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