1. Posted by jamiea on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:30:49

    This is a rather novice set of questions but any help or advice would be very much appreciated. Essentially, I downloaded and installed the Lua-WoW application for mac and I’m just trying to find out exactly what files were installed and where and how I would uninstall the app if needed.

    I wasn’t quite sure where the files were installed since the only option was to install to the HD rather than a particular folder. I read that you could find the information through /var/db/receipts but I couldn’t find info about what files were actually installed or where.

    I noticed there was an option to install to the USB so I tried that so I could see the file names and got 3 new folders on the USB: Library System usr

    I managed to find some of the files in my USB installation under: System>Library>Frameworks>Lua.frameworks

    such as luaconf.h on my hard drive (in HD>System>Library>Frameworks>Lua.framework>Versions>A>Headers), however I noticed that some of the files and folders on the USB don’t appear when searching with finder. I think I’ve noticed this before when using finder and asked about it in the apple store but they weren’t really sure why this can happen. For example, even the system, library and usr folders don’t appear when searching the USB with finder, the copy of luaconf.h in System>Library>Frameworks>Lua.framework>Versions>A>Headers appears but there is another file of the same name in usr>local>include which does not, none of these files or folders seem to be marked as shortcuts. Does anyone know why this might be? It’s a rather frustrating quirk of finder.

    If I did want to uninstall the lua interpreter, would it simply be a case of getting the Lua.framework folder in HD>System>Library>Frameworks and dragging it to the trash or would this remove important overwritten files from the install for example or are there other components I would need to remove?

    Anyhoo, sorry that is quite a long list of queries but any help would be fantastic even with a one of the issues.

    Many thanks, Jamie.

    Edit: Actually, could I also just ask what the difference between a 'normal' lua interpreter and the ones written specifically for WoW addon development are? Is it a question of just having more pre defined functions and would I run into much difficulty trying to run code in an interpreter that was not specifically designed for creating WoW addons? I read the readme but I'm fairly new to programming and in particular lua so I didn't quite follow the significance of all the notes.

  2. Posted by jnwhiteh on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:58:25

    This is a rather novice set of questions but any help or advice would be very much appreciated. Essentially, I downloaded and installed the Lua-WoW application for mac and I’m just trying to find out exactly what files were installed and where and how I would uninstall the app if needed.

    No worries at all! You're actually the first person in a while to ask a question about the package I created, so it was a good reminder that it still exists!

    The short answer is that you can open the installation file and before clicking 'continue', you can use the menu to select File -> Show Items. The following image shows the window you might see:

    Lua package files

    I wasn’t quite sure where the files were installed since the only option was to install to the HD rather than a particular folder. I read that you could find the information through /var/db/receipts but I couldn’t find info about what files were actually installed or where.

    Ah, with any package you can always do Show Files and it gives you what you need!

    I noticed there was an option to install to the USB so I tried that so I could see the file names and got 3 new folders on the USB: Library System usr

    I managed to find some of the files in my USB installation under: System>Library>Frameworks>Lua.frameworks

    such as luaconf.h on my hard drive (in HD>System>Library>Frameworks>Lua.framework>Versions>A>Headers), however I noticed that some of the files and folders on the USB don’t appear when searching with finder. I think I’ve noticed this before when using finder and asked about it in the apple store but they weren’t really sure why this can happen. For example, even the system, library and usr folders don’t appear when searching the USB with finder, the copy of luaconf.h in System>Library>Frameworks>Lua.framework>Versions>A>Headers appears but there is another file of the same name in usr>local>include which does not, none of these files or folders seem to be marked as shortcuts. Does anyone know why this might be? It’s a rather frustrating quirk of finder.

    If I did want to uninstall the lua interpreter, would it simply be a case of getting the Lua.framework folder in HD>System>Library>Frameworks and dragging it to the trash or would this remove important overwritten files from the install for example or are there other components I would need to remove?

    Anyhoo, sorry that is quite a long list of queries but any help would be fantastic even with a one of the issues.

    Many thanks, Jamie.

    Edit: Actually, could I also just ask what the difference between a 'normal' lua interpreter and the ones written specifically for WoW addon development are? Is it a question of just having more pre defined functions and would I run into much difficulty trying to run code in an interpreter that was not specifically designed for creating WoW addons? I read the readme but I'm fairly new to programming and in particular lua so I didn't quite follow the significance of all the notes.

    It's pretty much the same except it includes a few libraries that don't ship with Lua by default but are included in WoW. Most of the other details are just technical squibbles that help to make the environment as much like WoW as possible. You could just as easily install any other Lua 5.1.4 distribution and it would work just as well!

    Hope that helps!

  3. Posted by jamiea on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 17:40:02

    Thanks for the fast reply, that's really helpful! I have a few follow up questions if it's not too much trouble. The first question (or rather clump of questions) is the main thing, the other 2 are just curiosities :)

    1) Is there any way of telling whether the files to be installed are overwriting existing files or if they are completely new? I'm wondering how to tell whether it's safe to uninstall a package by simply removing the files in that list i.e. without removing something that's needed for running other programs? Does the WoW-Lua install overwrite any files for example?

    2) The first item on the list I have is actually just a '.' so it begins:

    .

    ./System

    ./System/Library

    etc. I was just curious of the significance of the '.' and the line above containing just a '.' on it's own above './System'.

    3) I don't suppose you use Macs much and know why finder fails to find some files and folders even when they are not hidden? I asked in the apple store and they were completely stumped. For example when I installed the package on my USB it failed to find the system, library and usr folders even though they are there as soon as you click on the USB as well as, for example, some versions of .h files even though they were identically named e.g. it will find files like 'luaconf.h' in /Volumes/UDISK 25X/System/Library/Frameworks/Lua.framework/Versions/A/Headers but not 'luahconf.h' in /Volumes/UDISK 25X/usr/local/include.

    Thanks again, Jamie.

  4. Posted by jnwhiteh on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:04:02

    Thanks for the fast reply, that's really helpful! I have a few follow up questions if it's not too much trouble. The first question (or rather clump of questions) is the main thing, the other 2 are just curiosities :)

    1) Is there any way of telling whether the files to be installed are overwriting existing files or if they are completely new? I'm wondering how to tell whether it's safe to uninstall a package by simply removing the files in that list i.e. without removing something that's needed for running other programs? Does the WoW-Lua install overwrite any files for example?

    Unless you've installed Lua previously, those files will be unique. It could overwrite some if you've installed Lua elsewhere, but then you could just re-install them I suppose.

    2) The first item on the list I have is actually just a '.' so it begins:

    That just means 'current directory', which means 'the place where you installed it'

    etc. I was just curious of the significance of the '.' and the line above containing just a '.' on it's own above './System'.

    3) I don't suppose you use Macs much and know why finder fails to find some files and folders even when they are not hidden? I asked in the apple store and they were completely

    I use a Mac every day.

    stumped. For example when I installed the package on my USB it failed to find the system, >library and usr folders even though they are there as soon as you click on the USB as well >as, for example, some versions of .h files even though they were identically named e.g. it >will find files like 'luaconf.h' in /Volumes/UDISK 25X/System/Library/Frameworks/Lua.framework/Versions/A/Headers but not 'luahconf.h' in /Volumes/UDISK 25X/usr/local/include.

    They may be set to hidden. I wouldn't know why, I don't use Finder and Spotlight for those things, I live my life in Terminal.

    Thanks again, Jamie.

    You're welcome!