BackupPC-users

Re: [BackupPC-users] __TOPDIR__ and $Conf{TopDir}

2009-12-01 23:51:02
Subject: Re: [BackupPC-users] __TOPDIR__ and $Conf{TopDir}
From: "Jeffrey J. Kosowsky" <backuppc AT kosowsky DOT org>
To: "General list for user discussion, questions and support" <backuppc-users AT lists.sourceforge DOT net>
Date: Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:48:53 -0500
Disregard my post - I see that others have already answered that this
is fixed in the latest Beta.
Jeffrey J. Kosowsky wrote at about 18:04:38 -0500 on Tuesday, December 1, 2009:
 > Tino Schwarze wrote at about 18:07:35 +0100 on Wednesday, November 25, 2009:
 >  > On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 08:44:02AM -0600, Les Mikesell wrote:
 >  > 
 >  > > >>>> I agree - almost every "newbie" that picks up BackupPC makes this
 >  > > >>>> mistake - the more experienced you are with old-school config files
 >  > > >>>> the MORE likely you are to assume changing this is all you need to 
 > do.
 >  > > >>>>  A note in the docs and/or a link to the "how to change your TOP 
 > DIR"
 >  > > >>>> page would fix a huge percentage of installation failures.
 >  > > >>>>
 >  > > >>>> Or just fixing it so changing the config file IS all you have to 
 > do :)
 >  > > >>> If they need to be the same, why do we need the configuration 
 > option in the
 >  > > >>> first place?
 >  > > >> __TOPDIR__ is a token that gets substituted/replaced during an 
 > initial 
 >  > > >> install (a step that deb/rpm packagers have already done).  One of 
 > the 
 >  > > >> places that the actual value is substituted is the value of 
 >  > > >> $Conf{TopDir} in the config file.  But that's not the only place and 
 >  > > >> that's why you can't change it later.
 >  > > > 
 >  > > > Well, then we could simply move it out of config.pl into the code 
 > which
 >  > > > reads config.pl, e.g. have it preloaded into $Config...
 >  > > 
 >  > > The installer doing the substitution also establishes and moves the 
 > code to its 
 >  > > runtime location - which the packagers have put elsewhere.  It is 
 > approximately 
 >  > > the equivalent of wanting to change 'configure' options of some other 
 > source 
 >  > > package after you've installed a packaged binary.
 >  > 
 >  > I'm not talking about installation time.
 >  > 
 >  > I figure it works like this:
 >  > - someone calls BackupPC::new()
 >  > - it takes it's patched-in $TopDir to locate config.pl
 >  > - it reads config.pl
 >  > - so what's $Config{TopDir} good for except for confusing users?
 >  > 
 >  > I'd suggest just removing the setting from config.pl - the code calling
 >  > it should already know the correct setting - it's been patched in, isn't
 >  > it? Having it in config.pl will only confuse users since they expect it
 >  > is easy to change - so let's config.pl reflect what's really going on:
 >  > You cannot change it just here.
 > 
 > I agree - I think it is the non-working yet present $Config(TopDir)
 > variable that is the primary source of the confusion. I would suggest
 > either:
 > 1. Changing the way loading works so that TopDir is indeed specifiable
 >    as  a config parameter
 > 2. Removing TopDir as a config variable as Tino suggests.
 > 
 > Otherwise, we will continue to be flooded by emails from users making
 > the very logical assumption that $Config(TopDir) actually works like
 > any other $Config parameter, allowing you to configure TopDir. We can
 > all hope and bitch that people should read the HowTos/FAQs/archives
 > etc. but this usage is so contrary to what one expects that it is hard
 > to blame the user here...
 > 
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