Installing package documentation
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg91414] Installing package documentation
- From: John Jowett <John.M.Jowett at gmail.com>
- Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:13:42 -0400 (EDT)
Hello,
While learning how to get documentation for my own packages to
show up in the Mathematica 6 Documentation Center, I came across
something that may puzzle other people. Perhaps it's worth a posting:
Although I prepared the documentation of the package complete with
pacletinfo.m file, etc., I found that it did now show up in the
"Installed Add0Ons" page of the Documentation Center. This turned out
to be because I installed the packages, not in $BaseDirectory/
Applications or $UserBaseDirectory/Applications, but in another
directory that is prepended to the value of $Path on kernel startup
(by my kernel init.m file). I do this because I share the packages
with colleagues and it saves them the trouble of re-installing when I
make small updates (one can discuss whether this is good practice or
not ...).
Anyway, it turns out that there is a global option for the Front End
called AddOnHelpPath that seems to control the path searched. However
its help page says
"This function has not been fully integrated into the long-term
Mathematica system, and is subject to change"
So now I am trying to decide whether to tell my colleagues to change
this or to switch to distributing packages for them to install on
their own computers.
John Jowett