Advanced Emerge

Introduction

As with all things technical, there is a deeper level of control afforded by portage when it comes to installing packages.  Setting use flags, accepting keywords and specifying certain options during emerge allow the user to tailor and fine tune the system as well as override default installation behaviour.

The advanced emerge dialog can only emerge one package at a time.

The advanced emerge dialog is split into three basic sections: emerge options, package options and a button bar.  The package options section is further divided into three sub-sections: version list selector, use flags and keyword acceptor.

Emerge Options

The emerge options control emerge's behaviour when managing packages.  The features of this section are:

• Float over help for emerge options.  This text is almost verbatim from the emerge help manual.
• Self deconflicting emerge options.  When you select two options that conflict with each other, the former is deselected automatically.  E.G. if you select verbose, then quiet, verbose will automatically be deselected.
• Emerge options selected in the main window settings menu are automatically set here.

Only the options that make sense for installing a package are listed.  The options that assist in formatting output (e.g. --columns) or displaying information that Porthole already supplies (e.g. --changelog) were omitted to save space on the menu and make the interface as simple as possible.

A good practice is to use pretend first if you are not sure of the results of your selected options.

Figure 1. Advanced Emerge Dialog

Package Options

Version List

The version list is a drop-down select list containing all the different ebuilds for this package.

The list also contains that versions' slot number and a flag if that version is currently installed or it is the best/latest (preferred?) version.

Use Flags

Use flags customize what features are included with this package.  In general, the more use flags selected, the more software will be installed.  The use flags displayed are unique to the version selected in the version drop-down list.  The features of the use flag section are:

• Float over help describing each use flag.
• Use flags set already by the system are marked with a plus sign (+).  These flags are also initially selected.
• Use flags not set in the system are marked with minus sign (-).
• Both global and local flags are displayed.

Important: Use flags are set in the command line according to the following rules:

1. If the use flag has a plus in front and you deselect it, a -useflag will be added to the emerge command, effectively reversing your system default use flag setting.
2. If the use flag has a minus in front and you select it, a +useflag will be added to the emerge command.

Keyword to Accept

Keywords indicate which architecture is supported and whether the package is considered stable or not.  Unstable packages are prefixed with a tilde (~).  The keywords displayed are unique to the version selected in the version drop-down list.  The features for the keyword list are:

• Radio buttons to select which keyword to accept
• None selected by default
• Unmasked architectures listed for reference, but no radio buttons are provided, since they don't need to be accepted if they are stable.

Buttons

• Help - brings up this window
• Cancel - closes window without executing an emerge
• Execute - builds a command string based on the above settings and submits it to the terminal window for execution.

1. We are somewhat at the mercy of the developers who seem to be able to create new and increasingly difficult numbering schemes faster than we can figure out how to sort them.