NAME
site-lib - [Location of package directories]
STANDARD LAYOUT
...somewhere in the filesystem hierarchy...
|
\
site-lib
|
+- (optional) stublibs
+- (optional) postinstall
+- (optional) postremove
|
+- package1
| |
| +- META
| +- archive files
| +- interface definitions
|
+- package2
+
:
:
\
packageN
DESCRIPTION
Every installation of "findlib" has a default location for package
directories, which is normally a directory called "site-lib". The
location can be set by the configuration variables path (used to look
up packages), and destdir (used to install new packages); see
findlib.conf.
The name of a package is the name of the package directory. For
example, if destdir=/usr/local/lib/ocaml/site-lib, the package p will
be installed in the subdirectory /usr/local/lib/ocaml/site-lib/p. This
subdirectory must contain the META file and all other files belonging
to the package. Package names must not contain the ’.’ character.
The variable destdir specifies the directory for new packages. You can
only have one such directory at a time; but of course you can change
this directory in findlib.conf. The command ocamlfind install puts new
packages into this directory; it is recommended to use this command for
installation because it ensures that the directory layout is right.
For searching packages, findlib uses (only) the variable path which may
name several locations to look at.
For systems with DLL support another directory may exist: stublibs.
If present, findlib will install DLLs into this directory that is
shared by all packages at the same site-lib location. Findlib remembers
which DLL belongs to which package by special files with the suffix
".owner"; e.g. for the DLL "dllpcre.so" there is another file
"dllpcre.so.owner" containing the string "pcre", so findlib knows that
the package "pcre" owns this DLL. It is not possible that a DLL is
owned by several packages.
If the stublibs directory does not exist, DLLs are installed regularly
in the package directories like any other file.
For special needs, a postinstall and/or a postremove script may be
installed in the site-lib directory. These scripts are invoked after
installation or removal of a package, respectively.
ALTERNATE LAYOUT
...somewhere in the filesystem hierarchy...
|
\
site-lib
|
+- (optional) stublibs
+- (optional) postinstall
+- (optional) postremove
|
+- package1
| |
| +- archive files
| +- interface definitions
|
+- package2
+
:
:
\
: packageN
|
\
metaregistry
|
+- META.package1
+- META.package2
+
:
\
META.packageN
This is an alternate directory layout collecting all META files in one
directory. You can configure this layout by setting path to the
absolute location of metaregistry. Findlib recognizes that there are
META files in this directory and uses them; it is not necessary to
include site-lib into the path.
In order to work, the META files must contain a directory directive
pointing to the corresponding package directory that resides below
site-lib.
The command ocamlfind install copes with this layout, too. The variable
destdir must contain the absolute location of site-lib, and the
variable metadir must contain the absolute location of metaregistry.
Note that ocamlfind install automatically adds a directory directive to
the META file, so you need not do it manually.