Errors "list must have an even number of elements"

[vinc17@…]

I often get errors "list must have an even number of elements". For instance:

$ port list
Error: search for portname .+ failed: list must have an even number of elements
$ port list all
Error: /opt/local/bin/port: search for portname * failed: list must have an even number of elements
$ port echo maintainer:vincent-opdarw@vinc17.org
Error: /opt/local/bin/port: search for portname vincent-opdarw@vinc17.org failed: list must have an even number of elements

[eridius@…]

Can you please try running any of those commands with the -d switch? That should give a stack trace.

[vinc17@…]

$ port -d list
[...]
DEBUG: Found port in file:///Users/vinc17/software/dports/multimedia/emotion
DEBUG: Found port in file:///Users/vinc17/software/dports/multimedia/emotion
DEBUG: list must have an even number of elements
    while executing
"array set portinfo $line"
    (procedure "dportsearch" line 39)
    invoked from within
"dportsearch ^$search_string\$ no"
Error: search for portname .+ failed: list must have an even number of elements

$ port -d list all
[...]
DEBUG: Found port in file:///Users/vinc17/software/dports/multimedia/emotion
DEBUG: Found port in file:///Users/vinc17/software/dports/multimedia/emotion
DEBUG: list must have an even number of elements
    while executing
"array set portinfo $line"
    (procedure "dportsearch" line 39)
    invoked from within
"dportsearch $pattern $casesensitive $matchstyle $field"
Error: /opt/local/bin/port: search for portname * failed: list must have an even number of elements

$ port -d echo maintainer:vincent-opdarw@vinc17.org
[...]
DEBUG: Found port in file:///Users/vinc17/software/dports/math/pari
DEBUG: list must have an even number of elements
    while executing
"array set portinfo $line"
    (procedure "dportsearch" line 25)
    invoked from within
"dportsearch $pattern $casesensitive $matchstyle $field"
Error: /opt/local/bin/port: search for portname vincent-opdarw@vinc17.org failed: list must have an even number of elements

[eridius@…]

Sounds like you have a damaged PortIndex file. If you have an svn checkout of the dports tree, do an svn update and make sure your PortIndex file isn't modified. Otherwise do a sudo port sync.

[vinc17@…]

That was the problem (I sometimes run portindex manually, and after a svn update, it gets corrupted... it seems that I forgot to revert it or rerun it). Shouldn't the port command detect corrupted PortIndex files and provide a meaningful error message?

[eridius@…]

Ok, r26040 adds a warning when it thinks your PortIndex file is corrupt.