MathGroup Archive 2006

[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]

Search the Archive

Re: Where do I put my own add-on packages?

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg65972] Re: Where do I put my own add-on packages?
  • From: "Solomon, Joshua" <J.A.Solomon at city.ac.uk>
  • Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 05:18:48 -0400 (EDT)
  • References: <e2i8qu$9bm$1@smc.vnet.net>
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

On 24/4/06 11:21, in article e2i8qu$9bm$1 at smc.vnet.net, "Bill Rowe"
<readnewsciv at earthlink.net> wrote:

> On 4/23/06 at 6:17 AM, J.A.Solomon at city.ac.uk (Solomon, Joshua)
> wrote:
> 
>> On 22/4/06 10:00, in article e2crai$k1c$1 at smc.vnet.net, "Bill Rowe"
>> <readnewsciv at earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
>>> On 4/21/06 at 1:33 AM, J.A.Solomon at city.ac.uk (Solomon, Joshua)
>>> wrote:
> 
>>>> I suggest that you create a folder in your home directory called
>>>> Mathematica. Then, in the applications folder, ctrl-click the
>>>> Mathematica icon and select Show Package Contents. You'll see five
>>>> more folders. Open Configuration, then Kernel, then init.m. Add
>>>> SetDirectory["Mathematica"]; $Path=Append[$Path,"Mathematica"]; at
>>>> the bottom of the cell and Save. That's the way I do it.
> 
>>> This will work. But it has a significant disadvantage in that this
>>> method greatly complicates upgrading Mathematica to a new version.
>>> If you fail to recall or determine what modifications you've made,
>>> they get wiped when copying the new version over.
>> 
>> No. Upgrading wipes nothing. Of course, SetDirectory["Mathematica"];
>> $Path=Append[$Path,"Mathematica"]; will need to be added to the new
>> init.m file.
> 
> The directory you suggested above is within the Mathematica package.

No. As you say,

> The usual 
> way of installing a new version in OS X is to drag new Mathematica package to
> the Applications directory in finder.

That is correct. The Mathematica package should have a path like
Macintosh HD/Applications/Mathematica 5.x.app.
Your home directory should have a path like
Macintosh HD/Users/Josh.
Thus your home directory is not within the Mathematica package.

>> I never put any valuable data in the Library folder because the system
>> and other applications put files in there that have really long names
>> with strange characters that cannot be copied/backed-up on any system
>> not running OS X.
> 
> This is a illogical reason for avoiding putting files in ~/Library. In fact,
> all applications running under OS X should put thier support files in
> ~/Library/Application Support a directory specifically intended for
> application support files.
> 
> And there is no more difficulty backing up this directory than any other
> directory in the user's home directory.

I guess it depends how you back up your data.
Josh/Library cannot be copied to a UNIX system for the reason above.
Josh/Mathematica can.

j


  • Prev by Date: Re: Re: unable to FullSimplify
  • Next by Date: Re: Re: unable to FullSimplify
  • Previous by thread: Re: Where do I put my own add-on packages?
  • Next by thread: Re: Where do I put my own add-on packages?