Easy pkgsrc package creation helper

What is this

This script allows you to install pkgsrc-apps into your favorite directory without confliction with any other applications you've already have.

If you are using pkgsrc in your system, you might want to examine if the new version in new pkgsrc works or not, or fails to build. Using `bmake update' or pkg_rolling-replace is handy enough to update all the apps in your /usr/pkg, but if one of package fails to compile, you will lost all the applications under dependency.

Try to newly build new application in new $PREFIX!

Use case

If you are using LibreOffice and Firefox which come from pkgsrc, it is recommended that you have application-dedicated directories as below:

/opt+firefox+158.1/...
    |       +158.2/...
    |       +159.0/...
    +LO+25.0/...
    |  +25.1/...
    |  +26.0/...

If the new version of firefox comes to pkgsrc, try to do this.

% pkgsrc-newprefix -bM -p /opt/firefox/159.1

This script will execute pkgsrc-bootstrap with a new prefix(/opt/firefox/159.1) and call bmake in that directory. If compilation fails, you only need to is rm -r /opt/firefox/159.1. No applications currently you use will be affected.
(-b option: Use bash to execute configure script
-M option: Force to specify X11_TYPE=modular, good for firefox)

How to Start

It requires NO privilege in most cases.

1. Install pkgsrc somewhere(Default: PKGSRC=/usr/pkgsrc)
2. Create distfiles/ dir writable by you (Default: $PKGSRC/distfiles)
3. Define and create writable directory of all prefixes.
   Example: sudo mkdir -m 775 /opt
4. Start new prefix:
   % pkgsrc-newprefix -p /opt/pkg2026q1
   or start with some applications:
   % pkgsrc-newprefix -p /opt/pkg2026q1 meta-pkgs/mate x11/gnome-terminal
5. Add some application:
   % pkgsrc-newprefix -p /opt/pkg2026q1 multimedia/ffmpeg99

Tips for space saving

Pkgsrc building ordinarily installs all the tools as build-dependencies'. You might have manyGCC's in your package directories. Although we can afford more disk spaces nowadays due to the decreased cost of storage, it is no doubt that having many same build tools are redundant. You can eliminate only build-dependencies by install apps twice as below:

STEP 1:  pkgsrc-newprefix -p $PREFIX -t $WORKDIR    # takes some hours
STEP 2:  rm -r $PREFIX
STEP 3:  pkgsrc-newprefix -A -p $PREFIX -t $WORKDIR    # takes few minutes

The `-A' option installs binary packages saved under $WORKDIR without compilation processes.

Usage

pkgsrc-newprefix - Create new pkgsrc tree with some required packages

Usage:    pkgsrc-newprefix [options] PackagesToInstall...
Options are:
    -p PREFIX    Set pkg tree prefix to PREFIX (/usr/pkg.2025-03-01)
    -P PKGDIR    Set binary package dir to PKGDIR ()
    -j N        Set MAKE_JOBS value to N (nCPU)
    -w WORKDIR    Set WRKOBJDIR value to DIR ($PREFIX/w)
    -s PKGSRCdir    Location of pkgsrc top directory (/usr/pkgsrc)
    -d DISTdir    Location of pkgsrc DISTDIR (/usr/pkgsrc/distfiles)
    -N        Set X11_TYPE=native (default on NetBSD)
    -M        Set X11_TYPE=modular
    -i         Install pkgs only - Skip bootstrap
    -A        (Add)pkg_add $PKGDIR/PKG.tgz instead of build, if any.
    -a "PkgList..."    Add PkgList... to installation list
    -c yes|no|auto    Use cwrappers mode
    -C        Do clean-depends on each successful build
    -b        Use bash for CONFIG_SHELL and WRAPPER_SHELL
    -U        Replace an already installed package if exists
            (Cannot skip pkg with version number eg. py38-*)
    -t TMPDIR    Use $TMPDIR as default prefix of WORKOBJDIR/PKGDIR

Effective environment variables are:
    PKGSRC        Location of pkgsrc source tree
    DISTDIR        Location of distfiles
    LOCALPATCHES    Location of local patches
    MK_JOBS        Number of MAKE_JOBS (make -j)
    PKG_PREFIX    Installation prefix of pkgsrc software
    COMPILER    Which compiler to build (see bootstrap/README*)

License

This script is distributed under `The 2-Clause BSD License'.