DarwinPorts is a software build, install, and packaging infrastructure for installing open source software.  It is designed to meet the same functionality requirements as the FreeBSD ports architecture while maintaining extensibility for future enhancement.

System Requirements
This disk image is built for Mac OS X __XVERS__.x (Darwin __DVERS__.x) and requires valid TCL, curl and OpenSSL installations to function, all present by default on Mac OS X. Also required is a full Developer Tools installation (Xcode), not present on the default system.

How to Use
You can simple double-click the "Port Authority" application installed in /Applications/DarwinPorts.  Command-line users can also invoke the "port" command, which (like other DarwinPorts binaries) is in "/opt/local/bin."  Your path will be automatically modified to include that, if needed, during the install; note that you may need to open a new shell first.

What is Installed
The DarwinPorts infrastructure is installed in "/opt/local/var/db/dports/."  In particular, the sources for the infrastructure and "Portfiles" are located in sources.   These files are owned by root, and require "sudo" or equivalent to access.

Documentation

The "DarwinPorts User Guide" is available at <http://www.darwinports.org/docs/>.
There are also man pages for port, ports.conf, portfile, portgroup, portstyle, and porthier.

Using the Port Command

    The following command will build and install a port:

	$ port install <portname>

    To find a specific port, try using "port search".

	$ port search vi

    Please refer to the port(1) man page for complete documentation on the port command.

Creating New Ports

    Ports consist of directory containing both a Portfile and associated files. Currently the only bundled files are patch files, and these are likely to be kept to a minimum.

    A Portfile consists of valid TCL, evaluated by a TCL interpreter instantiated by the DarwinPorts System. Portfiles use extremely straightforward key/value pair syntax, while allowing the author to use the full extent of TCL's functionality where necessary.

    To get started, refer to the base/doc/exampleport found in the DarwinPorts sources and the portfile(7) man page, or The DarwinPorts Guide, at http://www.darwinports.org/docs . Submissions should be uploaded to http://bugzilla.opendarwin.org as new bugs against the "dports" component of the DarwinPorts product.