In case anyone is playing along at home. I solved my problem by creating a distribution file template with dummy markers in it, and preprocess this file using sed(1) to replace the markers by actual absolute paths, to produce the real distribution file used by productbuild(1). This assuages productbuild's requirement for absolute paths, and allows me to automate the build using ant, assuming nothing about the true absolute path to the requisite files. Its ugly, but it works. -- Dave On Apr 26, 2013, at 6:52 AM, Greg Neagle <Greg.Neagle@disneyanimation.com> wrote:
I have no information on how productbuild creates its packages. I can only point to actual existing packages and their Distribution files. I suspect that productbuild does not support the full range of what is possible to do in a package or a Distribution file, but rather, implements a generally useful subset.
So I guess I have no useful information for you. Sorry!
-Greg
On Apr 26, 2013, at 6:34 AM, Dave Barker-Plummer <dbp@stanford.edu> wrote:
I am not sure why I should be able to infer the required layout of the files on disk from the layout of the files in the resulting package. The whole point of productbuild is to collect together files on disk and then put them in the right place within the package. What I am asking is how to specify the original location of the files.
If I interpret your suggestion correctly, you're saying that if I create a Resources directory on the package search path, and place a file "readme" in that directory, then I can reference the file as Resources/readme (or possibly readme) in the distribution,xml file. Regrettably, neither of these work. The resulting package does not contain the readme file.
-- Dave
On Apr 25, 2013, at 7:27 PM, Greg Neagle <greg.neagle@disneyanimation.com> wrote:
Oh -- you mean relative file references inside the XML distribution file. I misunderstood your original question.
You can peek inside an Apple package for clues.
For example, I expand the iPhoto 9.4.3 update pkg:
% pkgutil --expand /Volumes/iPhoto\ 9.4.3/iPhoto9.4.3Update.pkg iPhoto_update % cd iPhoto_update/ gneagle@foo:iPhoto_update % ls Distribution Resources iPhoto9.4.3ContentUpdate.pkg iPhoto9.4.3Update.pkg
There are two pkgs in the same directory as the Distribution file. The corresponding bits in the Distribution file:
<pkg-ref id="iPhotoUpdate" auth="Root" active="LogicalAnd3(my.target.mountpoint)">#iPhoto9.4.3Update.pkg</pkg-ref> <pkg-ref id="iPhotoContentUpdate" auth="Root" active="LogicalAnd3(my.target.mountpoint)">#iPhoto9.4.3ContentUpdate.pkg</pkg-ref>
Those are relative paths. I've seen distribution-style packages refer to component pkgs _outside_ of the distribution pkg; this is typically on DVD media or on a disk image, and looks something like this:
<pkg-ref id="foo" auth="Root">../Packages/foo.pkg</pkg-ref>
This probably doesn't really help you, though. What is it you are trying to accomplish? For self-contained flat packages (especially if they are signed) you just want to use the default behavior described in the document you linked to:
"Content Required. A URL specifying the location of the installation package to which this element refers. Typically, you specify a simple filename and productbuild adjusts the URL as needed when the product archive is created."
-Greg
On Apr 25, 2013, at 5:13 PM, Dave Barker-Plummer <dbp@stanford.edu> wrote:
I should probably have mentioned the places that do not work:
- the working directory when productbuild is run - the directory containing the distribution file - the directories on the package-path
-- Dave
On Apr 25, 2013, at 3:17 PM, Greg Neagle <Greg.Neagle@disneyanimation.com> wrote:
Most UNIX tools interpret relative paths as relative to the current working directory.
I'd be surprised if productbuild doesn't do the same. If it doesn't, it's a bug and should be reported.
A big exception is /usr/bin/defaults, which does not "do" relative paths. But that is because `default` really operates on preference domains, and not files.
-Greg
On Apr 25, 2013, at 3:09 PM, Dave Barker-Plummer <dbp@stanford.edu> wrote:
The productbuild(1) command line tool for building installers allows one to specify files to be included in the installer (readme, license and the like) within the distribution.xml file.
I can get this to work by specifying an absolute path name for these keys, but all my attempts to use a relative path name have been unsuccessful. Has anyone been able to use a relative path here, and to work out how the path is interpreted (relative to what)?
-- Dave
Documentation for the xml format here: https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/DeveloperTools/Refere... _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. Installer-dev mailing list (Installer-dev@lists.apple.com) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: https://lists.apple.com/mailman/options/installer-dev/greg.neagle%40disneyan...
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