Port compile options

[Cromulent]

I'm pretty new to FreeBSD, so I'm not sure what the accepted policy is. I attempted to install PostgreSQL 15 on my local virtual machine but wasn't sure which options to compile when I was shown the options menu. One of those choices I made meant that the compilation failed. When trying to install it again, I didn't know how to clean the port tree so that I would have the option to make my selections again.

I guess my question boils down to this: Is there a way to determine what the different compile-time options are, what difference they make, and how you clean the port tree so that when installing again, everything is reset to its default condition?

I'm unsure if I have explained myself, so if you need clarification, please let me know.

 

[W.hâ/t]

Have a look at ports(7)
You'll find more information about options on the ports website.

% make www-site
https://git-scm.com/
# make config
# make showconfig
===> The following configuration options are available for git-2.38.1_4:
     CONTRIB=on: Install contributed scripts
     CURL=on: Install curl support (provides HTTPS transport)
     GITWEB=on: Install gitweb
     HTMLDOCS=off: Install additional documentation
     ICONV=on: Encoding conversion support via iconv
     NLS=off: Native Language Support
     PCRE2=on: Use Perl Compatible Regular Expressions (v2)
     PERL=on: Perl scripting language support
     SEND_EMAIL=on: Enable the git-send-email(1) script
     SUBTREE=on: Install git-subtree
===> Use 'make config' to modify these settings
# make rmconfig
# make install
.....
# make clean
# make deinstall # You usually use `pkg delete git'

 

[Cromulent]

Have a look at ports(1)
You'll find more information about options on the ports website.

% make www-site
https://git-scm.com/
# make config
# make showconfig
===> The following configuration options are available for git-2.38.1_4:
     CONTRIB=on: Install contributed scripts
     CURL=on: Install curl support (provides HTTPS transport)
     GITWEB=on: Install gitweb
     HTMLDOCS=off: Install additional documentation
     ICONV=on: Encoding conversion support via iconv
     NLS=off: Native Language Support
     PCRE2=on: Use Perl Compatible Regular Expressions (v2)
     PERL=on: Perl scripting language support
     SEND_EMAIL=on: Enable the git-send-email(1) script
     SUBTREE=on: Install git-subtree
===> Use 'make config' to modify these settings
# make rmconfig
# make install
.....
# make clean
# make deinstall # You usually use `pkg delete git'

Awesome. Thank you very much for your help.

 

[Phishfry]

but wasn't sure which options to compile when I was shown the options menu.

That is a pretty good indicator that you don't need to compile from ports. Consider using packages.
Generally speaking the only reason to compile from ports is if you need to change a default port option.
Otherwise you are making life difficult. Packages are the best approach for most people..

I use ports for one program that is not in the tree. Seamonkey from a un-official port.
With that I use all package dependencies and only compile the SeaMonkey port.
make build-depends-list | cut -c 12- | xargs pkg install -A -y
I have found this ideal.
It allows use of the simple pkg upgrade command and is fast.

One advantage of ports is you can dig into the source code and make magic happen.
Average users do not need that.

 

[Cromulent]

That is a pretty good indicator that you don't need to compile from ports. Consider using packages.
Generally speaking the only reason to compile from ports is if you need to change a default port option.
Otherwise you are making life difficult. Packages are the best approach for most people..

I use ports for one program that is not in the tree. Seamonkey from a un-official port.
With that I use all package dependencies and only compile the SeaMonkey port.
make build-depends-list | cut -c 12- | xargs pkg install -A -y
I have found this ideal.
It allows use of the simple pkg upgrade command and is fast.

One advantage of ports is you can dig into the source code and make magic happen.
Average users does not need that.

Thank you for replying.

Ah, I see. So packages are just pre-compiled versions of the ports tree? That makes sense coming from a Linux background.

Having said that, if I decided I needed to compile a specific port and customise it, I'm not sure where the options are specified and how to configure them in advance. I was reading the ports man page and saw that make.conf was involved, but I wasn't entirely sure about its correct usage.

Sorry for the newbie questions.