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RE: RE: Installing package "SpreadOption`"

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg35826] RE: [mg35699] RE: [mg35673] Installing package "SpreadOption`"
  • From: "David Park" <djmp at earthlink.net>
  • Date: Fri, 2 Aug 2002 02:42:32 -0400 (EDT)
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

I am glad that some discussion of this is being generated.

In general I disagree with your recommendation. If palettes and StyleSheets
go along with a package, why not put them in Configuration\FrontEnd\Palettes
and Configuration\FrontEnd\StyleSheets, which seem to be the places made for
them? Then they automatically appear in the menu listings. (And you as a
package writer would also know where to expect to find them.)

I am not certain if I completely understand your approach and would
appreciate further explanation. If you have a set of packages, stylesheets,
palettes and documentation, where precisely would you put them? At the top
level of the Applications directory? Or would you put them in a subdirectory
within the Applications folder? If they are in a subdirectory, will
Mathematica automatically find them? What if you want to call them from
another subdirectory in the Applications folder? What about having several
documentation folders for different packages? Can you have two
Documentation\English folders in one directory? I don't think so. Suppose
you provide a package with documentation and I supply a package with
documentation. Is the user supposed to merge the BrowserCatergories files
together? Would he know how to do it?

In providing software to a user, I think it is a great advantage if the user
does not have to specify or alter any paths. That may be simple for you, but
it is a major hurdle to many users. If one puts the various objects in the
places that WRI provided for them, it is never neccessary to specify paths.

(Perhaps you want some commands in your package to automatically open a
palette. If the palette has been placed in Configuration\FrontEnd\Palettes,
you as the programmer can automatically write the path to open it. The user
shouldn't have to worry about it. And he could also open the palette from
the menu.)

I don't claim to be the greatest expert on this subject. I would be glad to
learn more. But, so far, all the arguments I have heard for putting packages
somewhere other than an ExtraPackages subfolder have been unconvincing to
me.

David Park
djmp at earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~djmp/


From: Omega Consulting [mailto:omega_consulting at yahoo.com]
To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net

ExtraPackages is a fine place to put packages if your package consists
solely of *.m files.

However, in general I would recommend the Applications directory. The front
end has its own sets of paths (for finding palettes, stylesheets, and
documentation). With the default settings, the front end looks in the
Applications and Autoload directories, not the ExtraPackages directory.

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