DragonFly BSD

handbook-pkgsrc-finding-applications

Finding Your Application

Before you can install any applications you need to know what you want, and what the application is called. DragonFly's list of available applications is growing all the time. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to find what you want:

Since DragonFly 1.11 pkg_search(1) is included in the base system. pkg_search(1) searches an already installed pkgsrc® INDEX for for a given package name. If pkgsrc® is not installed or the INDEX file is missing, it fetches the pkg_summary(5) file.

Example. Find a Package 

# pkg_search fvwm
fvwm-2.4.20nb1          Newer version of X11 Virtual window manager
fvwm-2.5.24             Development version of X11 Virtual window manager
fvwm-themes-0.6.2nb8    Configuration framework for fvwm2 with samples
fvwm-wharf-1.0nb1       Copy of AfterStep's Wharf compatible with fvwm2
fvwm1-1.24rnb1          Virtual window manager for X



# pkg_search -v fvwm-2.5
Name    : fvwm-2.5.24-50
Dir     : wm/fvwm-devel                                     
Desc    : Development version of X11 Virtual window manager 
URL     : any                                               
Deps    : perl>#5.0 gettext-lib>0.14.5 png>=1.2.4 libXext>=0.99.0 libX11>=1.1 libXau>=1.0 libXdmcp>=0.99 libX11>=0.99 libXft>=2.1.10 fontconfig>=2.2 freetype2>=2.1.8 
freetype2>=2.1.3 expat>=1.95.7 expat>=1.95.4 freetype2>=2.1.10nb1 expat>=2.0.0nb1 fontconfig>=2.4.2 fontconfig>=2.1nb2 libXrender>=0.9.2 libXpm>=3.5.4.2 libXt>=1.0.0 
libSM>=0.99.2 libICE>=0.99.1 png>=1.2.9nb2

To get more verbose information about a package (dependencies, path in /usr/pkgsrc, Description) use the -v switch.

There is a pkgsrc® related web site that maintains an up-to-date searchable list of all the available applications, at http://pkgsrc.se. The packages and the corresponding source tree are divided into categories, and you may either search for an application by name (if you know it), or see all the applications available in a category.

Get the description of a package

To get a more verbose description of the package use pkg_search's -s switch with the exact package name (e.g. as given by a normal query):

# pkg_search -s fvwm-2.5.24
Fvwm is a very famous window manager for X, which provides a
virtual/multiple disjoint desktop, a 3-D look for windows decorations,
shaped/color icons. It gives a very good emulation of mwm. A nice
button-bar can be used to provide convenient access to frequently used
functions or programs.

This package is based on the unstable 2.5.x series of fvwm.  Do not
use it unless comfortable running beta software.

Note: To use the -s switch you need a complete pkgsrc tree installed.