or, if I wanted to make it flexible, would I have multiple packages / installers for different *nixes?

I also have environment variables associated with it. Should I write those to the user's .bashrc or .profile and if so, prompt first to let the user decide if that's ok?

Thanks in advance.

I would consider using /opt for everything.

Regards
Peasant.

---------- Post updated at 08:22 ---------- Previous update was at 08:22 ----------

I would consider using /opt for everything.

Regards
Peasant.

To get started:
For an arch-based distro, read into AUR for aur-packages.
For redhat based distros, read into specfiles for rpm-packages.
For debian based distros, read into XY? for deb-packages.

If it is binary, requires compiling just prepare a proper config & make "script" (what language are those anyway?) These 2 scripts (if binary) could also be used to install it on the system.

If your projects are just scrips, its worth to think about wether they even require installation, or if you could prepare them better so they dont.

Hope this helps.

If not, share more info.


Environmentvariables, such as XDG_DOWNLOAD_DIR?
They are already saved, you better reuse them, instead of setting them your own.
However, (shared) Variables c/would be safed inside your application, or, less nice, in /etc/profile.d/project-scriptfile-containain-variables.sh

Remember, not every variable must be shared, only a few required ones.

hth

Peasant and sea - thanks for the responses, they are helpful. I can provide more info - the project page is here:

https://github.com/tinypigdotcom/clpm

The install script I have been using for myself but contains assumptions I don't want to make for anyone else (like existence of $HOME/bin):

Code:

BIN=$HOME/bin
CLPM=$HOME/clpm

cd $BIN &&
cp $CLPM/p . &&
echo copied p &&
ln -f p f &&
echo linked f &&
ln -f p fa &&
echo linked fa &&
ln -f p x &&
echo linked x &&
ln -f p xa &&
echo linked xa &&
ln -f p z &&
echo linked z &&
ln -f p zdir &&
echo linked zdir &&
cp $CLPM/af . &&
echo copied af &&
cp $CLPM/v . &&
echo copied v &&
cp $CLPM/d . &&
echo copied d &&
chmod 700 p f fa x xa z zdir af v d &&
echo chmod 700

settings from .bash_profile:

Code:

alias d='. d'
alias v='. v'
AF_DIR=$HOME/app

If you are worried about your assumptions, check them.

Code:

die() {
        echo "$@" >&2
        exit 1
}

[ -z "$BIN" ] && die "BIN not set"
[ -d "$BIN" ] || die "BIN($BIN) does not exist or is not a folder"
[ -z "$CPLM" ] && die "CPLM is not set"
[ -d "$CPLM" ] || die "CPLM($CPLM) does not exist or is not a folder"
# etc

Make yourself clear on your projects range.
Its not a simple 30 line script.

It will become complex, thus it is an application, thus it should be 'installed' properly.
By that i mean, use your system default paths to place your application pieces.

Examples: (valid for redhat based distros)
The start binary (or script) to /usr/bin/cplm
Your other cplm files to /usr/share/cplm
Your manpages should go to something like: /usr/share/man/man1/cplm.1
Your bash completition to /etc/bash_completion.d/

Also, make sure the installation process works without removing the original data, so you can run your install script straight from your projects folder, overwriting the installed data -> so you always use the installed version - NOT the version you working on.

If it was a single file, using a single configuration file, it could be made running from anywhere one wants, but i doubt you can limit this project to a single execution and a single config file only.
And to get started, as a first approach - make your install script work for you.
You cant expect people to run an incomplete application, so for the time beeing you're currently the only one using the installation script, until it reaches some kind of quality, and by that time, you'll know enough to improve the install script to work for others as well.

Hope this helps

I think it would be a good idea to develop a shell script containing the installation binaries inside supported on command you will find in every unix flavor, specially in aix, solaris and linux, like the "tar" command.

If the package you need to install is tiny, you can make a tar with it, and put inside the script in which you will make a function that "echoes" the tar out and then untar it the way you know, this will sweeten your life a lot.

hope this helps

Roque