Programs from Linux and OSX standalone builds can now be symlinked into a directory in PATH as an alternative installation method, and will use readlink to find where the build was unpacked.

debian/changelog

@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@ git-annex (5.20131214) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
   * Add plumbing-level lookupkey and examinekey commands.
   * find --format: Added hashdirlower, hashdirmixed, keyname, and mtime
     format variables.
+  * Programs from Linux and OSX standalone builds can now be symlinked
+    into a directory in PATH as an alternative installation method, and will
+    use readlink to find where the build was unpacked.
 
  -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Sun, 15 Dec 2013 13:32:49 -0400
 

doc/install/Linux_standalone.mdwn

@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@ To use, just unpack the tarball, `cd git-annex.linux` and run `./runshell`
 as everything else included in the bundle.
 
 Alternatively, you can unpack the tarball, and add the directory to your
-`PATH`. This lets you use `git annex`, without overriding your system's
+`PATH`, or symlink the programs in the directory to a directory in your
+PATH. This lets you use `git annex`, without overriding your system's
 own versions of git, etc.
 
 Warning: This is a last resort. Most Linux users should instead

doc/todo/symlink_git-annex_binaries_to___126____47__.local__47__bin_for_prebuilt_package.mdwn

@@ -17,3 +17,6 @@ Symlink this script to `~/.local/bin/git-annex`, `~/.local/bin/git-annex-shell`
 The script will detect the installation directory using `readlink`. Both absolute and relative links works. Then it starts the correct script depending on the basename of the link.
 
 It should be possible to link the `git-annex`, `git-annex-webapp` and `git-annex-shell` scripts instead if they used `readlink` to find out the location of the prebuilt package.
+
+> I've made the scripts look at readlink, so [[done]]. 
+> --[[Joey]] 

standalone/linux/git-annex

@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-base="$(dirname "$0")"
+link="$(readlink "$0")" || true
+if [ -n "$link" ]; then
+	base="$(dirname "$link")"
+else
+	base="$(dirname "$0")"
+fi
+
 if [ ! -d "$base" ]; then
 	echo "** cannot find base directory (I seem to be $0)" >&2
 	exit 1

standalone/linux/git-annex-shell

@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-base="$(dirname "$0")"
+link="$(readlink "$0")" || true
+if [ -n "$link" ]; then
+	base="$(dirname "$link")"
+else
+	base="$(dirname "$0")"
+fi
+
 if [ ! -d "$base" ]; then
 	echo "** cannot find base directory (I seem to be $0)" >&2
 	exit 1

standalone/linux/git-annex-webapp

@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-base="$(dirname "$0")"
+link="$(readlink "$0")" || true
+if [ -n "$link" ]; then
+	base="$(dirname "$link")"
+else
+	base="$(dirname "$0")"
+fi
+
 if [ ! -d "$base" ]; then
 	echo "** cannot find base directory (I seem to be $0)" >&2
 	exit 1

standalone/osx/git-annex.app/Contents/MacOS/git-annex

@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-base="$(dirname "$0")"
+link="$(readlink "$0")" || true
+if [ -n "$link" ]; then
+	base="$(dirname "$link")"
+else
+	base="$(dirname "$0")"
+fi
+
 if [ ! -d "$base" ]; then
 	echo "** cannot find base directory (I seem to be $0)" >&2
 	exit 1

standalone/osx/git-annex.app/Contents/MacOS/git-annex-shell

@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-base="$(dirname "$0")"
+link="$(readlink "$0")" || true
+if [ -n "$link" ]; then
+	base="$(dirname "$link")"
+else
+	base="$(dirname "$0")"
+fi
+
 if [ ! -d "$base" ]; then
 	echo "** cannot find base directory (I seem to be $0)" >&2
 	exit 1

standalone/osx/git-annex.app/Contents/MacOS/git-annex-webapp

@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-base="$(dirname "$0")"
+link="$(readlink "$0")" || true
+if [ -n "$link" ]; then
+	base="$(dirname "$link")"
+else
+	base="$(dirname "$0")"
+fi
+
 if [ ! -d "$base" ]; then
 	echo "** cannot find base directory (I seem to be $0)" >&2
 	exit 1