Re: Relocatable installs

Bruce Momjian <pgman(at)candle(dot)pha(dot)pa(dot)us> writes:
> My idea is to write a /port function that uses various methods to find
> the needed files. We could look in the relative location first, and if
> the needed file is not found, look in the hardcoded directory.

I think a "search until you find something" approach would be a really
bad idea. Particularly on a machine with multiple PG versions installed
(and that has surely got to be a likely situation for people who are
wanting to move things around). It seems entirely too likely that you
would find the wrong version of some file.

So ISTM that the location in which a given installation looks for its
associated files should be completely predictable and *not* depend on
whether it finds something there.

I'm fine with offering an option to make that location be relative to
where the executable came from. But not with nondeterminism.

I think we should use the relative-path method *unless* the configure
command called out specific installation directories (that is, not
just --prefix but --datadir and/or related options). If you use one of
those then that absolute path should be used always, ie, you are
specifically asking for a nonrelocatable install and that's what you
should get.

regards, tom lane