Re: Directory names hard-coded in Texinfo Perl scripts

[Per Bothner]

On 12/18/21 06:59, Gavin Smith wrote:
> On Sat, Dec 18, 2021 at 2:54 PM Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> wrote:
> > Is this part supposed to work also when Texinfo is installed in a
> > directory different from the prefix with which it was configured?
>
> No, it is only for running from the source/build directory, not for
> the installed program.

It is highly desirable to be more general than that.
 
Note that automake-generated Makefiles allow overriding
both prefix and DESTDIR at install time.  I believe DESTDIR is
creating install images, so handling DESTDIR correctly is a
facctor in writing correct 'make install' rules, not runtime.

However, overriding prefix at install time is also useful.
I use it to create an AppImage of DomTerm: An AppImage is
basically an executable single-file partial file system:
It basically makes an archive wrapping the $prefix tree.

When you run the AppImage, the $prefix tree is mounted as a
temporary user file system.  With a path that may differ each
time you run the AppImage.  For example, running DomTerm.AppImage
the file domterm.jar appears to the domterm execuatble as:
/tmp/.mount_DomTerfjMAQ5/usr/bin/../share/domterm/domterm.jar
I.e. the effective $prefix is /tmp/.mount_DomTerfjMAQ5/usr/ .
--
        --Per Bothner
per@bothner.com   http://per.bothner.com/